has yet found an answer. True,
Holland and those lands ruled by the Dutch have been places of refuge
for us. No wonder that the poor souls who left Brazil in the 'St.
Catarina' hoped to receive honorable treatment here at the hands of
the burghers. It may be that they fear the rivalry of our brethren in
trade, if more of us be allowed to take up residence in New Amsterdam.
And perhaps," he spoke with a sort of grudging honesty, "perhaps, one
can scarcely blame the worthy burghers for mistrusting the newcomers
and refusing to grant them welcome. They were unfortunate enough to
have been robbed at Jamaica where they rested on their journey; when
they reached here there was the disgrace of an auction in which their
goods were sold to pay for their passage, and two of the passengers,
David Israel and Moses Ambrosius, were held for security. You remember
how a law suit was brought against them by Jacques de la Motthe,
master of the vessel, for this same passage money; and although the
matter is now settled, some of our honest citizens are not ready to
welcome strangers who they believe are little better than vagabonds
and paupers."

"But, father," protested the boy, "a goodly number out of the
twenty-seven who came on the 'St. Catarina' last autumn have received
gold from their brethren in Holland. All except the very poorest one.
And I heard mother telling Frau Aboaf that you could ill afford giving
all you did to help the poor widow on board the 'St. Catarina'
and----"

"Jacob Aboaf and I have done but little,"--half-growled Barsimon, as
though ashamed of the charity he was always ready to do by stealth.
"And they were our brethren." He became silent again, striding to the
window and scowling out into the bright spring sunshine. At last: "But
perhaps we have managed to serve them with our pens as well as gold.
Jacob Aboaf and I, with a few of our good Dutch townsmen, have written
to the directors of the Dutch West India Company in Amsterdam, praying
that these Jews, now forbidden lodging here, be allowed the rights and
privileges, of all good citizens. The directors should listen to our
plea, for a large amount of the company's capital comes from Jewish
purses. We might have heard favorably from them long ago had it not
been for the stubborn hatred of Governor Stuyvesant, whose letters
have poisoned their minds against us."

"But we have never harmed Governor Stuyvesant," observed Samuel, "so
why should his hand be ag