History of the War with Indian Savages, Article 28
ARTICLE XXVIII. The Epilogue of a Long Tragaedy.
FOr the preſent then, the Indians have Done Murdering; They'l Do ſo no more till next Time. Let us then have done Writing; when we have a little informed our ſelves what is become of the chief Murderers among thoſe Wretches, for whom if we would find a Name of a Length like one of their own Indian Long-winded words, it might be, Bombardo-gladio-fun-haſti-flammi-loquentes.
Major Convers, and Captain Alden, in purſuance of Inſtructions Received from the Lieut. Governour and Council, arriving at Penobſcet, on Oct. 14. 1698. were there informed, That Madockawando, the noted Sagamore, with ſeveral other Sachims of the Eaſt, were lately Dead. And ſix days after this, the chief Sachims now Living, with a great Body of Indians, Entertained them with a Friendly Diſcourſe; wherein they ſaid, That the Earl of Frontenac had ſent them word, there was a Peace concluded between the Kings of France and England, and that one of the Articles in the Peace was, for Priſoners on both ſides to be Returned, and they were Reſolved to obey the Earl of Frontenac as their Father; and accordingly ſuch Priſoners of ours, as they had now at hand, might immediately Return, if we could perſwade them, for They would not Compel them. When our Engliſh Meſſengers argued with them, upon the perfidiouſneſs of their making a New War, after their Submiſſion, the Indians replied, That they were Inſtigated by the Erench to do what they did, againſt their own Inclinations; adding, That there were two Jeſuites, one toward Amonoſcoggin, the other at Narridgaway, both of which, they deſired the Earl of Bellomont, and the Earl of Frontenac, to procure to be Removed; otherwiſe it could not be expected, that any Peace would continue long. The Indians alſo, and the Engliſh Priſoners, gave them to underſtand, that the laſt Winter, many, both Indians, and Engliſh Priſoners, were Starved to Death; and particularly, Nine Indians, in one company went a Hunting, but met with ſuch hard circumſtances, that after they had Eat up their Dogs, and their Coats, they Dyed horribly Famiſhed: And ſince the laſt Winter, a grievous and unknown Diſeaſe is got among them, which conſumed them wonderfully. The Sagamore Saquadock, further told them, That the Kennebeck Indians, would fain have gone to War again, this laſt Summer, but the other Refuſed, whereupon they likewiſe Deſiſted: And they Reſolved now, to Fight no more; but if any Ill Accident or Action, ſhould happen on either ſide, he did in the Name of the Indians Deſire, That we would not preſently make a War upon it, but in a more amicable way compoſe the Differences.
That the Indian Affayrs might come to be yet more exactly underſtood, the General Aſſembly of the Province, Employ'd Colonel John Phillips, and Major Convers, to Settle them. Theſe Gentlemen, took a Difficult and a Dangerous Voyage, in the Depth or Winter, unto the Eaſtern parts, in the Province-Galley, then under the Command of Captain Cyprian Southack; and the principal Sagamores of the Indians there coming to them, did again Renew, and Subſcribe the Submiſſion, which they had formerly made in the year 1693. With this Addition unto it.
And whereas, notwithſtanding the aforeſaid Submiſſion and Agreement, the ſaid Indians belonging to the Rivers aforeſaid, or ſome of them, thro' the ill counſel and inſtigation of the French, have perpetrated ſundry Hoſtilities againſt His Majeſties Subjects, the Engliſh, and have not Delivered and Returned home ſeveral Engliſh Captives in their Hands, as in the ſaid Submiſſion they Covenanted.
Wherefore, we whoſe Names are hereunto Subſcribed, Sagamores, Captains, and principal men of the Indians belonging unto the Rivers of Kennebeck, Ammonoſcoggin, and Saco, and parts adjacent, being ſenſible of our great Offence and Folly, in not complying with the aforeſaid Submiſſion and Agreement, and alſo of the Sufferings and Miſchiefs, that we have hereby expoſed our ſelves unto; Do, in all Humble and moſt Submiſſive manner, caſt our ſelves upon His Majeſties Mercy, for the pardon of all our Rebellions, Hoſtilities, and Violations of our promiſes, praying to be Received into His Majeſties Grace, and protection; And for, and on behalf of our ſelves, and of all other the Indians, belonging to the ſeveral Rivers and places aforeſaid, within the Soveraignty of His Majeſty of Great Britain, do again acknowledge, and profeſs our Hearty and Sincere Obedience, unto the Crown of England, and do ſolemnly Renew, Ratify, and Confirm all and every of the Articles and Agreements, contained in the aforeſaid Recited Commiſſion. And in Teſtimimony thereof, we, the ſaid Sagamores, Captains, and principal men, have hereunto ſet our ſeveral Marks and Seals, at Caſco Bay, near Mares-point, the Seventh Day of January, in the Tenth Year of the Reign of His Majeſty, King WILLIAM the Third; Annoque Domini, 1698, 9.
Subſcribed, by, Moxus, and a Great Number more. In the preſencee of
James Convers,
Cyprian Southack.
John Gills, Interpreter,
And Scodook, alias Sampſon.
