Captain Kyd Volume Ii Part 9

Beyond were forests, and a vast tract called "King's Farms," now embraced between Ca.n.a.l and Liberty streets. This wall was perforated midway between the two rivers by a gateway, through which pa.s.sed the road to Albany: this avenue is now called Broadway. At the eastern extremity of the wall, at the foot of Wall-street, and facing the water, was a half-moon fort, called a Rondeel: another was at Coenties-slip, or "Countess-slip," so called in honour of the fair Lady of Bellamont; and a third, equidistant from it, on the site of what is now the corner of State-street and the Battery. From Broadway, west, there was a sloping sh.o.r.e to the beach, there being neither wharf nor landing on this side of the town; and on the south, the tides came up nearly to the iron gate of the Battery that at present opens into Broadway--the site of the present "Marine Park" being at low tide a sandy beach strewn with vast fragments of rock, and called "The Ledge," where fishermen spread their nets and dried their fish.

At the foot of Broad-street, then called "Here Graft," and at that time the princ.i.p.al street of New-Amsterdam, were two great docks, called "West" or "East Dock," as they chanced to be on the east or west side of Broad-street. Through this street nearly to Wall-street also run a creek, widened into a ca.n.a.l, and spanned by bridges wherever it was intersected by streets. Near the head of this ca.n.a.l was the abode of the city ferryman, who conveyed pa.s.sengers in a wherry either to the Island or Jersey sh.o.r.e. The houses of the better cla.s.s stood princ.i.p.ally on William and Pearl streets, the latter being open to the water, with dwellings only on the west side facing it. Maiden-lane was then a green lane with a fine spring at its head where the Dutch maidens were accustomed to bleach the linen they wove. Fronting the river stood the Stadt Huys (the ancient City Hall), a ma.s.sive stone structure two stories high, with battlements rising above the gable ends. The lower story was used as the colonial prison. Opposite the Stadt Huys stood the fish-market. In the Bowling Green, then an oblong square, surrounded by locust-trees, was the City Market, which was held three times a week, and opened and shut by the ringing of a bell. The gate of the city was formed of a pair of ma.s.sive leaves of oak, strengthened with bars of iron: they were shut at night on the setting of the watch, and opened at sunrise by ringing of bells. The citizens took watch by turns or were fined. They were to be "good men and true, and free from cursing and swearing." It was their duty to watch by the gate and the bridges, and thrice during the night to take the rounds of the city, particularly to see that neither Indians nor negroes were abroad, or lying about in the market-places. In cases of emergency or alarm, they were commanded to call on the nearest citizen for aid; each householder being required to keep always in his house a "goode firelocke," and at least six rounds of b.a.l.l.s thereto. Gutters run through the centre of all the streets, which were unpaved; and in the middle of Broadway, near Wall, and also in Pearl-street, were public wells and pumps. The houses were built mostly in the Dutch style, with gable-ends to the street, and stoopes.

The "Rondeel," or crescent before mentioned, that defended the south side of the town at the foot of Broadway, was erected on the top of a large mound, fourteen feet high, with a green sloping glacis on every side. The wall of the fort was still twenty feet above the glacis, strongly constructed of stone, with two square wings, the centre being in the shape of a half-moon. On the north side stood a few apple-trees and an aged linden that over-topped the walls, from the parapet of which was a near view of the market, of the fields about the "Bowline Greene,"

the hay-scales, and the north gate of the city. In the centre of this fort stood a small stone chapel, the first Dutch church erected in New-York. Four cannon were mounted on the water side, and a heavy gun, of vast calibre, planted on the north side of the wall, commanded the gate of the palisades. East of the fort was a forest of several acres, in which were kept the governor's deer. Nearly hid among its old trees, yet open to the bay, stood, within a stone's throw of the gate of the fort, the gubernatorial mansion of the earl, a stately Dutch edifice of stone, painted white and ornate with scalloped gables, turret-like chimneys, a cupola, latticed galleries, and "stoopes." The ground before it sloped in a smooth lawn to the glittering beach; and from its door the eye embraced the whole of the far-extended bay, with its green and wooded islands, and a distant glimpse of the sea. On the east of this mansion, which, from its white exterior and imposing appearance, was named by the admiring burghers "Der Vite Sals," or White Hall; a name the site has retained to this day, commenced Pearl, then called Dock street. It was on the corner of this and Broad-street, and within one hundred yards of the White Hall, that the public-house of frau Jost Stoll was situated.

