New York - The Novel

when the Boss told us we were to come with him down to the waterfront. So we all went. The Boss and the Mistress; I was allowed to bring Hudson. When we got there, Jan and Mr. Master and his son Henry were waiting for us. And we were all rowed out to a ship at anchor in the East River. That was a fine ship, with tall masts and several cannon. Mr. Master took us all around. Hudson was looking at everything on board; I never saw him so excited. Several merchants had invested in that ship making a voyage to attack the French merchantmen, now that we were at war with them, and take their cargoes. Mr. Master had taken an eighth share, and the Boss and Jan had taken another eighth. I could see that the vessel was well built for speed. “She’lloutrun anything the French can bring against us,” Mr. Master said. He was very pleased with himself. “And the captain’s a first-rate privateer. With luck she’ll make a fortune.”
    Just then Hudson started to pull my sleeve, wanting to ask a question. I told him to keep quiet, but Mr. Master said, “No, let him ask.” So then Hudson says: “Please, Boss, what’s the difference between a privateer and a pirate?”
    The Boss and Mr. Master looked at each other and laughed.
    “If the ship’s stealing from us,” says the Boss, “it’s a pirate. But if it’s stealing from the enemy, it’s a privateer.”

    A little while after the ship left, Miss Clara’s husband became sickly and died. She had no children, and so she returned to live in the house with her parents for a while. I wondered if there was going to be trouble, but the years had passed and she and her mother got along fine. Naturally Miss Clara was grieving for a while, but I heard the Mistress say to the Boss, “We must find her another husband.” For the time being though, I think the Mistress was glad of her company.
    My Naomi was good with a needle, and used to do all the mending needed in the house. She’d also started to teach little Martha how to sew. And it wasn’t long before Miss Clara noticed Martha’s skill. Being so young, her fingers were so supple and quick, it was amazing what that child could do. Soon she was saying, “That child is a treasure.” She used to take Martha for walks. The Mistress didn’t seem to mind.

    It was one thing to send out privateers against the enemy, but it was another to rule the province. And for a while there was all kind of confusion. Up in Boston, they’d thrown King James’s governor in jail. In New York, nobody knew who was supposed to be in charge. And this was where Meinheer Leisler stepped into history. For since he was one of the leaders of the city militia, the city fathers asked him to take charge until things were sorted out.
    You can imagine how pleased the Mistress was. Some of the prominent Dutchmen supported him, like Doctor Beekman and some of the Stuyvesants. The Dutch small traders and craftsmen and all of the poorest Dutch were for him, because he was Dutch. The Huguenots that werearriving by almost every ship all liked him; and he helped them to have a Huguenot settlement out at the place they named New Rochelle, after one of the French towns they’d been kicked out of. And many of the English, especially out on Long Island, liked him, because they hated Catholics in general, and he was a good Protestant. Some of the most religious ones were even saying the Glorious Revolution was a sign that the Kingdom of God was at hand.
    So Meinheer Leisler was ruler of New York for a while. But it wasn’t easy for him. I remember him coming by to see the Mistress one time and saying how hard it was to keep good order. “And I shall have to raise taxes,” he said. “They aren’t going to like me after that.” I could see that his face, which was always so jaunty, was looking tired and strained. “But one thing,” he said, “I promise you I’ll never give this town over to any Catholics again.” And Meinheer Leisler was running the town for about a year and a half.
    But if the Mistress was all for him, the Boss was more cautious.
    I first came to understand what was in the Boss’s mind one day when we were walking down the main street that runs from the fort up to the gateway, that the English were calling Broadway. That part of the town was mostly occupied by the lesser Dutch folk—carpenters, carmen, brick-makers, cordwainers and mariners. They all loved Leisler. And I remarked to the Boss how popular Meinheer Leisler