Part 2 (2/2)
Their journey home was a very weary one. They would, perhaps, have perished from hunger had they not obtained from the Indians whom they met a little parched corn, which was considered a very great delicacy, a squirrel, and a shad. Friday night, as they were asleep in the open air, a tempest of thunder and lightning arose, with floods of rain.
Their fire was speedily extinguished, and they were soaked to the skin. Sat.u.r.day night, just as the twilight was pa.s.sing away into darkness, they reached their homes in a storm of rain, wet, weary, hungry, and sore.
The result of this mission was, however, important. They renewed their treaty of peace with Ma.s.sasoit, and made arrangements that they were to receive no Indians as guests unless Ma.s.sasoit should send them with a copper necklace, in token that they came from him.
In the autumn of this same year a boy from the colony got lost in the woods. He wandered about for five days, living upon berries, and then was found by some Indians in the forests of Cape Cod. Ma.s.sasoit, as soon as he heard of it, sent word that the boy was found. He was in the hands of the same tribe who, in consequence of the villainies of Hunt, had a.s.sailed the Pilgrims so fiercely at the First Encounter.
The savages treated the boy kindly, and had him at Nauset, which is now the town of Eastham, near the extremity of the Cape. Governor Bradford immediately sent ten men in a boat to rescue the boy.
They coasted along the first day very prosperously, notwithstanding a thunder-shower in the afternoon, with violent wind and rain. At night they put into Barnstable Bay, then called c.u.mmaquid. Squantum and another Indian were with them as friends and interpreters. They deemed it prudent not to land, but anch.o.r.ed for the night in the middle of the bay. The next morning they saw some savages gathering sh.e.l.l-fish upon the sh.o.r.e. They sent their two interpreters with a.s.surances of friends.h.i.+p, and to inquire for the boy. The savages were very courteous, informed them that the boy was farther down the Cape at Nauset, and invited the whole party to come on sh.o.r.e and take some refreshments. Six of the colonists ventured ash.o.r.e, having first received four of the natives to remain in their boat as hostages. The chief of this small tribe, called the c.u.mmaquids, was a young man of about twenty-six years of age, and appeared to be a very remarkable character. He was dignified and courteous in his demeanor, and entertained his guests with a native politeness which surprised them much.
While in this place an old Indian woman came to see them, whom they judged to be a hundred years of age. As soon as she came into their presence she was overwhelmed with emotion, and cried most convulsively. Upon inquiring the reason, the Pilgrims were told that her three sons were kidnapped by Captain Hunt. The young men had been invited on board his s.h.i.+p to trade. He lured them below, seized and bound them, and carried them to Spain, where he sold them as slaves.
The unhappy and desolate mother seemed quite heart-broken with grief.
The Pilgrims addressed to her words of sympathy, a.s.sured her that Captain Hunt was a bad man, whom every good man in England condemned, and gave her some presents.
They remained with this kind but deeply-wronged people until after dinner. Then _Iyanough_ himself, the n.o.ble young chief of the tribe, with two of his warriors, accompanied them on board the boat to a.s.sist them in their search for the boy. A fair wind from the west filled their sails, and late in the evening, when it was too dark to land, they approached Nauset. Here was the hostile tribe whose prowess the colonists had experienced in the First Encounter. The villain, Captain Hunt, had stolen from them twenty men. It was consequently deemed necessary to practice much caution. Iyanough and Squantum went on sh.o.r.e there to conciliate the natives and to inform them of the object of the mission. The next morning a great crowd of natives had gathered, and were anxious to get into the boat. The English, however, prudently, would allow but two to enter at a time. The day was pa.s.sed in parleying. About sunset a train of a hundred Indians appeared, bringing the lost boy with them. One half remained at a little distance, with their bows and arrows; the other half, unarmed, brought the boy to the boat, and delivered him to his friends. The colonists made valuable presents to _Aspinet_, the chief of the tribe, and also paid abundantly for the corn which, it will be remembered, they took from a deserted house when they were first coasting along the sh.o.r.e in search of a place of settlement. They then spread their sails, and a fair wind soon drove them fifty miles across the bay to their homes.
