, and we also did not understand him well. We
supposed the man was at his plantation with a boat, and after waiting
awhile without perceiving anything of him, we asked him where the man
was with the boat. He said he was not there, but that it was Captain
Miller's boat which was going, and he lived about ten or twelve miles
off. We immediately resolved to go there, which we did, about noon,
after having breakfasted and dined together. Mr. Commegys was from
Vianen,[244] and had had a Dutch woman for a wife, who had taught her
children to speak the Dutch language; they therefore had a kind
disposition towards Hollanders. After her death he married an English
woman, and he had himself learned many of the English maxims, although
it was against his feelings; for we were sensible that he dared not
work for us with an open heart. He told us he would rather live at the
Cape of Good Hope than here. "How is that," said I, "when there is
such good land here?" "True," he replied, "but if you knew the people
here as well as I do, you would be able to understand why."

[Footnote 244: Vianen is in South Holland, near the borders of
Utrecht. The act of naturalization and the record of their marriage at
New Amsterdam in 1658 speak of him as born in Lexmont (Leksmond, a
village near Vianen) and his wife in Barneveld, a village near
Amersfoort.]

We departed from his house over the same road by which we had come,
thinking that if nothing more should result from this opportunity, we
would at least have advanced so far on our way back. We arrived at
about three o'clock at Mr. Hosier's,[245] who received us kindly, and
would have cheerfully kept us all night, but understanding our
intention, he not only let us go and showed us the road, but went with
us himself in order to facilitate our getting over the creek; but on
arriving at the next plantation on the creek, there was no canoe to
put us over, and he therefore took us to another, the same one where
we had found the Commegys, and where we now found his son, of whom I
have before spoken, who soon had his boat ready, when thanking Mr.
Hosier, and taking our leave of him, we crossed over. Young Commegys
showed us the road, which we followed to a creek, where we found a
canoe, but no person with it. We took ourselves over in it, and came
to the house where we left the sick woman before spoken of. There were
now some men at home whom we requested to show us the road, and the
same person who