(1620)
Having the wind good, we sailed all that day along the coast about
fifteen leagues; but saw neither river nor creek to put into. After we
had sailed an hour or two, it began to snow and rain, and to be bad
weather. About the midst of the afternoon the wind increased, and the
seas began to be very rough; and the hinges of the rudder broke, so
that we could steer no longer with it, but two men, with much ado,
were fain to serve with a couple of oars. The seas were grown so great
that we were much troubled and in great danger; and night grew on.
Anon, Master Coppin bade us be of good cheer; he saw the harbor. As we
drew near, the gale being stiff, and we bearing great sail to get in,
split our mast in three pieces, and were like to have cast away our
shallop. Yet, by God's mercy, recovering ourselves, we had the flood
with us, and struck into the harbor.
[Footnote 7: From what was long known as "Mourt's Relation," published
in London in 1622, but more properly, and now generally, called the
"Journal," or diary, of Bradford and Edward Winslow. This important
historical document covers the first year of the Plymouth colony.]
Now he that thought that had been the place, was deceived, it being a
place where not any of us had been before; and coming into the harbor,
he that was our pilot, did bear up northward, which if he had
continued, we had been cast away. Yet still the Lord kept us and we
bare up for an island before us, and recovering of that island, being
compassed about with many rocks, and dark night growing upon us, it
pleased the Divine Providence that we fell upon a place of sandy
ground, where our shallop did ride safe and secure all that night; and
coming upon a strange island, kept our watch all night in the rain
upon that island. And in the morning we marched about it, and found no
inhabitants at all; and here we made our rendezvous all that day,
being Saturday, 10th of December. On the Sabbath day we rested; and on
Monday we sounded the harbor, and found it a very good harbor for our
shipping. We marched also into the land, and found divers cornfields,
and little running brooks, a place very good for situation. So we
returned to our ship again with good news to the rest of our people,
which did much comfort their hearts....
Some of us, having a good mind, for safety, to plant in the greater
isle, we crossed the bay, which is there five or six miles over, and
found the isle about a mile and half or two miles about, all wooded,
and no fresh water but two or three pits, that we doubted of fresh
water in summer, and so full of wood as we could hardly clear so much
as to serve us for corn. Besides, we judged it cold for our corn, and
some part very rocky; yet divers thought of it as a place defensible,
and of great security. That night we returned again a shipboard, with
resolution the next morning to settle on some of those places.
So in the morning, after we had called on God for direction, we came
to this resolution, to go presently ashore again, and to take a better
view of two places which we thought most fitting for us; for we could
not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals
being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of
December. After our landing and viewing of the places, so well as we
could, we came to a conclusion, by most voices, to set on the main
land, on the first place, on a high ground, where there is a great
deal of land cleared, and hath been planted with corn three or four
years ago; and there is a very sweet brook runs under the hill side,
and many delicate springs of as good water as can be drunk, and where
we may harbor our shallops and boats exceeding well; and in this brook
much good fish in their seasons; on the further side of the river also
much corn-ground cleared. In one field is a great hill, on which we
point to make a platform, and plant our ordnance, which will command
all round about. From thence we may see into the bay, and far into the
sea; and we may see thence Cape Cod. Our greatest labor will be
fetching of our wood, which is half a quarter of an English mile; but
there is enough so far off. What people inhabit here we yet know not,
for as yet we have seen none. So there we made our rendezvous, and a
place for some of our people, about twenty, resolving in the morning
to come all ashore and to build houses.
But the next morning, being Thursday, the 21st of December, it was
stormy and wet, that we could not go ashore; and those that remained
there all night could do nothing, but were wet, not having daylight
enough to make them a sufficient court of guard, to keep them dry. All
that night it blew and rained extremely. It was so tempestuous that
the shallop could not go on land so soon as was meet, for they had no
victuals on land. About eleven o'clock the shallop went off with much
ado with provision, but could not return, it blew so strong; and was
such foul weather that we were forced to let fall our anchor, and ride
with three anchors ahead.
Friday, the 22d, the storm still continued, that we could not get a
land, nor they come to us aboard....
Saturday, the 23d, so many of us as could went on shore, felled and
carried timber, to provide themselves stuff for building.
Sunday, the 24th, our people on shore heard a cry of some savages, as
they thought, which caused an alarm and to stand on their guard,
expecting an assault; but all was quiet.
Friday, the 16th, a fair warm day toward. This morning we determined
to conclude of the military orders, which we had begun to consider of
before, but were interrupted by the savages, as we mentioned formerly.
