treachery. These artless men, to convince him that he had nothing to
apprehend, actually broke their bows and arrows, and threw them into
the fire. But nothing could induce Hudson to remain on shore through
the night. He describes the land here as very fertile, bearing
abundantly, corn, pumpkins, grapes, plums, and various other kinds of
small fruits.

Availing himself of a fair wind, he again spread his sails, and on the
1st of October, cast anchor at the mouth of Haverstraw Bay, in the
vicinity of Stony Point. He had scarcely furled his sails, when a
large number of natives came paddling out from the shore in their
little birch canoes. They were entirely unarmed, bringing apparently
in a most friendly manner, furs, fish and vegetables for sale. Soon
quite a little fleet of these buoyant canoes were gliding over the
water. One Indian, paddling beneath the cabin windows, and seeing
hanging out certain articles pilfered a pillow and a jacket. As he was
making off with his treasures the mate caught sight of him, and
seizing his gun mercilessly shot him dead. A severe punishment for so
trivial a crime in an untutored savage.

All the Indians on board the Half Moon as they heard the report of the
gun, and saw their unfortunate companion fall dead in his blood, were
stricken with terror. Some rushed into their canoes. Others plunged
into the river to swim ashore. The vessel's boat immediately put off
to pick up the canoe with the stolen goods. As it was returning, a
solitary Indian, in the water, probably exhausted and drowning,
grasped the gunwale. The cook seized a hatchet and with one blow,
deliberately cut off the man's hand at the wrist. The poor creature,
uttering a shriek, sank beneath the crimsoned waves and was seen no
more.