The Wampanoags do not appear to have const.i.tuted a very numerous tribe, but, through the intellectual and military energy of their chieftain, Ma.s.sasoit, they had acquired great power. The present town of Bristol, Rhode Island, was the region princ.i.p.ally occupied by the tribe; but Ma.s.sasoit extended his sway over more than thirty tribes, who inhabited Cape Cod and all the country extending between Ma.s.sachusetts and Narraganset Bays, reaching inland to where the head branches of the Charles River and the Pawtucket River meet. It will be seen at once, by reference to the map, how wide was the sway of this Indian monarch, and how important it was for the infant colony to cultivate friendly relations with a sovereign who could combine all those tribes, and direct many thousand barbarian warriors to rush like wolves upon the feeble settlement.
CHAPTER III.
CLOUDS OF WAR.
1621-1622
Canonicus.--His hostility toward the Puritans.--Corruption at court.--A rebellion.--Flight of Ma.s.sasoit.--Reported death of Squantum.--Action of the Puritans.--The army.--Directions to the men.--Approach to the wigwam.--The attack.--”I am a squaw!”--Escape of Corbitant.--Appearance of the huts.--Squantum found.--Threats of Capt.
Standish.--The return.--Reconciliation of Corbitant.--Prosperous summer.--Rumors of war.--New expedition.--Evidences of the plague.--Justice of the Pilgrims.--Explorations.--Appearance of the harbor.--Preparations for return.--The harbor.--Friendly relations.--Arrival of emigrants from England.--Declaration of war.--Canonicus.--Weakness of the Pilgrims.--Council called.--Pickwickian challenge.--Preparations for defense.--Completion of the fortification.--The challenge retracted.--An arrival.--Kind reception.--Complaints from the Indians.--Relief wanted.--Death of Squantum.--His prayer.--Governor Bradford's journey.--Theft committed.--Return of the articles.--The Weymouth settlers implore aid.--Disgraceful proceeding.--Injustice of Hudibras.--Sickness of Ma.s.sasoit.--Deputation from Plymouth.--The journey.--Reported death of Ma.s.sasoit.--Hobbomak.--Hospitality of Corbitant's wife.--Arrival at Mount Hope.--Ma.s.sasoit's welcome.--His recovery.--Kindness of the Pilgrims.--Mr. Winslow as physician.--Alarming tidings.--The party leave Mount Hope.--Conversation with Corbitant.--English salutations.--Theological remarks.--Return to Plymouth.--The army.--Captain Standish.--Insolence of the Indians.--The commencement of hostilities.--The conflict and victory.--The Weymouth men go to Monhegan.--Regrets of the English.--Letter from Rev. Mr. Robinson.
The Narraganset Indians occupied the region extending from the western sh.o.r.es of Narraganset Bay to Pawcatuck River. They were estimated to number about thirty thousand, and could bring five thousand warriors into the field. Canonicus, the sovereign chief of this tribe, was a man of great renown. War had occasionally raged between the Narragansets and the Wampanoags, and the two tribes were bitterly hostile to each other. Canonicus regarded the newly-arrived English with great jealousy, and was particularly annoyed by the friendly relations existing between them and the Wampanoags. Indeed, it is quite evident that Ma.s.sasoit was influenced to enter into his alliance with the English mainly from his dread of the Narragansets.
Bribery and corruption are almost as common in barbarian as in civilized courts. Canonicus had brought over to his cause one of the minor chiefs of Ma.s.sasoit, named Corbitant. This man, audacious and reckless, began to rail bitterly at the peace existing between the Indians and the English. Boldly he declared that Ma.s.sasoit was a traitor, and ought to be deposed. Sustained as Corbitant was by the whole military power of the Narragansets, he soon gathered a party about him sufficiently strong to bid defiance to Ma.s.sasoit. The sovereign of the Wampanoags was even compelled to take refuge from arrest by flight.