At this Time alſo, the Indians Reſtored as many of the Engliſh Captives, in their Hands, as were able to Travel above an Hundred Miles in this terrible Seaſon of the year, from their Head-quarters, down to the Sea-ſide; giving all poſſible ſatisfaction, for the Reſtoration of the reſt, as Early in the Spring, as there could be any Travelling.
The Condition of theſe Captives, has afforded many very Remarkable Things, whereof 'tis a thouſand pitties that ſo many are loſt. But becauſe one of the Two Gentlemen Employ'd as Commiſſioners for the Treaty with the Indians, took certain Minutes of Remarkable Things from ſome of the Captives, I am willing to give the Reader a Taſt of them.
At Mares point in Caſco-Bay, Jan. 14. 1698, 9.
THe Captives informed me, That the Indians have Three Forts, at Narridgawog, and Narrackomagog, and Amaſſacanty. And at each of theſe Forts, they have a Chappel, and have Images in them.
They informed me, That Three Captives in one Wigwam, were Starved to Death laſt Winter.
Mary Fairbanks, and Samuel Hutching, and ſome other Captives, told me, That Jonathan Hutching, belonging to Spruce-Creek, a Lad fourteen years old; They met him crying for want of Victuals, for in Two or Three Dayes he had nothing to Eat. Afterward, as he was going to fetch ſome Wood, he felt ſomething hard in his Boſome. He put in his Hand, and unto his Aſtoniſhment, he found there Two Great, Large Ears of Indian Corn, which were very well Roaſted. He Eat them, and knew not how they came unto …im.
Some other of the Captives told me, That one Mary Catter, (which perſon we now brought home with us, belonging to Kittery) her Maſter and many other Indians, came down to Caſco-Bay. There ſeeing ſome Sloops, or Shallops, they thought they were the Engliſh coming upon them, and ran away, into the Woods, and left the ſaid Mary Catter very Sick in the Wigwam, without any thing at all to Eat. They ſtaid away many dayes; but left a Fire in the Wigwam. She Lay wiſhing for ſomething to Eat, and at length in came a Turtle. She got That, and Eat it; but afterwards began to Deſpair of out living the Famine, which was Returned upon her. At length, when ſhe was very Hungry, in came a Partridge; She took a Stick, and Struck it, and Dreſt it, and Eat it. And by that Time ſhe was Hungry again, her Maſter came to look after her.
They tell of ſeveral of the Indians, that have kill'd themſelves, with their own Guns, in taking them out of their Canooes.
Aſſacombuit ſent Thomaſin Rouſe, a Child of about Ten years old, unto the Water-ſide, to carry ſomething. The Child cryed: He took a Stick, and ſtruck her down: She lay for Dead: He took her up, and Threw her into the water: Some Indians, not far off, ran in, and fetch'd her out. This Child we have now brought Home with us.
This Aſſacombuit hath killed and Taken this War, (they tell me) an Hundred and Fifty Men, Women, and Children. A Bloody Devil.
Thus the Paper of Minutes.
The Reader now ha's nothing but Peace before him. Doubtleſs he comforts himſelf with Hopes, of Times better to Live in, than to Write of!
BUt that which yet more aſſures a Break of Day after a long and ſad Night unto us, is, That the Beſt King at this Day upon Earth, and the Greateſt Monarch, that ever Sway'd the Scepter of Great Britain, hath Commiſſion'd a Noble Perſon, who hath in him an Illuſtrious Image of His own Royal Vertues, to take the Government of theſe Provinces; and he is accordingly Arrived now near our Horizon. When the Schools of the Jews delivered, That there were Three Great Gifts of the Good God unto the world, The Law, the Rain, and the Light; R. Zeira added, I pray, let us take in Peace for a Fourth. All theſe Four Gifts of God, are now Enjoy'd by New-England: But I muſt now ask, That our Hope of a Fifth may be added unto the Number; which is, A GOVERNOUR, of Signalized Vertues. To the truly Noble Earl of BELLOMONT, the whole Engliſh Nation muſt own it ſelf Endebted, while it is a Nation, for the moſt Generous and Succeſsful Zeal, with which he Laboured for thoſe Acts of Parliament; by Aſſenting whereunto, the Mighty WILLIAM, hath Irradiated England, with Bleſſings, that it never ſaw before His Happy Reign: Bleſſings richly worth all the Expences of a Revolution. England owes no leſs Immortal Statues, unto the Earl of Bellomont, than Ireland, unto his Illuſtrious Anceſtors. But the Continent of America, muſt now Share in the Influences of that Noble Perſon, whoſe Merits have been Signalized on the moſt famous Iſlands of Europe; and the Greateſt Perſon, that ever ſet foot, on the Engliſh Continent of America, is now Arrived unto it. We are now ſatisfying our ſelves in the Expectations of the Great and Good Influences, to be derived from the Conduct of a Governour, in whom there will meet, —Virtus et Summa potestas.
And now, Reader, I will conclude our Hiſtory of the Indian War, in Terms like thoſe uſed by the Syrian Writer at the Concluſion of his Book;
Finis, per Auxilium Domini Noſtri Jeſu Chriſti, menſe Duodecimo, per manus peccatoris pauperis et Errantis.