This ancient, well-frequented, and popular inn, the humble progenitor of the numerous costly and palatial _hotels_ that now adorn the modern city, was one story high, and extended far back on both streets, showing a front on each. Its roof was tiled with glazed Dutch tiles, and ascended almost perpendicularly to a great height, where it met a second or super-roof, which was clapped over it like an extinguisher. In its descent towards the ground, however, it look a horizontal curve outward, and projected full seven feet from the walls across the sidewalk, supported along its eaves by a row of rude columns. The gable-ends rose ambitiously above the roof, from which be it said projected sundry dormant windows, which were cut into steps or half-embrasures, giving the building a sort of castellated aspect. Its windows, and they were many of divers shapes, square, circular, oval, and diamond, were placed in all possible positions, as the fancy of the architect dictated. On each street was a broad door, with a narrow carved canopy above it, and beneath a stoop with seats on either side. To these, for the accommodation of her numerous customers, the bustling Dutch hostess had of late placed four long benches, two on each side of the house, against the wall and just beneath a row of windows with little three-cornered panes of gla.s.s set in leaden sashes. The advantage of two fronts to the inn is apparent, and was a very great convenience to the worthy citizens. In the summer mornings they were wont to sit on the south and shady side, which looked down the bay; and in the afternoon on the east and now shady side, which commanded not only a side view of the harbour, but a full view of the muddy dock, alive with ducks, at their feet, and the clumsy stone bridge that crossed it. But, since they had begun to watch for the reappearance of the "Ger-Falcon," the name of the vessel which was despatched in pursuit of the pirate, the south front, notwithstanding it was in the month of June, and the level sun lighted up the little windows of the inn like an illumination, had become the most frequented and popular; and, on the evening of the day in question, the east side was deserted by all save a tawny slave, a rec.u.mbent Indian, and one or two sleepy dogs. On the south front, therefore, at the time of the opening of the second part of this story, were gathered, towards sunset, beneath the shade of the projecting roof, a motley group, composed of some of the best burghers of New-Amsterdam, and, what is more, the choicest customers of _frau_ Stoll. They were seated on benches on either side of the stoop, the two seats of which were occupied by a little, short, fat member of the corporation, and a tall, thin, long-nosed churchwarden, the chiefest dignitaries of the church and state. Besides these worthies, there were several artisans, and other worthy citizens of the ancient town.

"Dere vill be moche fear dat de tamt pucanier hash got de king's s.h.i.+p, and no te king's s.h.i.+p haav got te pucanier," said one of the worthy burghers, sagely shaking his head after a long look down the bay; and taking his pipe from his mouth and emitting a generous cloud of smoke, he looked round to see how his opinion was received.

"'Tis quite time, Mynheer Vandersplocken, that the s.h.i.+p should be back; but whether she brings a prize or no is another thing," said the warden, blowing through his pipe to ignite the tobacco therein.

"I'll ventur' to say you are right dere, Mynheer Varder," said an antiquated Dutch skipper, blowing forth with his words a volume of smoke that for a time rendered his round, rubicund visage and portly paunch invisible; "dis skipper Kyd ish not to pe taken sho easily. Schnaps and tunder! he would plow up his yocht to de tyfil first. Ay! he vill never haav te hemp cravat, te plack rogue."

"Is he black?" asked the warden, eagerly.

"Ay--ish't plack he ish, schipper Schenk?" repeated the burgher.

"Goot! schipper Schenk, den hash seen him! how doesh dou know dat he ish plack?" asked a third, who, from his greasy apparel, was the tallow-chandler of the town, laying his pipe across his oily knee and looking him in the face with the air of a man who expected to hear something marvellous.

"'Tish not plack in te face I mean, put in te heart," said the skipper.

"I have seen him, as you say, Mynheer Schnops; and his hair vas white as te lint, and his eye plue as te sky, and his skin fair as te lantlaty's taughter here. A fair young man he vas to look upon."

"And cruel as fair," said the warden. "Tell us, worthy skipper Schenk, o' the time you saw this bold rover; doubtless it will be a tale to listen to."

