The villagers wonder at his story, and are unsure whether or not to believe him. Eventually Rip’s story is corroborated by the most ancient man in the village,
Peter Vanderdonk. Vanderdonk recalls Rip Van Winkle from before his disappearance, and explains that the Catskill Mountains have long been haunted by
Hendrick Hudson and the
Half Moon crew. (Hudson was a Dutch explorer in the early
17th century who sailed up the river in New York that now bears his name. Later, he was mutinied by his crew and set adrift along with those loyal to him and never seen again.) Having been completely convinced of Rip’s story’s veracity, the villagers turn their attention back to the more important matter of the first presidential election in the newly minted United States of America.