Having gone ashore during the ebbing of the tide, on this side of Hell-gate where William Hallet's house & plantation formerly stood, which were laid waste by the Indians about September of the year 1655 ; we made a fire there by aid of spunk wliich we had ; found in the shallow water on the strand some Oysters wliich we fried and ate, whilst thus engaged, a fine herd of Cattle came right by us feeding along the beach ; there were about sixteen cows both old & young, and 5 @ 6 horses

923 PAPERS RELATING. TO WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

Having viewed these as well as the land which is there quite flat and apparently of good soil ; and having eaten of what we had brought with us, it became low water. We embarked again in our boat, and passed through Hell-gate and by the fast anchored Brotliers ^ to tlie Kill in front of Oostdorp into which we pulled and hugged to our sorrow close on the west bank of said Kill, wlien after rowing up a short way, w^e ran ourselves aground. Our people looked for deep water but found none. As our pilot calculated that there would be still an hour and a half of ebb, we were obliged to row ashore as we were not willing to remain with the boat in the Kill in such cold weather ; we went ashore on the w^est bank and built a fire there, the land being apparently barren and stoney. Standing here together around the fire, we heard an Indian call. Some of us going out, on hearing the noise, found two Indians lying in a canoe, fishing, in front of the kill ; as soon as the Indians saw us they paddled away in their skiff.