e men fired at them with their muskets and killed three of them. More
than a hundred savages now came down upon the nearest point of land to
shoot at the vessel. One of the cannon was brought to bear upon these
warriors, and at the first discharge two of them were killed and the
rest fled to the woods.

The savages were not yet discouraged. They had doubtless been instigated
to make this attack by the two who escaped near West Point, and who had
probably incited their countrymen by the story of their imprisonment, as
well as by representing to them the value of the spoil, if they could
capture the vessel, and the small number of men who guarded it. Nine or
ten of the boldest warriors now threw themselves into a canoe and put
off toward the ship, but a shot from the cannon made a hole in the canoe
and killed one of the men. This was followed by a discharge of musketry,
which destroyed three or four more. This put an end to the battle, and
in the evening, having descended about five miles, Hudson anchored in a
part of the river out of the reach of his enemies, probably near
Hoboken.

Hudson had now explored the bay of New York and the noble stream which
pours into it from the north. For his employers he had secured a
possession which would beyond measure reward them for the expense they
had incurred in fitting out the expedition. For himself he had gained a
name that was destined to live in the gratitude of a great nation
through unnumbered generations. Happy in the result of his labors and in
the brilliant promise they afforded, he spread his sails again for the
Old World on October 4th, and in a little more than a month arrived
safely at Dartmouth, in England.

The journal kept by Juet ends abruptly at this place. The question
therefore immediately arises whether Hudson pursued his voyage to
Holland, or whether he remained in England and sent the vessel home.
Several Dutch authors assert that Hudson was not allowed, after reaching
England, to pursue his voyage to Amsterdam; and this seems highly
probable when we remember the well-known jealousy with which the
maritime enterprises of the Dutch were regarded by King James.

Whether Hudson went to Holland himself or not, it seems clear from
various circumstances that he secured to the Dutch Company all the
benefits of his discoveries, by sending to them his papers and charts.
It is worthy of note that the earliest histories of this voyage, with
the exception of Juet's