is dear enough.

_30th, Thursday._ It was now Ascension Day, according to the old
style,[380] a day greatly observed by the English. It reminded us of
the day we left home on our travels, which was Ascension Day, old
style. We wrote to-day to Robert Sanders at Albany, in order that, as
we were so long in New York contrary to our intentions, he might
regulate himself in the matter of our poor Wouter, the Indian, who,
according to our mutual understanding, was to go to Boston by land,
with an address from Mr. Robert Sanders, to one John Pisgeon,
merchant, of that city,[381] so that we might find him, or he us, in
order to go to Europe with us, which he so earnestly desired, and we
endeavored with our whole heart to effect; and as this could not well
be done by the way of York, on account of the governor and other
hindrances, we had chosen that way, as it seemed to us the best.

[Footnote 380: But it was also Ascension Day of the new style.]

[Footnote 381: I do not know who this could be if it were not John
Pynchon of Springfield, assistant and councillor of Massachusetts
1665-1703. He owned much property in Boston and was often there; his
large possessions in western Massachusetts and his position as the
chief trader at Springfield would make it natural to use him in the
way described; and in 1677 he had, at Albany, taken part, as
representative of his colony, in Governor Andros's negotiations with
the Mohawks.]

M. de la Grange came with his wife to invite me to accompany them in
their boat to the Wale Bocht,[382] a place situated on Long Island,
almost an hour's distance below the city, directly opposite Correlaers
Hoeck, from whence I had several times observed the place, which
appeared to me very pleasant, although I had never been there. He had
an old aunt and other friends living there. We set off accordingly in
the boat, but the strong flood tide carried us beyond the bay, to a
place called the Burnt Mill, where we could let the tide run out.
Meanwhile we fished a little, but we caught nothing except a small
codfish. From there we landed on the Mahatans, a little north of the
Burnt Mill, on a beautiful farm, having two fine ponds of water before
the door, where a mill was standing. These ponds were full of sunfish,
and other fish, some of which we caught. The flood having run out at
noon, we left there and arrived about two o'clock at the Wale Bocht.
This is a bay tolerably wide where the water rises and falls