60

JOURNAL OF THE SECOND ESOPUS WAR.

Indians may have recourse to under cover of this pass. We maintain that sucli and other Indiansresort here with such passes, to spy out this our place. Meanwhile, we being on our guard, placedsentinels every where before them, to prevent them passing through the village to examine and pryinto it, as they are strongly inclined to do. In the meantime we inform your Honours that on theday before yesterday the Wappinger Sachem came with venison to the Redoubt, and we have had atalk with him, and he promsied us, among other things, to bring us hither all the Christian prisoners,within three or four days, according to the entries in our daily journal which Your Honors shallreceive from us by the first Yacht. Done, Wildwyck this first December 1663. (Was subscribed)Christiaen Niessen, Thomas Chambers.”

2 li ditto. Sunday. Nothing happened, except that on account of the hard frost, I requested theskippers of the vessels to go down to the Redoubt to examine their Yachts which they consented todo. In the afternoon, after the Sermon, sent a party to the shore to take down grain and to put iton board.

3 d ditto. The military Council having met, the following resolution was adopted :—

“ Ensign Christiaen Niessen proposes to send down, pursuant to despatches from the Hon bleDirector General and Council, the saddles, pistols, holsters & carbines, the best whereof was left byCapt. Lieutenant Martin Cregier and remains with the Clerk, Mattheus Capito, as appears also byletters from the Capt. Lieutenant aforesaid together with the three metal guns and their accou-trements as they were used in the field, and also one sail.

“ The Military Council decided that it was impossible, in view of the approaching winter, tosend the articles down at present as here at Wildwyck we have no smith sufficiently expert torepair the arms, and as the Wappingers come almost daily under pretence of exchanging Christians,to spy out this place which already hath suffered massacre enough, and consequently, if the articlesin readiness were sent away (which w T ould be publicly seen by other tribes of Indians) two massacres(which God forbid!) may occur through want of all adequate means, save God ’s Providence.

“ 2 nd 'y. The Ensign aforesaid moves, inasmuch as the setting out of the palisades is found as yetto be for the greater part inadequate and not in accordance with the Capt. Lieutenant’s request,and as in many places palisades have been removed from the curtains and not replaced by others,much less attention paid to setting out the same, to the imminent ruin and destruction of thisVillage of Wildwyck , which God forfend ; and demands further that the inhabitants of Wildwyckmay be notified by the W. Court to put the fort in a suitable state of defence wdthin the space of threedays, and in default or neglect thereof, that he do it with the best means he may at present find athand, and demand repayment therefor when done, from the W. Court at Wildwyck.

“ The Military Council unanimously resolved that for the due execution of said proposal, it beforthwith communicated to the W. Court in Wildwyck, and that they answer the same withoutdelay. (Signed) Thomas Chambers, Hendrick Jochems, Jan Peersen, Evert Pels, Jonas Rantsou,Walran du Mond, Antonie delava.”

Also, sent a convoy down in the morning with grain to the river side, which on returningbrought up the Wappinger Sachem and his wife, and Splitnose, the Indian last taken by us. WhichSachem brought with him two captive Christian children, stating to us that he could not, pursuant tohis previous promise of the 29 th November, bring along with him the remainder, being still fiveChristian captives, because three were at their hunting grounds, and he could not find them, butthat another Indian was out looking for them ; the two others are in his vicinity, the Squaw whokeeps them prisoner will not let them go, because she is very sick and hath no children, and expectssoon to die ; and when he can get Albert I-Ieymans’ oldest daughter, who is also at the huntingground, and whom he hath already purchased and paid for ; then he shall bring the remainder of the