You must know that Captain Standish is not of the same faith as are
we. He calls himself a "soldier of fortune," which means that he is
ready to do battle wherever it seems as if he could strike a blow for
the right. He, and his wife Rose, became friendly with us while we were
at Leyden, for he was, although an Englishman, a captain in one of the
Holland regiments, having enlisted in order to help the Dutch in their
wars.
Because of liking a life of adventure, and also owing to the fact
that he and his wife had become warm friends with Elder Brewster and
my parents, Captain Standish declared that he would be our soldier,
standing ever ready to guard us against the wild beasts, or the
savages, if any should come to do us harm. Right gallantly has he kept
his promise, and unless he had been with us this village of ours might
have been destroyed more than once, and, perhaps, those of our people
whose lives God had spared would have gone back to Holland or England,
ceasing to strive for a foothold in this new world which is so desolate
when covered with snow and ice.
A most kindly-hearted man is Captain Standish, and yet there are times
when he has but slight control over his temper. Like a flash of powder
when a spark falls upon it, he flares up with many a harsh word, and
woe betide those against whom he has just cause for anger.
[Illustration: Swords of Captain Standish]
[Illustration]
After coming to know him for one who strove not to control his tongue
in moments of wrath, the Indians gave him the name of "Little pot that
soon boils over," which means that his anger can be aroused quickly. He
is not small, neither is he as tall as my father or Elder Brewster; but
the savages spoke of him as "little," measuring him, I suppose, with
many others of our people.
We had not been long in Plymouth, however, before the Indians
understood what a valiant soldier he is, and then they began to call
him "Strong Sword."