HUDSON HONORED IN NEW YORK 317 



pathetic efforts to pacify his employers were the indirect cause of New York's 

 first growth. 



Coming down the river Hudson anchored under the Hoboken cHffs. The 

 mate writes of the opposite shore as "that side of the river called Manna-hata." 

 (There are nearly a dozen versions of the way Manhattan got its name.) 

 There, on Oct. i, while the Indian canoes were clustering around the ship, one 

 savage climbed the rudder chains, crept through a window into Hudson's cabin 

 and stole a pillow, two shirts and two belts. The mate, according to his own 

 account, "shot at him and struck him on the breast and killed him." The ship's 

 cook seeing a second Indian who, in swimming, had seized the dead savage's 

 canoe, "took a sword and cut off one of his hands and he was drowned." This 

 brought on a general fight, in which several more natives were killed. 



On Oct. 4 the Half Moon set sail for Holland. It was the first vessel to 

 leave the port of New York bound direct for Europe. Hudson knew that 

 trouble awaited him at home, but had he guessed how great a misfortune it 

 would prove he would probably have chosen some other destination. 



Great was the excitement at Dartmouth, England, when, on Nov. 7, 1609, 

 the battered little Half Moon crept into port, bearing the returned discoverers. 

 Hudson and his men were plied with questions as to the wonderful new land 

 they had explored. They became nine-day wonders at the sleepy English 

 town. But suddenly the sentiment toward them changed. 



Hudson had merely stopped at Dartmouth on his way to Holland. Before 

 he could go on with his journey the British authorities seized the Half Moon 

 and arrested Hudson and the crew. For months the returned mariners were 

 held captive. At last Hudson succeeded in forwarding his reports to the Dutch 

 East India company, and his men were allowed to take the ship to Amsterdam. 

 Hudson did not go with them. It is supposed, too, that the Dutch East India 

 company (angry at his disobedience to orders and disgusted at what they 

 deemed his failure) discharged him. 



Thus the discoverer found himself stranded once more, without employ- 

 ment or prospects. For months he lived in miserable idleness, trying always 

 to secure command of a new expedition for the discovery of the North Pole and 

 of the supposed "passage" across it to India. 



(The Half Moon, after several later voyages under less famous captains, 

 is said to have been wrecked off the island of Mauritius in 161 5.) 



By dint of much persuasion Hudson finally induced some rich London 

 rnerchants to fit out a ship for him and let him make one more search for the 



