The narrator claimed that he fell naturally into that attitude in order to get a steady and restful position and that he noticed that his knees and palm fitted into the depressions. It is possible that the gentleman may have been in error in his conclusions, but that lonely vidette, waiting through uncounted centuries for the appearance of the ship of destiny that must at last arrive with the forerunner of the white conquerors, appeals strongly to the imagination. The old Dutch voyagers had a name for the Palisades: Verdrietegh " Hoeck," -- grievous point, because it took so long to pass, and perhaps for another reason: no riverman likes to be becalmed under the cliffs. He may be lying motionless with no breath of air to stir a sail; when suddenly -- slap! comes a " knock-down " over the crest, hitting the sails before it touches the water, and the vessel goes down before she can get headway. Verdrietegh Hoeck is a grievous place to be caught. It was in front of Nappeckamack (that is now Yonkers), that the Half Moon made her second stoj) after leaving the mouth of the river. It was on the 12th of September, 1609. The weather, we are told, was " Faire and hot. ' ' Master Juet's Journal goes on to say :

From Spuyten Duyvil to Yonkers 203

In the afternoon, at two of the clocke, wee weighed, the winde being variable, between the north and northwest. So we turned into the river two leagues, and anchored. This morning at our first rode in the River, there came eight-and-twentie canoes full of men, women and children to betray vs: but wee saw theire intent and suffered none of them to come abord of us. At twelue of the clocke they departed; they brought with them oysters and beanes, whereof wee bought some.