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

28 Legends of the Shawangunk.
Esopus Indians—“What, do you carry the Christian prisoners every night into the
woods?” To which they answered “Yes.” Hereupon the Mohawk said “Let them remain
at liberty here, for you live so far in the woods that the Dutch will not come hither, for
they cannot come so far without being discovered before they reach you.” So they kept
the prisoners by them that night. The Mohawk departed in the morning, leaving a new
blanket and two pieces of cloth, which fell to us as a booty.
Early on the morning of the 6th we resumed our journey. The same day came just
beyond the Esopus kill, where we remained that night. At this place the Indian child
died, which we threw into the creek. Arrived at Wiltwyck about noon of the following
day.
On the 22d a detachment was sent out from Wiltwyck to guard some plowmen while
they labored in the fields. About midnight the party passed along the kill where some
maize lay, about two hours march from the village. On arriving there they found only a
small patch of maize, as it had all been plucked by some straggling Indians or bears. Our
people carried off what remained. The Indian prisoners whom we held had first informed
us, to-day, that a small spot of corn had been planted there principally to supply food to
stragglers who went to and fro to injure the Christians. Should they come again they’ll
not find any food.
About eleven o’clock on the following night, a party was sent about three miles in a
northeasterly direction from Wiltwyck, having been informed there was some Indian
maize at that place, to see if they could not remove it either by land or water. They
returned about two o’clock in the afternoon of the next day and reported they had been on
the Indians’ maize plantation, but saw no Indians, nor anything to indicate they had been
there for a long time, for the maize had not been hoed, and therefore had not come to its
full growth, and had been much injured by wild animals. One plantation however was
good, having been hoed by the Indians, but that was likewise much injured by wild
beasts. They said it was beautiful maize land, suitable for a number of bouweries, and for
the immediate reception of the plow. On Sunday afternoon, September 30th, powder and
ball were distributed to the soldiers and friendly Indians, in the proportion of one pound
of powder, one pound of lead and three pounds of biscuit for each man, who was to
accompany an expedition into the Indian country. On Monday marched from Wiltwyck
with 108 men and 46 Marseping Indians. About two o’clock of the following day we
came to the fort of the Esopus Indians that we had attacked on the 5th of September, and
there found five large pits into which they had cast their dead. The wolves had rooted up
and devoured some of them. Lower down on the kill were four other pits full of dead
Indians and we found further on the bodies of three Indians, with a squaw and a child,
that lay unburied and almost wholly devoured by the ravens and the wolves. We pulled
up the Indian fort and threw the palisades, one on the other, in sundry heaps and set them
on fire, together with the wigwams around the fort, and thus the fort and houses were
destroyed and