The road was long and difficult, and we asked for a guide,
but he had no one, in consequence of several of his children being
sick. At last he determined to go himself, and accordingly carried us
in his canoe over to the point of Mill Creek in New Jersey behind the
Kol.[155] We learned immediately that there was a boat up this creek
loading with brick, and would leave that night for the city. After we
had thanked and parted with Pierre le Gardinier, we determined to walk
to Elizabethtown, a good half hour's distance inland, where the boat
was. From the point to this village there is a fine wagon road, but
nowhere in the country had we been so pestered with mosquitos as we
were on this road. The land about here is very poor, and is not well
peopled. We found the boat, and spoke to the captain who left about
two hours afterwards; but as the wind was against going out of the
creek, he lay by and waited for the tide. We returned by evening to
the point where we were to stay until morning. There was a tavern on
it, kept by French papists, who at once took us to be priests, and so
conducted themselves towards us in every respect accordingly, although
we told them and protested otherwise. As there was nothing to be said
further we remained so in their imaginations to the last, as shown
both in their words and actions, the more certainly because we spoke
French, and they were French people. We slept there this night, and at
three o'clock in the morning we set sail.

[Footnote 154: Pierre Cresson, a Picard, who after many years in
Holland came out to New Netherland in 1657, and lived at Harlem till
1677, when he obtained this grant on Staten Island. His son Jacques
embraced the Labadist views.]

[Footnote 155: _I.e._, behind the Kill van Kull. Mill Creek is
probably the stream now known as Elizabethtown Creek.]

_14th, Saturday._ Being under sail, as I have said, it was so entirely
calm that we could only float with the stream until we came to the
Schutters Island,[156] where we obtained the tide again. It was now
about four o'clock. In order to protect ourselves from the air which
was very cold and piercing, we crept under the sail which was very old
and full of holes. The tide having run out by daylight, we came under
sail again, with a good wind which brought us to the city at about
eight o'clock, for which we were glad, and returning thanks to God,
betook ourselves to rest.

[Footnote 156: Now Shooter's Island, opposite