Again he failed because of the ice in the waters, and again he came home disappointed.
About this time the people of Holland heard of Henry Hudson and what he was trying to do. People who live in that country are called Dutch or Dutchmen. It was a rich country for so few people. They said:
"We had better send for this English captain. We will get him to sail in our ships. We do not wish the Englishmen to find a shorter way to India than we know now. If they do, they will become richer than we are."
So they sent for Hudson. They offered him such good pay that he went to Holland and made ready to take one of their ships into the north. As he was about to sail he received a letter from his old friend John Smith.
The letter told him he should sail to the westward if he wished to find the best way of reaching India. Just north of Virginia there was a narrow strait. If a ship passed through that strait, it would enter the ocean that washes the shores of India.
We all know now that Captain John Smith was wrong about this. But Henry Hudson thought it must be true.
He turned his ship, the Half Moon, towards the west. He sailed in that direction till he reached the shores of Newfoundland. Then he went southward as far as Virginia, keeping near the coast. He now turned his ship about and slowly sailed to the north. He entered many of the bays and coves that reached into the land. He was always on the lookout for the strait of which Smith had written.
At last he sailed into a fine harbor which no white men had ever seen before. We call it to-day the harbor of New York and know it is one of the best in the world.
Indians came down to the shore in crowds. They were curious to see the strange-looking boat and the people with the white faces and hands. The Red Men wore feather cloaks and necklaces of copper. They wished to make friends with their visitors and offered them beans, oysters, and tobacco.
"What a beautiful country this is!" the white men thought.