This is well illustrated by the course of the Shore path through the one-time village of Eastchester on its way to Pelham and the Sound shore. Here the path came over from the Williamsbridge crossing of the Bronx to the hillside overlooking the Hutchinson river, and descended to the margin of its marshy borders which afforded no practicable place of crossing. Turning, therefore, abruptly northward, the path skirted the marsh, rising in grade until it reached the line of the later Boston post-road. Here it turned sharply to the east, descending to the head ■of the marsh which it traversed toward the river. The selected point of crossing was that now occupied by a bridge, where

INDIAN NOTES

INTRODUCTION

a tongue of high land on the northwest side almost touched an extension of dry meadow-land on the southeast, between which narrow space the stream finds its way. At no other place in the vicinity could so easy and desirable a crossing be made.

Following a similar method, the great paths converging, on Manhattan-- the North or Hudson River path, the Shore path from the east, and the Westchester path -- were directed to and united at the only available access to Manhattan island, the important Wading place at Kingsbridge.

These main arteries of traffic then combined in a single trail down the island, uniting at McGown's pass with the branch path extending from Harlem. So far these trails are recorded in history, and below that point we can be reasonably sure that the path was continued On the line of the old Boston post-road, whose tortuous course, avoiding streams and bogs, extended down the east side of the island to the settlements on and near its southern extremity,