"Ay, good schipper!" "Yaw, schipper Schenk, gif us te story," cried several voices.

Ashes were knocked from some of the pipes, and others were refilled; the more distant listeners moved nearer to the skipper, who, looking round with the patronising and superior air of a man who hath seen more danger than his fellows, settled himself into the att.i.tude of a story-teller, and took a long-drawn whiff at his meerschaum:

"It vas in te Long Island Sount," he began, "just after the last line gale. I vas in mine little yocht, te Half Moon, and, haaving carried away my powsprit, put into a creek unter Sachem's Heat to cut another from te treesh dere. I left te men to vork hewing te spar, and valks about on te sh.o.r.e, looking rount, and tinking vat a nice plaace it vas--te Sachem's Heat--for a city, if te lant vas lower, so tat a tyke micht be made all rount it."

"A tyke, sure; vat is te citee mitout te tyke? vera goot," were the approving e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns of his listeners.

"Ton't interrupt me, or tish tyfil a pit more you get o' mine shtory.

Now vere vas I? Vell, as I vas saying, I vas valking by mineself ven I comes to te oder side of te heatlant, ant tere lay anoder vessel mitout a mast, ant more tan fifty men at vork putting new spars into her. Vell, I vas vondering vat craft it vas, for she vas carry many kuns, vhen somepoty vas lay a hant on mine shoulter, ant I looked rount ant vas see a tall, hantsome, ant fair young man, mit plue eyes ant light locks, mit pistols at belt ant swort py his side.

"'Goot tay, Mynheer Schipper,' says he, in a free ant easy vay. 'Ish tat your craft pelow in te creek?'

"'It ish, mynheer,' says I. 'Dis gale has put us poth into von bipe, if tat ish your craft pelow dere.'

"'It ish, schipper; vill you go on boart?'

"'Ish must get my repairs tone ant pe off,' I sait.

"'I haav a flasche of goot Scheitam, mynheer,' sait he.

"So I vent aboart, ant ve hat a merry time mit te Scheitam ant te bipe.

"'Tis ish te real shuniper from Deutch-lant, captain,' says I, pouring te last trop out of te flasche.

"'It's made from the Italian shuniper, schipper,' says he.

"'Deutch or Italian,' says I, 'it's te oil ov life; ant never pefore tid I trink such s.h.i.+n.'

"'I am glat you like it,' says he; ant he mate a negro, in golt ant green jacket ant brocken, put on anoder flasche.

"By-ant-py, says I, 'Vat's te name o' your craft, captain,' tinking it a s.h.i.+p in te king's navy.

"'Te Silfer Arrow,' says he.

"'Te Silfer Arrow. I haav not hear tis name in te navy.'

"'Nor ever vill,' sait he. 'Fill your gla.s.s, schipper, I vill give you a toast.'

"So I filled to te top, ant, rising up, swore I't trink it on mine legs, if he gave te tyfil himself, for te Scheitam vas in me. So I helt on to te taple-corner, ant he sait,

"'I give te healt of Kyt.'

"'Nefer,' sait I; ant smashed my gla.s.s on te taple in a tousant atoms.

'I vill trink to te tyfil, put not to Kyt,' says I.

"His eyes flashed like coals ov vire, ant he put his hant on a pistol; put ten he laughed ant sait,

"'Drink to my healt, ten, good schipper.'

"'I'll trink your healt, captain, from te neck ov te flasche, till tere pe not von trop left pehint.'

"'Pledge me, den,' sait he.

"So ve filled, ant I trank a b.u.mper to his goot healt.

"'Very vell, schipper. You haav done as I wished,' he sait, smiling.

'Who, tink you, is your entertainer?'

"'Te'il care I,' sait I; 'I know te Scheitam, tat is enough for schipper Schenk to know.'

"'Did you ever hear of te Adventure Galley?' says he.

"'It's Kyt's vessel,' sait I, 'tat he scours te sea mit.'

"'Look here, schipper, ant reat,' said he, shoving asite a sliting panel above te transum.

"I looked, ant reat, in large letters,

"'THE ADVENTURE GALLEY.'

"'Vat te tyfil!' sait I, laying a hant on my cutla.s.s, 'tish is not te--'

"'Te Adventure Galley, ant I am Captain Kyt,' says he.