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INTERCOURSE WITH THE NATIVES.

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X.

Mar.

would not truck with them at all that day,' but CHAP. wished them to bring more, and we would truck for all; which they promised within a night or two, and 1621. would leave these behind them, though we were not 18. 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, 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.

The Sabbath day, when we sent them from us, we gave every one of them some trifles, especially the principal of them. We carried them, along with our arms, to the place where they left their bows and arrows; whereat they were amazed, and two of them began to slink away, but that the other called them. When they took their arrows we bade them farewell, and they were glad; and so, with many thanks given us, they departed, with promise they would come again.

Monday and Tuesday proved fair days. We dig- 19, 20. ged our grounds and sowed our garden seeds.

Wednesday a fine warm day. We sent away Sa- 21.

moset.

That day we had again a meeting to conclude of laws and orders for ourselves, and to confirm those military orders that were formerly propounded, and twice broken off by the savages' coming. But so we were again the third time; for after we had been an

It was Sunday.

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X.

CHAP. hour together, on the top of the hill' over against us two or three savages presented themselves, that made 1621. semblance of daring us, as we thought. So Captain Standish with another, with their muskets, went over to them, with two of the master's mates that follows them without arms, having two muskets with them. They whetted and rubbed their arrows and strings, and made show of defiance; but when our men drew near them, they ran away. Thus were we again interrupted by them. This day, with much ado, we got our carpenter, that had been long sick of the scurvy, to fit our shallop to fetch all from aboard. Thursday, the 22d of March, was a very fair, warm day. About noon we met again about our public business. But we had scarce been an hour together, but Samoset came again, and Squanto, the only native

Mar.

22.

The same hill on which the two Indians appeared, Feb. 17. See note on page 180.

By arms must be here meant side arms, swords, &c., as it is stated they had muskets.

3 Also called Squantum, or Tisquantuin. There is some discrepancy in the early accounts of Squanto's captivity. Gorges, in his Brief Narration, ch. 2, says that "there happened to come into the harbour of Plymouth, where I then commanded, one Captain Weymouth, who happened into a river on the coast of America, called Pemaquid, (the Penobscot,) from whence he brought five of the natives, three of whose names were Manida, Sketwarroes, and Tasquantum, whom I seized upon. They were all of one nation, but of several parts and several families.' This was in 1605. But the Governor and Council for New England, in their Relation, printed in 1622, say, "It pleased God to send into our hands Tasquantum, one of

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those savages that formerly had
been betrayed by this unworthy
Hunt before named. But this sav-
age being at that time in New-
foundland, Master Dermer, who
was there also, found the means to
give us intelligence of him, and his
opinion of the good use that might
be made of his employment." Der-
mer took Tisquantum with him to
England, and on his return to New
England in the spring of 1619,
brought him back to his native
country. In a letter dated Dec. 27,
of that year, he says, "When I ar-
rived at my savage's native coun-
try, finding all dead, I travelled
almost a day's journey westward
to a place called Nummastaquyt,
(Namasket,) where finding inhabit-
ants, I despatched a messenger a
day's journey further west to Po-
conaokit, which bordereth on the
sea; whence came to see me two
kings, attended with a guard of
fifty armed men, who being well
satisfied with that my savage and
I discoursed unto them, being de-

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Mar.

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of Patuxet, where we now inhabit, who was one of CHAP. the twenty captives that by Hunt were carried away, and had been in England, and dwelt in Cornhill with 1621. Master John Slanie,' a merchant, and could speak a little English, with three others; and they brought with them some few skins to truck, and some red herrings, newly taken and dried, but not salted; and signified unto us, that their great sagamore, Masasoyt, was hard by, with Quadequina, his brother, and all their men. They could not express well in English what they would ;3 but after an hour the king came to the top of a hill over against us, and had in his train sixty men, that we could well behold them, and they us. We were not willing to send our governor to them, and they were unwilling to come to us. So

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sirous of novelty, gave me content in whatsoever I demanded." These two kings were undoubtedly Massasoit and Quadequina. On going to Virginia, in June, Dermer left Tisquantum at Sawahquatooke, now Saco, whence he probably returned to Patuxet and Namasket. In another letter, dated June 30, 1620, Dermer says, "Squanto cannot deny but that the Pocanokets would have killed me when I was at Namassaket, had he not entreated hard for me." See Mass. Hist. Coll. xxvi. 50, 62, xix. 7, 10, 13; Purchas, iv. 1778; Morton's Mcmorial, pp. 55-59.

