The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, Part 8
The eight Remove.
On the morrow morning we muſt go over the River, i. e. Connecticot, to meet with King Philip, two Cannoos full, they had carried over, the next Turn j my ſelf was to go; but as my foot was upon the Cannoo to ſtep in, there was a ſudden out-cry among them, and j muſt ſtep back; and inſtead of going over the River, j muſt go four or five miles up the River farther Northward. Some of the jndians ran one way, and ſome another. The cauſe of this rout was, as j thought, their eſpying ſome Engliſh Scouts, who were thereabout. In this travel up the River; about noon the Company made a ſtop, and ſate down; ſome to eat, and others to reſt them. As I ſate amongſt them, muſing of things paſt, my Son Joseph unexpectedly came to me: we asked of each others welfare▪ bemoaning our dolefull condition, and the change that had come upon us: We had Husbands and
Father, and Children, and Siſters, and Friends, and Relations, and Houſe, and Home, and many Comforts of this Life: but now we may ſay, as Job, Naked came I out of my Mothers Womb, and naked ſhall I return: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, Bleſſed be the Name of the Lord. I asked him whither he would read; he told me, he earneſtly deſired it, J gave him my Bible, and he lighted upon that comfortable Scripture, Pſal. 18.17, 18. I ſhall not dy but live, and declare the works of the Lord: the Lord hath chaſtened me ſore, yet he hath not given me over to death. Look here, Mother (ſayes he) did you read this? And here I may take occaſion to mention one principall ground of my ſetting forth theſe Lines: even as the Pſalmiſt ſayes, To dealare the Works of the Lord, and his wonderfull Power in carrying us along, preſerving us in the Wilderneſs, while under the Enemies hand, and returning of us in ſafety again. And His goodneſs in bringing to my hand ſo many comfortable and ſuitable Scriptures in my diſtreſs. But to Return, We travelled on till night; and in the morning, we muſt go over the River to Philip's Crew. When I was in the Cannoo, I could not but be amazed at the numerous crew of Pagans that were on the Bank on the other ſide. When J came aſhore, they gathered all about me, I ſitting alone in the midſt: I obſerved they asked one another questions, and laughed, and rejoyced over their Gains and Victories.
Then my heart began to fail: and I fell a weeping; which was the firſt time to my remembrance, that J wept before them. Although J had met with ſo much Affliction, and my heart was many times ready to break, yet could J not ſhed one tear in their ſight: but rather had been all this while in a maze, and like one aſtoniſhed: but now J may ſay as, Pſal 137.1. By the Rivers of Babylon, there we ſate down: yea, we wept when we remembred Zion. There one of them asked me, why J wept, J could hardly tell what to ſay: yet J anſwered, they would kill me: No, ſaid he, none will hurt you. Then came one of them and gave me two ſpoon-fulls of Meal to comfort me, and another gave me half a pint of Peaſe; which was more worth than many Buſhels at another time. Then J went to ſee King Philip, he bade me come in and ſit down, and asked me whether J would ſmoke it (a uſual Complement now adayes amongſt Saints and Sinners) but this no way ſuited me. For though I had formerly uſed Tobacco, yet I had left it ever ſince I was firſt taken. It ſeems to be a Bait, the Devil layes to make men looſe their precious time: J remember with ſhame, how formerly, when J had taken two or three pipes, J was preſently ready for another, ſuch a bewitching thing it is: But J thank God, he has now given me power over it: ſurely there are many who may be better imployed than to ly ſucking a ſtinking Tobacco-pipe.
Now the Indians gather their Forces to go againſt North-Hampton: over-night one went about yelling and hooting to give notice of the deſign. Whereupon they fell to boyling of Ground-nuts, and parching of Corn (as many as had it) for their Proviſion: and in the morning away they went: During my abode in this place, Philip ſpake to me to make a ſhirt for his boy, which I did, for which he gave me a ſhilling: I offered the mony to my maſter, but he bade me keep it: and with it J bought a piece of Horſe fleſh. Afterwards he asked me to make a Cap for his boy, for which he invited me to Dinner. J went, and he gave me a Pancake, about as big as two fingers; it was made of parched wheat, beaten, and fryed in Bears greaſe, but I though I never taſted pleaſanter meat in my life. There was a Squaw who ſpake to me to make a ſhirt for her Sannup, for which ſhe gave me a piece of Bear. Another asked me to knit a pair of Stockins, for which ſhe gave me a quart of Peaſe: J boyled my Peaſe and Bear together, and invited my maſter and miſtriſs to dinner, but the proud Goſſip, be cauſe J ſerved them both in one Diſh, would eat nothing, except on bit that he gave her upon the point of his knife. Hearing that my ſon was come to this place, J went to ſee him, and found him lying flat upon the ground: J asked him how he could ſleep ſo? he anſwered me, That he was not aſleep, but at Prayer; and lay ſo that they might not obſerve what he was doing. J pray God he may remember theſe things now he is returned in ſafety. At this Place (the Sun now getting higher) what with the beams and heat of the Sun, and the ſmoak of the Wigwams, J thought I ſhould have been blind, I could ſcarce diſcern one Wigwam from another, There was here one Mary Thurston of Medfield, who ſeeing how it was with me, lent me a Hat to wear: but as ſoon as I was gone, the Squaw who owned that Mary Thurſton) came running after me, and got it away again. Here was the Squaw that gave me one ſpoonfull of Meal. I put it in my Pocket to keep it ſafe: yet notwithſtanding ſome body ſtole it, but put five Indian Corns in the room of it: which Corns were the greateſt Proviſions J had in my travel for one day.
The Indians returning from North-Hamptom, brought with them ſome Horſes, and Sheep, and other things which they had taken: J deſired them, that they would carry me to Albany, upon one of thoſe Horſes, and ſell me for Powder: for ſo they had ſometimes diſcourſed. J was utterly hopleſs of getting home on foot, the way that I came. I could hardly bear to think of the many weary ſheps J had taken, to come to this place.