pulled some. Although they are such a poor, miserable people, they
are, nevertheless, licentious and proud, and given to knavery and
scoffing. Seeing a very old woman among them, we inquired how old she
was, when some young fellows, laughing and jeering, answered twenty
years, while it was evident to us she was not less than an hundred. We
observed here the manner in which they travel with their children, a
woman having one which she carried on her back. The little thing clung
tight around her neck like a cat, where it was kept secure by means of
a piece of daffels, their usual garment. Its head, back and buttocks
were entirely flat. How that happened to be so we will relate
hereafter, as we now only make mention of what we saw.

[Footnote 119: Pronounced Nyack; the region around the present site of
Fort Hamilton, on the eastern side of the Narrows. It was at that time
largely surrounded by a marsh and hence is referred to in the text as
an island.]

[Footnote 120: Mica.]

These Indians live on the land of Jaques ----, brother-in-law of
Gerrit.[121] He bought the land from them in the first instance, and
then let them have a small corner, for which they pay him twenty
bushels of maize yearly, that is, ten bags. Jaques had first bought
the whole of Najack from these Indians, who were the lords thereof,
and lived upon the land, which is a large place, and afterwards bought
it _again_, in parcels. He was unwilling to drive the Indians from the
land, and has therefore left them a corner of it, keeping the best of
it himself.[122] We arrived then upon the land of this Jaques, which
is all good, and yields large crops of wheat and other grain. It is of
a blackish color, but not clayey, and almost like the garden mould I
have seen in Holland. At length we reached the house of this Jaques,
where we found Monsr. de La Grange, who had come there in search of
us, to inform us further concerning his departure for the South River,
and to take us to his house. We spoke to him in regard to this and
other matters, as was proper, and shortly afterwards he left. This
Jaques ---- is a man advanced in years. He was born in Utrecht, but of
French parents, as we could readily discover from all his actions,
looks and language. He had studied philosophy in his youth, and spoke
Latin and good French. He was a mathematician and sworn land-surveyor.
He had also formerly learned several sciences, and had some knowledge
of medicine. But the wor