The Dutch on the Delaware. 



321 



may be the ruins were weed-grown and hidden 

 then ; if so, the greater interest to me, for, neg- 

 lected by Fox, the opportunity comes more than 

 two centuries later to revive the history of a river 

 tragedy. 



Whether his countrymen ventured back, or some 

 Indian had the courage to do so, is not on record ; 

 but one of the murdered men was buried. His 

 bones a headless skeleton, indeed were found 

 near by, so near that he can be said to have been 

 buried in the ruins of his house. Certainly the 

 bones had not been exposed to fire; but where 

 was the head ? We know of war-clubs and toma- 

 hawks. They are common to all the farm-lands 

 along the Delaware even yet : and was the poor 

 Dutchman's head crushed by the assassin ? Gath- 

 ering up the bones for what purpose I do not 

 know and whatsoever I could move of bricks 

 and tiles, I sat down, at last, to rest at the foot of 

 an old tree, fancying it, of course, one of the 

 Dutchman's shade-trees, and took in those fare- 

 well glances that are ever fullest of meaning. 

 The day was well spent, and that soft south wind, 

 which, according to Roger Williams, was held to 



