It may, however, had for its foundation the antics of a very black and muscular African who was employed to guard the passage and prevent hostile Indians as well as indiscrete Dutchmen from crossing, and who, for the better discharge of his duty, built fires at night, armed himself with sword and firebrands, vociforated loudly, and acted the cl^aracter of a devil very well. At all events the African is the only historical devil that had an existence at the ford, and he finally ran away and became merged with the Indians. Spiting Devil, an English corruption, ran naturally into Spitting Devil, and some there are who think that that is a reasonably fair rendering of Dutch Spuiten. They are generally of the class that take in a cant reading w'ith a relish. Shorakkapoch and Shorackappock are orthographies of the name of record as that of the cove into which the Papirinemen discharges its waters at a point on the Hudson known as Tubby Hook, It is specifically located in the Philipse charter of 1693 : " A creek

22 INDIAN GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES.

called Papparinnemeno which divides New York Island from tlie main land, so along said creek as it runs to Hudson's River, which part is called by the Indians Shorackhappok," i. e. that part of the stream on Hudson's River. In the patent to Hugh O'Neil (1666) : " To the Kill Shorakapoch, and then to Papirinimen," /. c, to the cove and thence east to the Spuyten Duyvil passage. " The beautiful inlet called Schorakapok." (Riker.) Dr. Trumbull wrote " Showaiikuppock (Mohegan), a cove." William R. Gerard suggests ''P'skurikuppog (Lenape), 'forked, fine harbor,' so called because itwas safely shut in by Tubby Hook,^ and another Hook at the north, the current taking a bend around the curved point of rock (covered at high tide) that forked or divided the harbor at the back." Dr.