Legends of the Shawangunk2 JR.pdf - Friends of the Sabbath ...

22 Legends of the Shawangunk.
men, and directed him to go out by one of the gates and return by the other one, and not
to molest anybody. The sergeant sent back word that a crowd of savages was there.
Jacob Jansen Stohl came to the guard, saying ‘I will go, give me four or five men.’ After
they had returned, I asked them who ordered them to fire, and they said the savages had
shot first. Jacob Jansen Stohl replied violently that the dogs [Indians] had vexed us long
enough; that they lie in the bushes all around; and that they have fired innumerable brand
arrows into grain stacks and barns. They attempted to set fire to the barn of Hap, but the
barn being covered with plank, the corn was saved; and they have killed several cattle
belonging to us. One prisoner escaped from them; he gives the number of savages as
four hundred. He thought the white prisoners in their hands were all alive, but badly off.
He said further, if we had not some cannon here, not one of us, large or small, would
have escaped.”
The records say when the Dutch came to the place they fired a volley among the
Indians as they lay around a fire.
One savage was knocked in the head with an axe, and was left for dead, but he
presently made off. Another, while lying on the ground stupidly drunk, was hewn on the
head with a cutlass, which roused him so that he fled; after which the Dutch retreated to
the fort with great speed. We find the following version of the affair given by the
Catskill Indians:—
Eight Esopus Indians broke off corn ears for Thomas Chambers. When they finished
work the savages said, “Come, give us brandy.” Chambers replied, “When it is dark.”
When evening was come he gave a large bottle with brandy to the Indians. They retired
to a place at no great distance from the fort and sat down to drink. The eight savages
drank there until midnight; by that time they were drunk, and they began to yell. At
length the brandy came to an end. One Indian said, “Buy more brandy; we still have
wampum.” The savage who was afterwards killed went to Chambers’ house to get more
brandy. Chambers said, “I have given you all I had.” The savage then went to where the
soldiers were taking with him the bottle, which he hid under his cloak. “Have you any
brandy?” said the Indian. “Yes, I have brandy,” answered a soldier. “Here is wampum,
give me brandy for it.” “What is wampum, and what can I do with it? where is your
kettle?” said the soldier. “I have no kettle, but I have a bottle here under my cloak,”
replied the savage. The soldier filled the bottle, but would take nothing for the brandy.
The savage came to his comrades who were lying about and crying, and asked them,
“Why do you cry? I have brought brandy!” Whereupon they changed their cry, and asked
if he had given all the wampum. “No, a soldier gave it to me.” They replied “that is very
good,” and began to drink lustily from the bottle, because they had no goblet or ladle.
When the bottle was passed around the savages began to wrangle and fight. Two of them
presently said to each other, “We have no cause to fight, let us go away;” so they went
away, leaving six. After a little time one of the remaining savages said, “Come,