THE TOWN OF YONKERS. 609 



had escaped from Hudson's vessel now came out with many others, 

 armed with bows and arrows, expecting to betray them." rt But, says 

 Juet the mate of Hudson's vessel, "we perceived their intent, and suf- 

 fered none of them to enter our ship, whereupon two canoes full of men 

 with bows and arrows shot at us after our stern, in recompense whereof 

 we discharged six muskets and killed two or three of them ; then above 

 one hundred of them came to a point of land to shoot at us, then, I shot 

 a falcon at them and killed two of them : whereupon the rest fled into 

 the woods. Yet they manned off another canoe with nine or ten men, 

 which came to meet us; so I shot at it also a falcon, and shot it through 

 and killed one of them, then our men with muskets killed three or four 

 more of them, so they went their way." 6 



It was here, too, that during the absence of the illustrious Peter Stuy- 

 vesant, who was then occupied in reducing the Swedish fortress on the 

 Delaware, a body of nine hundred Indians having crossed the river, 

 came and landed at "Spiteing Devil" creek. Here they posted them- 

 selves, and remained until they were apprised of his return. 



The waters of the kill or channel, derive their name from a daring 

 Dutch burgher of the Manhattans, who, bent upon performing some 

 deed of knight errantry, determined upon crossing this stream in a vio- 

 lent storm, in opposition to the remonstrances of his friends ; swearing 

 he would swim across "en spyt den duyvel," (in spite of the devil), but 

 scarcely had he reached the channel when he was overwhelmed by the 

 stormy billows and sank to rise no more. 



This incident has been well described in the Sketch Book, by Wash- 

 ington Irving, although he has fixed a much later date for the origin ot 

 the name than we find it recorded in the Colonial annals. It is entitled, 



"THE DOLEFUL DISASTER OF ANTHONY THE TRUMPETER." 



"Stuyvesant resolutely bent upon defending his beloved city (New Amster- 

 dam) in spite of itself, called unto him his trusty Nan Corlear, who was his right 

 hand man in all times of emergency. Him did he adjure to take his war de- 

 nouncing trumpet, and mounting his horse, to beat up the country, night and 

 day, sounding the alarm along the pastoral borders of the Bronx, starting the 

 wild solitudes of Croton, arousing the rugged yeomanry of Weehawk and Ho- 

 boken. the mighty men of battle of Tappan bay, and the brave boys of Tarry- 

 town and Sleepy Hollow, together with all the other warriors of the country 

 round about ; charging them one and all, to sling their powder horns, shoulder 

 their fowling pieces, and march merrily down to the Manhattans. Now there 



a Moulton's Hist. N. Y. part i. 272, 2. 



b Hudson's Journal. 



c Egbert Benson's Mem. N. Y. 94. 