The beautiful promontory in Quincy, near Thompson's island, will perpetuate the name of this early friend of the Pilgrims. They probably called it after him in their first expedition to the Massachusetts in 1621, when he accompanied them as interpreter. This is probably the same place which is called Squanto's Chapel, by Morton, in his New English Canaan, b. ii. chs. 6 and 8.

"The worshipful John Slany, of

London, merchant," was one of
the undertakers of the Newfound-
land plantation, and treasurer of
the Company. He probably sent
Squanto to Newfoundland. See
Whitebourne's Newfoundland, p.
v. and Purchas, iv. 1876, 1888.

Prince says, in his Annals, p.
187, "The printed accounts gene-
rally spell him Massasoit; Gov.
Bradford writes him Massasoyt and
Massasoyet; but I find the ancient
people, from their fathers in Ply-
inouth Colony, pronounce his name
Ma-sas-so-it." It will be seen
hereafter that Winslow writes it
Massassowat. The sachem, in con
formity with a prevailing cus-
tom among the Indians, afterwards
changed his name, and took that
of Owsamequin or Woosamequen.
Sce his Life in B. B. Thatcher's
Indian Biography, i. 117- 140, and
in S. G. Drake's Book of the Indi-
ans, b. ii. 17 — 29.

3 See note 2 on page 183.
4 Watson's hill, mentioned twice
before on pages 180 and 190.

The word were was accident-
ally omitted in the original.

192

WINSLOW'S PARLEY WITH MASSASOIT.

CHAP. Squanto went again unto him, who brought word

X. that we should send one to parley with him, which we

22.

1621. did, which was Edward Winsloe, to know his mind, Mar. and signify the mind and will of our governor, which was to have trading and peace with him. We sent to the king a pair of knives, and a copper chain with a jewel at it. To Quadequina we sent likewise a knife, and a jewel to hang in his ear, and withal a pot of strong water, a good quantity of biscuit, and some butter; which were all willingly accepted.

Our messenger made a speech unto him, that King James saluted him with words of love and peace, and did accept of him as his friend and ally; and that our governor desired to see him and to truck with him, and to confirm a peace with him, as his next neighbour. He liked well of the speech, and heard it attentively, though the interpreters did not well express it. After he had eaten and drunk himself, and given the rest to his company, he looked upon our messenger's sword and armor, which he had on, with intimation of his desire to buy it; but, on the other side, our messenger showed his unwillingness to part with it. In the end, he left him in the custody of Quadequina, his brother, and came over the brook, and some twenty men following him, leaving all their bows and arrows behind them. We kept six or seven as hostages for our messenger. Captain Standish and Master Williamson' met the king at the brook, with half a dozen musketeers. They saluted him, and he them; so one

There was a Thomas Williams, but no person of the name of Williamson, among the signers of the Compact. It is probably an error of the press. It is very unlikely that any one of the ship's company would be associated with

Standish in this duty. Perhaps it should read Master Allerton, as we find that he went with Standish the next day. See p. 195. See also note on page 113, and note on page 174. Williams was dead before the end of March.

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TREATY OF PEACE WITH MASSASOIT.

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Mar.

going over, the one on the one side, and the other on CHAP. the other, conducted him to a house then in building, where we placed a green rug and three or four cush- 1621. ions. Then instantly came our governor, with drum 22. and trumpet after him, and some few musketeers. After salutations, our governor kissing his hand, the king kissed him; and so they sat down. The governor called for some strong water, and drunk to him; and he drunk a great draught, that made him sweat all the while after. He called for a little fresh meat, which the king did eat willingly, and did give his followers. Then they treated of peace, which was:

1. That neither he nor any of his should injure or do hurt to any of our people.

2. And if any of his did hurt to any of ours, he should send the offender, that we might punish him.

3. That if any of our tools were taken away, when our people were at work, he should cause them to be restored; and if ours did any harm to any of his, we would do the like to them.

4. If any did unjustly war against him, we would aid him; if any did war against us, he should aid us.

5. He should send to his neighbour confederates to certify them of this, that they might not wrong us, but might be likewise comprised in the conditions of peace.

6. That when their men came to us, they should leave their bows and arrows behind them, as we should do our pieces when we came to them.

Lastly, that doing thus, King James would esteem of him as his friend and ally.'

"This treaty," says Belknap, "the work of one day, being hon

estly intended on both sides, was
kept with fidelity as long as Mas-

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