“Let your brother sleep. He is safe with us and will get well. The Great Spirit is watching over him and you need fear nothing.” The redskin slept peacefully all night, and, when his frightened countrymen came out to see him, next day, they were rejoiced to find him alive and smiling. Crying out, “Ugh! Ugh! The white man was right. The Great Spirit has looked carefully after our brother,” the red men paddled him joyfully to the shore, but soon returned, bringing beads and tobacco, which they gave to Hudson. They also presented him with a large platter of venison. “Pray take this, brother,” said a bronze-skinned chieftain. “We love our brother, for he has let no harm come to our beloved friend who has loved the fire water far too well. Ugh! Ugh!” Disappointed in not finding the passage to the far East, Hudson now prepared to return. But how far had he gone? Writers seem to disagree upon this point, yet, when one considers that the _Half Moon_ was a small boat, not as large as many of the stone sloops which now sail in the North River, it is reasonable to suppose that it went up the Hudson to a place about in the neighborhood of where Albany now stands, while the boat which was sent on ahead to explore the stream, advanced as far as the town of Waterford. It was now the twenty-seventh day of September, the weather was balmy, and the leaves of the forest were turning with the first chill of Autumn. The _Half Moon_ drifted slowly down the broadening river, passing the home of the hospitable, old chieftain, near Catskill’s Landing. The redskin came out in his canoe, begging Hudson to come ashore and eat with him; but the wind was too fresh for the navigator to listen to his invitation, so the boat kept on down-stream, leaving the old chief “very sorrowful for their departure.” Toward night the vessel anchored near what is now known as Red Hook Landing, where the sailors had splendid fishing in the blue depths of the magnificent water-course. Now, detained for a day by head winds, the ship dropped slowly down the river, passing the famous highlands of the Hudson where the mountains looked as if there were some metal, or mineral in them. “The hills seemed to be all blasted, some of them barren with few or no trees on them.” The Indians still crowded around the boat, several of them bringing a stone on board which was like emery, for it would cut iron or steel. On the 1st day of October, with a fair wind behind, the _Half Moon_ sailed through the highlands, and, reaching a point opposite Stony point, was becalmed, and cast anchor.