hought it best to anchor
again. Toward night the vessel, having drifted near the shore, grounded
in shoal water, but was easily drawn off by carrying out the small
anchor. She was aground again in a short time in the channel, but, the
tide rising, she floated off.

The two days following he advanced only about five miles, being much
occupied by his intercourse with the natives. Being in the neighborhood
of the present town of Castleton, he went on shore, where he was very
kindly received by an old savage, "the governor of the country," who
took him to his house, and gave him the best cheer he could. At his
anchorage also, five miles above this place, the natives came flocking
on board, bringing a great variety of articles, such as grapes,
pumpkins, beaver and otter skins, which they exchanged for beads,
knives, and hatchets or whatever trifles the sailors could spare them.
The next day was occupied in exploring the river, four men being sent in
the boat, under the command of the mate, for that purpose. They ascended
several miles and found the channel narrow and in some places only two
fathoms deep, but after that seven or eight fathoms. In the afternoon
they returned to the ship. Hudson resolved to pursue the examination of
the channel on the following morning, but was interrupted by the number
of natives who came on board. Finding that he was not likely to gain any
progress this day, he sent the carpenter ashore to prepare a new
foreyard, and in the mean time prepared to make an extraordinary
experiment on board.

From the whole tenor of the journal it is evident that great distrust
was entertained by Hudson and his men toward the natives. He now
determined to ascertain, by intoxicating some of the chiefs, and thus
throwing them off their guard, whether they were plotting any treachery.
He accordingly invited several of them into the cabin and gave them
plenty of brandy to drink. One of these men had his wife with him, who,
the journal informs us, "sate so modestly as any one of our countrywomen
would do in a strange place"; but the men had less delicacy, and were
soon quite merry with the brandy. One of them, who had been on board
from the first arrival of the ship, was completely intoxicated, and fell
sound asleep, to the great astonishment of his companions, who probably
feared that he had been poisoned, for they all took to their canoes and
made for the shore, leaving their unlucky comrade on board. Their
anxiet