"The Day After Our Retourne, Being In Cottages Covered With Bushes, We
Heard A Noise In The Wood, Which Made
Us speedily take our weopens, every
one hiding himselfe behind a tree the better to defend himselfe, but
perceaved it
Was a beast like a Dutch horse, that had a long & straight
horne in the forehead, & came towards us. We shott twice at him; [he] falls
downe on the ground, but on a sudaine starts up againe and runs full boot
att us; and as we weare behind the trees, thrusts her home very farr into
the tree, & so broak it, and died. We would eat non of her flesh, because
the flemings eat not their horses' flesh, but tooke off the skin, which
proved heavy, so we left it there. Her horne 5 feet long, and bigger then
the biggest part of an arme." [Footnote: In O'Callaghan's Documentary
History of New York, Vol. IV. p. 77, 1851, is given an engraving of this
animal, with the title, "Wild Animals of New Netherlands," taken from a
Dutch work published in Amsterdam in 1671. In this work it is thus
described: "On the borders of Canada animals are now and again seen
somewhat resembling a horse; they have cloven hoofs, shaggy manes, a horn
right out of the forehead, a tail like that of the wild hog, black eyes, a
stag's neck, and love the gloomiest wildernesses, are shy of each other. So
that the male never feeds with the female except when they associate for
the purpose of increase. Then they lay aside their ferocity. As soon as the
rutting season is past, they again not only become wild but even attack
their own."]
We still proceeded in our journey. In 7 dayes we overtook the boat that
left us. Now whether it was an unicorne, or a fibbe made by that wild man,
yet I cannot tell, but severall others tould me the same, who have seene
severall times the same beast, so that I firmly believe it. So his story
ended, which lasted a great while; ffor having an excellent memory, tould
me all the circumstances of his rencounters.
We [went] from thence the next morning. We came to a beatifull river, wide
one league and a halfe, which was not violent nor deepe, soe that we made
no carriages for 15 or 20 leagues, where we had the view of eagles and
other birds taking fishes, which we ourselves have done, & killed salmons
with staves. One of my compagnions landed a sturgeon six fadoms deepe and
brought it. Going along the woodside we came where a greate many trees
weare cutt, as it weare intended for a fort. At the end of it there was a
tree left standing, but the rind taken away from it. Upon it there was
painted with a coale 6 men hanged, with their heads at their feete, cutt
off. They weare so well drawen, that the one of them was father by the
shortnesse of his haire, which lett us know that the french that was before
us weare executed.
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