And while we were busied, hereabout, we were interrupted again; for
there presented himself a savage, which caused an alarm. He very
boldly came all alone, and along the houses, straight to the
rendezvous; where we intercepted him, not suffering him to go in, as
undoubtedly he would out of his boldness. He saluted us in English,
and bade us "Welcome!" for he had learned some broken English among
the Englishmen that came to fish at Monhiggon, and knew by name the
most of the captains, commanders and masters, that usually come. He
was a man free in speech, so far as he could express his mind, and of
a seemly carriage. We questioned him of many things; he was the first
savage we could meet withal. He said he was not of these parts, but of
Morattiggon, and one of the sagamores or lords thereof; and had been
eight months in these parts, it lying hence a day's sail with a great
wind, and five days by land. He discoursed of the whole country, and
of every province, and of their sagamores, and their number of men and
strength. The wind beginning to rise a little, we cast a horseman's
coat about him; for he was stark naked, only a leather about his
waist, with a fringe about a span long or little more. He had a bow
and two arrows, the one headed, and the other unheaded. He was a tall,
straight man, the hair of his head black, long behind, only short
before, none on his face at all. He asked some beer, but we gave him
strong water, and biscuit, and butter, and cheese, and pudding, and a
piece of mallard; all which he liked well, and had been acquainted
with such amongst the English. He told us the place where we now live
is called Patuxet, and that about four years ago all the inhabitants
died of an extraordinary plague, and there is neither man, woman, nor
child remaining, as indeed we have found none; so as there is none to
hinder our possession, or to lay claim unto it. All the afternoon we
spent in communication with him. We would gladly have been rid of him
at night, but he was not willing to go this night. Then we thought to
carry him on shipboard, wherewith he was well content, and went into
the shallop; but the wind was high and the water scant, that it could
not return back. We lodged him that night at Steven Hopkin's house,
and watched him.
The next day he went away back to the Masasoits, from whence he said
he came, who are our next bordering neighbors. They are sixty strong,
as he saith. The Nausites are as near, southeast of them, and are a
hundred strong; and those were they of whom our people were
encountered, as we before related. They are much incensed and provoked
against the English; and about eight months ago slew three Englishmen,
and two more hardly escaped by flight to Monhiggon. They were Sir
Ferdinando Gorge's[8] men, as this savage told us; as he did likewise
of the _huggery_, that is, fight, that our discoverers had with the
Nausites, and of our tools that were taken out of the woods, which we
willed him, should be brought again; otherwise we would right
ourselves. These people are ill affected toward the English by reason
of one Hunt, a master of a ship, who deceived the people and got them
under color of trucking with them, twenty out of this very place where
we inhabit, and seven men from the Nausites, and carried them away,
and sold them for slaves, like a wretched man (for twenty pound a man)
that cares not what mischief he doth for his profit.
[Footnote 8: Gorge was an English naval and military commander who
came of an ancient family in Somersetshire. He had undertaken several
schemes of discovery and settlement in America, but with small
success. His pioneer work, however, was of such importance that he has
sometimes been called "the father of English colonization in
America."]
Saturday, in the morning, we dismissed the savage, and gave him a
knife, a bracelet, and a ring. He promised within a night or two to
come again and to bring with him some of the Masasoits, our neighbors,
with such beavers' skins as they had to truck with us.
Saturday and Sunday reasonable fair days. On this day came again the
savage, and brought with him five other tall, proper men. They had
every man a deer's skin on him, and the principal of them had a wild
cat's skin, or such like, on the one arm. They had most of them long
hosen up to their groins, close made, and above their groins to their
waist another leather; they were altogether like the Irish trousers.
They are of complexion like our English gipseys; no hair or very
little on their faces; on their heads long hair to their shoulders,
only cut before; some trussed up before with a feather, broad-wise,
like a fan; another a fox-tail, hanging out. These left (according to
our charge given him before) their bows and arrows a quarter of a mile
from our town. We gave them entertainment as we thought was fitting
them. They did eat liberally of our English victuals. They made
semblance unto us of friendship and amity. They sang and danced after
their manner, like antics. They brought with them in a thing like a
bow-case (which the principal of them had about his waist) a little of
their corn pounded to powder, which, put to a little water, they eat.
He had a little tobacco in a bag; but none of them drank but when he
liked. Some of them had their faces painted black, from the forehead
to the chin, four or five fingers broad; others after other fashions,
as they liked. They brought three or four skins; but we would not
truck with them at all that day, but wished them to bring more, and we
would truck for all; which they promised within a night or two, and
would leave these behind them, tho we were not willing they should;
and they brought us all our tools again, which were taken in the
woods, in our men's absence. So, because of the day, we dismissed them
so soon as we could. But Samoset,[9] our first acquaintance, either
was sick or feigned himself so, and would not go with them, and stayed
with us till Wednesday morning. Then we sent him to them to know the
reason they came not according to their words; and we gave him a hat,
a pair of stockings and shoes, a shirt, and a piece of cloth to tie
about his waist.
[Footnote 9: Samoset is still famous as an Indian who remained firm in
his friendship with the Plymouth colonists.]