The colonists heard these tidings with great solicitude, and learning that Corbitant was within a few miles of them, at Namasket (Middleborough), striving to rouse the natives to unite with the Narragansets against them, they privately sent Squantum and another friendly Indian, Hobbomak, to Namasket, to ascertain what had become of Ma.s.sasoit, and how serious was the peril with which they were threatened.
The next day Hobbomak returned alone, breathless and terrified. He reported that they had hardly arrived at Namasket when Corbitant beset the wigwam into which they had entered with a band of armed men, and seized them both as prisoners. He declared that they both should die, saying that when Squantum was dead the English would have lost their tongue. Brandis.h.i.+ng a knife, the savage approached Squantum to stab him. Hobbomak, being a very powerful man, at that moment broke from the grasp of those who held him, and outrunning his pursuers, succeeded in regaining Plymouth. He said that he had no doubt that Squantum was killed.
These were melancholy and alarming tidings. Governor Bradford immediately a.s.sembled the few men--about twenty in number--of the feeble colony, to decide what should be done. After looking to G.o.d for counsel, and after calm deliberation, it was resolved that, if they should suffer their friends and messengers to be thus a.s.sailed and murdered with impunity, the hostile Indians would be encouraged to continued aggressions, and no Indians would dare to maintain friendly relations with them. They therefore adopted the valiant determination to send ten men, one half of their whole number, with Hobbomak as their guide, to seize Corbitant and avenge the outrage.
The 14th of August, 1621, was a dark and stormy day, when this little band set out on its bold adventure. All the day long, as they silently threaded the paths of the forest, the rain dripped upon them. Late in the afternoon they arrived within four miles of Namasket. They then thought it best to conceal themselves until after dark, that they might fall upon their foe by surprise. Captain Standish led the band.
To every man he gave minute directions as to the part he was to perform. Night, wet and stormy, soon darkened around them in Egyptian blackness. They could hardly see a hand's breadth before them. Groping along, they soon lost their way, and became entangled in the thick undergrowth. Wet, weary, and dejected, they toiled on, and at last again happily hit the trail. It was after midnight when they arrived within sight of the glimmering fires of the little Indian hamlet of Namasket. They then sat down, and ate from their knapsacks a hearty meal. The food which remained they threw away, that they might have nothing to obstruct them in the conflict which might ensue.
They then cautiously approached a large wigwam where Hobbomak supposed that Corbitant and his men were sleeping. Silently they surrounded the hut, the gloom of the night and the wailings of the storm securing them from being either seen or heard. At a signal, two muskets were fired to terrify the savages, and Captain Standish, with three or four men, rushed into the hut. The ground floor, dimly lighted by some dying embers, was covered with sleeping savages--men, women, and children. A scene of indescribable consternation and confusion ensued.
Through Hobbomak, Captain Standish ordered every one to remain, a.s.suring them that he had come for Corbitant, the murderer of Squantum, and that, if he were not there, no one else should be injured. But the savages, terrified by the midnight surprise and by the report of the muskets, were bereft of reason. Many of them endeavored to escape, and were severely wounded by the colonists in their attempts to stop them. The Indian boys, seeing that the women were not molested, ran around, frantically exclaiming, ”I am a squaw!
I am a squaw!”
At last order was restored, and it was found that Corbitant was not there, but that he had gone off with all his train, and that Squantum was not killed. A bright fire was now kindled, that the hut might be carefully searched. Its blaze illumined one of the wildest of imaginable scenes. The wigwam, s.p.a.cious and rudely constructed of boughs, mats, and bark; the affrighted savages, men, women, and children, in their picturesque dress and undress, a few with ghastly wounds, faint and bleeding; the various weapons and utensils of barbarian life hanging around; the bold colonists in their European dress and arms; the fire blazing in the centre of the hut, all combined to present a scene such as few eyes have ever witnessed.
Hobbomak now climbed to the top of the hut and shouted for Squantum.
<script>