Soon the beauty of the river, the rich colors of the great forests, the steep sides of the palisades, the slopes of the highlands, the strange Indians in their bark canoes, so took the attention of Hudson and his crew that, for a time, they forgot all about a route to India. [Illustration: HENRY HUDSON _From the painting by Count Pulaski in the Aldermanic Chamber of the City Hall, New York_] What a flutter of excitement the _Half Moon_ must have caused among the Indians! They came on board to give welcome and presents to Hudson and his men. On the return, probably near the present city of Hudson, an old chief came on board and invited Hudson to visit the little village of wigwams located on the river. There these Dutchmen saw beautiful meadows, fields of corn, and gardens of pumpkins, grapes, and plums. The chief showed Hudson his palace of bark, and spread a feast of roasted pigeons and other Indian food before him. In spite of such kind treatment, Hudson would not stay over night with the Indians, who even broke their bows and arrows and then threw them into the fire to prove that they meant no harm to the white man, but Hudson and his men were still afraid. [Sidenote: =Indians kind but Hudson cruel=] Indeed, Hudson had every reason to fear the Indians, for he had treated them badly and his men had even murdered some. In less than a month, Indian friendship had been turned into Indian hatred. The next year Hudson sailed in an English vessel in search of the long-wished-for passage. On he went, far to the northward, past Iceland and Greenland, into the great bay which bears his name. In this desolate region, surrounded by fields of ice and snow, Hudson and his men spent a fearful winter. [Illustration: INDIANS WELCOMING THE "HALF MOON," HUDSON'S SHIP] [Sidenote: =Fate of Hudson and his men=] In the spring his angry sailors threw him and a few faithful friends into a boat and sent them adrift. Nothing more was ever heard of them. In Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" the story tells of nightly scenes in the Catskills in which the ghosts of Hudson and his friends were the actors. [Sidenote: =A trading post on Manhattan=] =35. Dutch Traders and the Indians.= Just as soon as the news of Hudson's first voyage reached Holland, the Dutch merchants claimed all the region explored by Hudson and his men and hastened to open up trade with the Indians. As early as 1614 a trading post was established on Manhattan Island--the beginning of a great city, New York. Other posts were soon located: one up the Hudson became Fort Orange, another on the Delaware was named Fort Nassau, and a fourth was placed where Jersey City now stands. Later the Dutch traders went as far east as the Connecticut Valley. [Sidenote: =A lasting Indian treaty=]