it, that before they could do anything Indian Head was gravel. However, the people succeeded, though apparently with some difficulty, in saving the rest of the Palisades. The blasting and crushing processes which were at once an offence to the ear, the eye, and the aesthetic sensibilities of all good people, were finally interfered with effectually and the stone-crushers removed to other fields. Years ago that craggy point was a favourite lookout station for the red men. For how many hundreds of years they had used it, no one can ever know, but if the story related to the author by one who lived in the vicinity and had a curious love for Indian lore can be accepted as true, then the immemorial years must have rounded almost into millenniums between the time of the first outlook on that grey old crag and the last. Digitized by Microsoft® 202 The Hudson River The story is this : \l^at there was a well-defined path worn in the rock and leading to the very highest point, and there, deeply indented, were three hollows, such as would be made by the knees and hand of one who was kneeling and bent a little forward. 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 depress- ions. It is possible that the gentleman may have been in error in his conclusions, but that lonely vidette, waiting through uncounted centuries for the appear- ance 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 voya.gers had a name for the Pali- sades: " 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 Yon- kers), that the HaVf Moon made her second stop after leaving the mouth of the river. It was on the 12 th of September, 1609. The weather, we are told, was ' ' Faire and hot. ' ' Master Juet 's Journal goes on to say : Digitized by Microsoft® 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. They have great tobacco pipes of yellow copper, and Pots of Earth to dresse their meate in. The early history of Yonkers commences with Adriaen Van der Donk, a lawyer from Holland who came to America in 1641 as sheriff for the Patroon Van Rensselaer, at Albany. Van der Donk was a man of some property (which he increased by mar- riage) and a good deal of ability. His ambition to become himself a Patroon was finally gratified by the grant of the lower Weckquaskeek region, extending from Spuyten Duyvil on the south to a brook nearly three miles above the present railroad station. The Company, or the Company's Director, was under some obligations to Van der Donk, it is said, for advances of money; and land grants have been convenient for discharging obligations of that sort in all ages of the world. The deed named the tract so acquired "Nepper- haem" ; but the names by which it was popularly known to the Dutchmen of that day were " Coin Donk, " or the " Colony of Donk," and " De Jonkheer's," or the "Young Lord's," which has been corrupted into Yon- kers. This grant became a manor in 1652 and Van der Digitized by Microsoft® 204 The Hudson River Donk was its Lord for three years, though perhaps he never Hved there. He became involved in a quarrel with Stuyvesant and went to Holland with a remon- strance, but was beaten by the doughty Governor. He left no impression upon the land over which he was Lord for so short a time. Between 1681 and 1686 Vredryk or Frederick Flypse or Filipse became