CHAPTER II

THE MANHATTAN PIONEERS

The quick-witted Netherlanders lost no time.
Before the Half Moon was free from King James's
clutches, merchants in Amsterdam had formed
a syndicate to send a trading-ship across the At¬
lantic with Juet, mate of the Half Moon, as mas¬
ter of the new vessel. She was the pioneer of a
great fleet with homely names, such as the For¬
tune, Tiger, Spotted Cow, Wood-Yard, Orange
Tree, Arms of Amsterdam, Black Eagle, Blue
Cock, Flower of Gelderland, Unity, The Pear Tree,
New Netherland's Fortune, White Horse, Herring,
Salt Mountain, Prince Maurice, which crossed the
Atlantic and came back laden with American
furs.

In 1612 two famous skippers, Adrian Block in
the Tiger and Hendrick Christiansen in the For¬
tune, crossed over and brought back to Holland
not only a cargo of skins, but two sons of Indian
chiefs, named Orson and Valentine. Between 1612
and 1621, Christiansen made ten voyages into the
great river. On Castle Island, now part of the city
of Albany, he built a fort and trading-station.
At Esopus a TonduiU or circular fort, was erected
in 1614.