And Willet felt his own pulses beat a little faster
at the thought of New York, a town that he knew well, and already a
port famous throughout the world.
Tayoga, although he wore his Indian dress, attracted no particular
attention from Captain Van Zouten and his crew. Indians could be seen
daily at Albany, and along the river, and they had been for
generations a part of American life. Captain Van Zouten, in truth,
noticed the height and fine bearing of the Onondaga, but he was a
close mouthed Dutchman, and if he felt like asking questions he put
due Dutch restraint upon himself.
The wind held good all day long, and the sloop flew southward, leaving
a long white trail in the blue water, but toward night it rose to a
gale, with heavy clouds that promised snow. Captain Hendrick Van
Zouten looked up with some anxiety at his sails, through which the
wind was now whistling, and, after a consultation with his mate,
decided to draw into a convenient cove and anchor for the night.
"I'm sorry," he said to Willet, "that our voyage to New York will be
delayed, but there'll be nasty weather on the river, and I don't like
to risk the sloop in it. But I didn't promise you that I'd get you to
the city at any particular time.
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