The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, Part 19
The ninteenth Remove.
They ſaid, when we went out, that we muſt travel to Wachuſet this day. But a bitter weary day I had of it, travelling now three dayes to gether, without reſting any day between. At laſt, after many weary ſteps, I ſaw Wachuſet hills, but many miles off. Then we came to a great Swamp, through which we travelled up to the knees, in mud and water, which was heavy going to one tyred before. Being almoſt ſpent, I thought I ſhould have ſunk down at laſt, and never gat out; but I may ſay, as in Pſal. 94.18. When my foot ſlipped, thy mercy, O Lord held me up. Going along, having indeed my life, but little ſpirit, Philip, who was in the Company, came up and took me by the hand, and ſaid, Two weeks more and you ſhal be Miſtreſs again. I asked him, if he ſpake true? he anſwered, Yes, and quickly you ſhal come to your maſter again; who had been gone from us three weeks. After many weary ſteps we came to Wachuſet, where he was: and glad I was to ſee him. He asked me, When J waſht me? J told him not this month, then he fetcht me ſome water himſelf, and bid me waſh, and gave me the Glaſs to ſee how j lookt; and bid his Squaw give me ſomething to eat: ſo ſhe gave me a meſs of Beans and meat, and a little Ground-nut Cake. I was wonderfully revived with this favour ſhewed me, Pſal. 106.46 He made them alſo to be pittied, of all thoſe that carried them Captives.
My maſter had three Squaws, living ſometimes with one, and ſometimes with another one, this old Squaw, at whoſe Wigwan j was, and with whom my Master had been thoſe three weeks. Another was Wettimore, with whom I had lived and ſerved all this while: A ſevere and proud Dame ſhe was; beſtowing every day in dreſſing her ſelf neat as much time as any of the Gentry of the land: powdering her hair, and painting her face, going with Neck-laces, with Jewels in her ears, and Bracelets upon her hands: When ſhe had dreſſed her ſelf, her work was to make Girdles of Wampom and Biads. The third Squaw was a younger one, by whom he had two Papooſes. By that time I was refreſht by the old Squaw, with whom my maſter was, Wettimores Maid came to call me home, at which I fell a weeping. Then the old Squaw told me, to encourage me, that if I wanted victuals, j ſhould come to her, and that j ſhouldly there in her Wigwam. Then j went with the maid, and quickly came again and lodged there. The Squaw laid a Mat under me, and a good Rugg over me; the firſt time J had any ſuch kindneſs ſhowed me. J underſtood that Wettimore thought, that if ſhe ſhould let me go and ſerve with the old Squaw, ſhe would be in danger to looſe, not only my ſervice, but the redemptionpay alſo. And j was not a little glad to hear this; being by it raiſed in my hopes, that in Gods due time there would be an end of this ſorrowfull hour. Then came an Indians and asked me to knit him three pair of Stockins, for which j had a Hat, and a ſilk handkerchief. Then another asked me to mak her a ſhift, for which ſhe gave me an Apron.
Then came Tom and Peter, with the ſecond Letter from the Council, about the Captives. Though they were Indians, j gat them by the hand, and burſt out into tears; my heart was ſo full that J could not ſpeak to them; but recovering my ſelf, j asked them how my husband did, & all my friends and acquainiance? they ſaid, They are all very well but melancohly. They brought me two Biskets, and a pound of Tobacco. The Tobacco j quickly gave away; when it was all gone, one asked me to give him a pipe of Tobacco, I told him it was all gone; then began be to rant and threaten. I told him when my Husband camel would give him ſome: Hang him Rogne (ſayes be) I will knock out his brains, if he comes here. And then again, in the ſame breath they would ſay, That if there ſhould come an hunddred without Guns, they would do them no hurt. So unſtable and like mad men they were. So that fearing the worſt, I durſt not ſend to my Husband, though there were ſome thoughts of his coming to Redeem and ſetch me, not knowing what might follow; For there was little more truſt to them then to the maſter they ſerved. When the Letter was come, the Saggamores met to conſult about the Captives, and called me to them to enquire how much my husband would give to redeem me, when I came I ſate down among them, as J was wont to do, as their manner is: Then they bade me ſtand up, and ſaid, they were the General Court. They bid me ſpeak what I thought he would give, Now knowing that all we had was deſtroyed by the Indians, I was in a great ſtrait: I thought if I ſhould ſpeak of but a little, it would be ſlighted, and hinder the matter; if of a great ſum, I knew not where is would be procured: yet at a venture, I ſaid Twenty pounds, yet deſired them to take leſs; but they would not hear of that, but ſent that meſſage to Boſton, that for Twenty pound. I ſhould be redeemed. It was a Praying-Indian that wrote their Letter for them. There was another Praying Indian, who told me, that he had a brother, that would