The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, Part 5 – Part 7
The fifth Remove.
The occaſion (as I thought) of their moving at this time, was, the Engliſh Army it being near and following them: For they went, as if they had gone for their lives, for ſome conſiderable way, and then they made a ſtop, and choſe ſome of their ſtouteſt men, and ſent them back to hold the Engliſh Army in play whilſt the reſt eſcaped: And then, like Jehu, they marched on furiouſly, with their old, and with their young: ſome carried their old decrepit mothers, ſome carried one, and ſome another. Four of them carried a great Indian upon a Bier; but going through a thick Wood with him, they were hindred, and could make no haſt; whereupon they took duplicate page duplicate page him upon their backs, and carried him, one at a time, till they came to Bacquaug River. Upon a Friday, a little after noon we came to this River. When all the company was come up, and were gathered together, I thought to count the number of them, but they were ſo many, and being ſomewhat in motion, it was beyond my skil. In this travel, becauſe of my wound, I was ſomewhat favoured in my load; I carried only my knitting work and two quarts of parched meal: Being very faint I asked my miſtriſs to give me one ſpoonfull of the meal, but ſhe would not give me a taſte. They quickly ſell to cutting dry trees, to make Rafts to carry them over the river: and ſoon my turn came to go over: By the advantage of ſome bruſh which they had laid upon the Raft to ſit upon, I did not wet my foot (which many of themſelves at the other end were mid-leg deep) which cannot but be acknowledged as a favour of God to my weakned body, it being a very cold time. I was not before acquainted with ſuch kind of doings or dangers. When thou paſſſt through the water I will be with thee, and through the Rivers th… … overflow thee, Iſai. 43.2. A certain number of us got over the River that night, but it was the night after the Sabbath before all the company was got over. On the Saturday they boyled an old Horſes leg which they had got) and ſo we drank of the broth, …s ſoon as they thought it was ready, and when it … almoſt all gone, they filled it up again.
The firſt week of my being among them, I hardly ate any thing; the ſecond week, I found my ſtomach grow very faint for want of ſomething; and yet it was very hard to get down their filthy traſh: but the third week, though I could think how formerly my stomach would turn againſt this or that, and I could starve and dy before I could eat ſuch things, yet they were ſweet and ſavoury to my taſte. I was at this time knitting a pair of white cotton ſtockins for my miſtriſs: and had not yet wrought upon a Sabbath day; when the Sabbath came they bade me go to work; I told them it was the Sabbath-day, and deſired them to let me reſt, and told them I would do as much more to morrow; to which they anſwered me, they would break my face. And here I cannot but take notice of the ſtrange providence of God in preſerving the heathen: They were many hundreds, old and young, ſome ſick, and ſome lame many had Papooſes at their backs, the greateſt number at this time with us, were Squams, and they travelled with all they had, bag and baggage, and yet they got over this River aforeſaid; and on Munday they ſet their Wigwams on fire, and away they went: On that very day came the Engliſh Army after them to this River, and ſaw the ſmoak of their Wigwams, and yet this River put a ſtop to them. God did not give them courage or activity to go over after us; we were not ready for ſo great a mercy as victory and deliverance; if we had been, God would have ſound out a way for the Engliſh to have paſſed this River, as well as for the Indians with their Squaws and Children, and all their Luggage: Oh that my People had hearkened to me, and Iſrael had walked in my ways, I ſhould ſoon have ſubdued their Enemies, and turned my hand againſt their Adverſaries, Pſal. 81.13.14.
The ſixth Remove.
On Munday (as I ſaid) they ſet their Wigwams on fire, and went away. It was a cold morning, and before us there was a great Brook with ice on it; ſome waded throgh it, up to the knees & higher, but others went till they came to a Beaver-dam, and I amongſt them, where through the good providence of God, I did not wet my foot. I went along that day mourning and lamenting, leaving farther my own Country, and travelling into the vaſt and howling Wilderneſs, and I underſtood ſomething of Lot's Wife's Temptation, when ſhe looked back: we came that day to a great Swamp, by the ſide of which we took up our lodging that night. When I came to the brow of the hil, that looked toward the Swamp, I thought we had been come to a great Indian Town (though there were none but our own Company) The Indians were as thick as the trees: it ſeemd as if there had been a thouſand Hatchets going at once: if one looked before one, there was nothing but Indians, and behind one, nothing but Indians, and ſo on either hand, I my ſelf in the midſt, and no Chriſtian ſoul near me, and yet how hath the Lord preſerved me inſafety? Oh the experience that I have had of the goodneſs of God, to me and mine!
The ſeventh Remove.
After a reſtleſs and hungry night there, we had a weariſome time of it the next day. The Swamp by which we lay, was, as it were, a deep Dungeon, and an exceeding high and ſteep hill before it. Before I got to the top of the hill, I thought my heart and legs, and all would have broken, and failed me. What through faintneſs, and ſoreneſs of body, it was a grievous day of travel to me. As we went along, I ſaw a place where Engliſh Cattle had been: that was comfort to me, ſuch as it was: quickly after that we came to an Engliſh Path, which ſo took with me, that I thought I could have freely lyan down and dyed. That day, a little after noon, we came to Squaukheag, where the Indians quickly ſpread themſelves over the deſerted Engliſh Fields, gleaning what they could find; ſome pickt up ears of Wheat that were crickled down, ſome found ears of Indian Corn, ſome found Ground-nuts, and others ſheaves of Wheat that were frozen together in the ſhock, & went to threſhing of them out My ſelf got two ears of Indian Corn, and whilſt I did but turn my back, one of them was ſtolen from …, which much troubled me There came an Indian to them at that time, with a basket of Horſe-liver; I asked him to give me a piece: What, ſayes …, can you eat Horſe-liver? I told him, I would try, duplicate page duplicate page if he would give a piece, which he did, and I laid it on the coals to roſt; but before it was half ready, they got half of it away from me, ſo that I was fain to take the reſt and eat it as it was, with the blood about my mouth, and yet a ſavoury bit it was to me: For to the hungry Soul every bitter thing is ſweet. A ſolemn ſight methought it was, to ſee Fields of wheat and Indian Corn forſaken and ſpoiled: and the remainders of them to be food for our mercileſs Enemies. That night we had a meſs of wheat for our Supper.