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.

The next day, the Half Moon descended the river about twenty miles through Tappan Sea, and anchored, it is supposed, near the head of Manhattan island.  Sir Henry Hudson was apparently oppressed in some degree with the unjustifiable harshness with which he had treated the simple-hearted, yet friendly natives.  He was continually and increasingly apprehensive of treachery.  A single canoe containing several men approached the ship Hudson’s eagle eye perceived that one of these men was one of the captives whom he had seized, but who had escaped from his imprisonment by plunging into the river and swimming ashore.  The sight of this man alarmed the captain, and he refused to allow any of them to come on board.

It seems to us rather absurd to suppose that half-a-dozen savages could think of attacking, from a birch canoe, with arrows, a European ship with its well-armed crew.  It should be borne in mind that we have the narrative from the white man only.  The Indians have had no opportunity to tell their story.

Mr. Brodhead, in his valuable history of New York, gives the following account of the untoward scenes which immediately ensued, compiling from the most ancient records: 

“But Hudson, perceiving their intent, would suffer none of them to enter the vessel.  Two canoes, full of warriors, then came under the stern, and shot a flight of arrows into the yacht.  A few muskets were discharged in retaliation, and two or three of the assailants were killed.  Some hundred Indians then assembled at the Point to attack the Half Moon, as she drifted slowly by; but a cannon-shot killed two of them, whereupon the rest fled into the woods.  Again the assailants manned another canoe and again the attack was repulsed by a cannon shot which destroyed their frail bark; and so the savages went their way mourning the loss of nine of their warriors.  The yacht then got down two leagues beyond that place, and anchored over night on the other side of the river in the bay near Hoboken.  Hard by his anchorage and upon that side of the river that is called Mannahatta, Hudson noticed that there was a cliff that looked of the color of white-green.  Here he lay wind-bound the next day, and saw no people to trouble him.  The following morning, just one month after his arrival at Sandy Hook, Hudson weighed anchor for the last time and coming