not eat Horſe; his conſcience was ſo tender and ſcrupulous (though as large as hell, forthe dedeſtruction of poor Chriſtians) Then he ſaid, he read that Scripture to him, 2 Kings, 6.25. There was a ſamine in Samatia, and behold they beſieged it, untill an Aſſes head was ſold for fourſcore pieces of ſilver, and the fourth part of a Kab of Doves dung, for five pieces of ſilver. He expounded this place to his brother, and ſhewed him that it was lawfull to eat that in a Famine which is not at another time. And now, ſayes he, he will eat Horſe with any Indian of them all. There was another Praying-Indian, who when he bad done all the miſchief that he could, betrayed his own Father into the Engliſh hands, thereby to purchaſe his own life. Another Praying-Indian was at Sudbury-fight, though, as he deſerved, he was afterward hanged for it, There was another Praying Indian, ſo wicked and cruel, as to wear a ſtring about his neck, ſtrung with Chriſtians fingers. Another Praying-Indian, when they went to Sudbury-fight, went with them, and his Squaw alſo with him, with her Papoos at her back: Before they went to that fight, they got a company together to Powaw; the manner was as followeth. There was one that kneeled upon a Deer-skin, with the company round him in a ring who kneeled, and ſtriking upon the ground with their hands, and with ſticks; and muttering or humming with their mouths, beſides him who kneeled in the ring, there alſo ſtood one with a Gun in his hand: Then he one the Deer-skin made a ſpeech, and all manifeſted aſſent to it: and ſo they did many times together. Then they bade him with the Gun go out of the ring, which he did, but when he was out, they called him in again; but he ſeemed to make a ſtand, then they called the more earneſtly, till he returned again: Then they all ſang. Then they gave him two Guns, in either hand one: And ſo he on the Deer-skin began again; and at the end of every ſentence in his ſpeaking, they all aſſented, humming or muttering with their mouthes, and ſtriking upon the ground with their hands. Then they bade him with the two Guns go out of the ring again; which he did, a little way. Then they called him in again, but he made a ſtand; ſo they called him with greater earneſtneſs; but he ſtood reeling and wavering as if he knew not whither he ſhould ſtand or fall, or which way to go. Then they called him with exceeding great vehemency, all of them, one and another: after a little while he turned in, ſtaggering as he went, with his Armes ſtretched out, in either hand a Gun. As ſoon as he came in, they all ſang and rejoyced exceedingly a while. And then he opened the Deer-skin, made another ſpeech unto which they all aſſented in a rejoicing manner: and ſo they ended their buſineſs, and forthwith went to Sudbury fight. To my thinking they went without any ſcruple, but that they ſhould proſper, and gain the victory: And they went out not ſo rejoycing, but they came home with as great a Victory. For they ſaid they had killed two Captains, and almoſt an hundred men. One Engliſh-man they brought along with them: and he ſaid, it was too true, for they had made ſad work at Sudbury, as indeed it proved. Yet they came home without that rejoycing and triumphing over their victory, which they were wont to ſhew at other times: but rather like Dogs (as they ſay) which have loſt their cars. Yet I could not pereceive that it was for their own loſs of men: They ſaid, they had not loſt above five or ſix: and I miſſed none, excep in one Wigwam. When they went, they acted as if the Devil had told them that they ſhould gain the victory: and now they acted, as if the Devil had told them they ſhould have a fall. Whither it were ſo or no, I cannot tell, but ſo it proved, for quickly they began to fall, and ſo held on that Summer, till they came to utter ruine. They came home on a Sabbath day, and the Powaw that kneeled upon the Deer-skin came home (I may ſay, without abule) as black as the Devil. When my maſter came home, be came to me and bid me make a ſhirt for his Papoos, of a hollandlaced Pillowbeer. About that time there came an Indian to me and bid me come to his Wigwam, at night, and he would give me ſome Pork & Ground nuts. Which I did, and as I was eating, another Indian ſaid to me, he ſeems to be your good Friend, but he killed two Engliſhmen at Sudbury, and there ly their Cloaths behind you: I looked behind me, and there I ſaw bloody Cloaths, with Bullet holes in them; yet the Lord ſuffered not this wretch to do me any hurt; Yea, inſtead of that, he many times refreſht me: five or ſix times did he and his Squaw refreſh my feeble carcaſs. If J went to their Wigwam a… any time, they would alwayes give me ſomething, and yet they were ſtrangers that I never ſaw before. Another Squaw gave me a piece of freſh Pork, and a little Salt with it, and lent me her Panto Fry it in; and I cannot but remember what a ſweet, pleaſant and delightfull reliſh that bit had to me, to this day. So little do we prize common mercies when we have them to the full.