The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion, Part 1
AT SHAMBLEE.
This village is about fifteen miles from Montreal. The French were very kind to me: A gentleman of the place, took me into his houſe, and to his table; and lodged me at night on a good feather bed. The Inhabitants and officers were very obliging to me, the little time I ſtayed with them, and promiſed to write a letter to the governor in chief, to inform him of my paſſing down the river. Here I ſaw a girl taken from our town, and a young man, who informed me, that the greateſt part of the captives were come in, and that two of my children were at Montreal; that many of the captives had been in, three weeks before my arrival: Mercy in the midſt of judgment! As we paſſed along the river towards Sorel, we went into a houſe where was an Engliſh woman of our town, who had been left among the French in order to her conveyance to the Indian fort. The French were very kind to her and to myſelf, and gave us the beſt proviſion they had; and ſhe embarked with us to go down to St. Francois fort. When we came down to the firſt inhabited houſe at Sorel, a French woman came to the river ſide, and deſired us to go into her houſe, and when we were entered, ſhe compaſſioned our ſtate, and told us, ſhe had in the laſt war been a captive among the Indians, and therefore was not a little ſenſible of our difficulties. She gave the Indians ſomething to eat in the chimney corner, and ſpread a cloth on the table for us with napkins; which gave ſuch offence to the Indians, that they haſted away, and would not call in at the fort. But wherever we entered into houſes, the French were very courteous. When we came to St. Francois river, we found ſome difficulty by reaſon of the ice; and entering into a Frenchman's houſe, he gave us a loaf of bread, and ſome fiſh to carry away with us; but we paſſed down the river, till night, and there ſeven of us ſupped on a fiſh called bullhead or pout, and did not eat it up, the fiſh was ſo very large.
The next morning we met with ſuch a great quantity, of ice, that we were forced to leave our canoe, and travel on land. We went to a French officer's houſe, who took us into a private room, out of the ſight of the Indians, and treated us very courteouſly. That night we arrived at the fort called St. Francois; where we found ſeveral poor children who had been taken from the eaſtward the ſummer before; a ſight very affecting, they being in habit very much like Indians, and in manners very much ſymbolizing with them. At this fort lived two Jeſuits, one of which was made ſuperior of the Jeſuits at Quebeck. One of theſe Jeſuits met me at the fort gate, and aſked me to go into the church and give God thanks for preſerving my life. I told him I would do that in ſome other place. When the bell rang for evening prayers, he that took me, bid me go, but I refuſed: The Jeſuit came to our wigwam, and prayed a ſhort prayer; and invited me to ſup with them; and juſtified the Indians in what they did againſt us; rehearſing ſome things done by Major Walden above thirty years ago; and how juſtly God retaliated them in the laſt war, and enveighed againſt us for beginning this war with the Indians, and ſaid, we had before the laſt winter, and in the winter been very barbarous and cruel in burning and killing Indians. I told them, that the Indians in a very perfidious manner, had committed murders on many of our inhabitants, after the ſigning articles of peace: And as to what they ſpake of cruelties, they were undoubtedly falſehoods; for I well knew the Engliſh were not approvers of any inhumanity or barbarity towards enemies. They ſaid, an Engliſhman had killed one of St. Caſteen's relations, which occaſioned this war: For, ſay they, the nations in a general council, had concluded not to engage in the war on any ſide, till they themſelves were firſt moleſted, and then all of them as one, would engage againſt them that began a war with them: And that upon the killing of Caſteen's kinſman, a poſt was diſpatched to Canada, to advertiſe the Macquas and Indians that the Engliſh had began a war. On which they gathered up their forces, and that the French joined with them to come down on the eaſtern parts; and that when they came near New-England, ſeveral of the eaſtern Indians told them of the peace made with the Engliſh, and the ſatisfaction given them from the Engliſh for that murder. But the Macquas told them it was now too late; for they were ſent for and were now come, and would fall on them, if without their conſent they made a peace with the Engliſh. Said alſo, That a letter was ſhown to them from the governor of Port Royal, which, he ſaid, was taken in an Engliſh ſhip, being a letter from the queen of England, to our governor, writing how ſhe approved his deſigns, to enſnare, and deceitfully ſeize on, the Indians; ſo that being enraged from that letter, and being forced as it were, they began the preſent war. I told them the letter was a lie, forged by the French.
The next morning the bell rang for maſs: My maſter bid me go to church; I refuſed: He threatened me, and went away in a rage. At noon the Jeſuit ſent for me to dine with them, for I eat at their table all the time I was at the fort. And after dinner they told me, the Indians would not allow of any of their captives ſtaying in their wigwams, whilſt they were at church; and were reſolved by force and violence to bring us all to church, if we would not go without. I told them it was highly unreaſonable ſo to impoſe upon thoſe who were of a contrary religion; and to force us to be preſent at ſuch a ſervice, as we abhorred, was nothing becoming chriſtianity. They replied, They were ſavages, and would not hearken to reaſon, but would have their wills: Said alſo, If they were in New England themſelves, they would go into their churches to ſee their ways of worſhip. I anſwered, the caſe was far different, for there was nothing (themſelves being judges) as to matter or manner of worſhip, but what was according to the word of GOD, in our churches; and therefore it could not be an offence to any man's conſcience. But among them there were idolatrous ſuperſtitions in worſhip: They ſaid, Come and ſee, and offer us conviction, of what is ſuperſtitious in worſhip. To which I anſwered, That I was not to do evil that good might come of it; and that forcing in matters of religion was hateful. They anſwered, The Indians are reſolved to have it ſo, and they could not pacify them without my coming; and they would engage they ſhould offer no force or violence to cauſe any compliance with their ceremonies. The next maſs, my maſter bid me go to church: I objected; he roſe and forcibly pulled me by my head and ſhoulders out of the wigwam to the church, which was nigh the door. So I went in and ſat down behind the door, and there ſaw a great confuſion, inſtead of any goſpel order. For one of the Jeſuits was at the altar, ſaying maſs in a tongue unknown to the ſavages; and the other, between the altar and the door, ſaying and ſinging prayers among the Indians at the ſame time; and many others were at the ſame time ſaying over their pater noſters, and Ave Mary, by tale from their chapelit, or beads, on a ſtring. At our going out, we ſmiled at their devotion ſo managed, which was offenſive to them: For they ſaid we made a deriſion of their worſhip. When I was here, a certain ſavages died; one of the Jeſuits told me, She was a very holy woman, who had not committed one ſin in twelve years. After a day or two the Jeſuits aſked me, What I thought of their way, now I ſaw it? I told them, I thought Chriſt ſaid of it, as Mark vii. 7, 8, 9. Howbeit, in vain do they worſhip me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aſide the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the waſhing of pots, and cups; and many other ſuch like things ye do. And he ſaid unto them, full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. They told me, They were not the commandments of men, but apoſtolical traditions, of equal authority with the holy ſcriptures. And that after my death, I would bewail my not praying to the virgin Mary; and that I ſhould find the want of her interceſſion for me, with her Son; judging me to hell, for aſſerting the ſcriptures to be a perfect rule of faith; and ſaid, I abounded in my own ſenſe, entertaining explications contrary to the ſenſe of the Pope, regularly ſitting with a general council, explaining ſcripture, and making articles of faith. I told them, it was my comfort that Chriſt was to be my judge, and not they at the great day: And as for their cenſuring and judging me, I was not moved with it.
One day a certain ſavageſs, taken priſoner in Philip's war, who had lived at Mr. Bulkley's at Weathersfield, called Ruth, who could ſpeak Engliſh very well, and who had been often at my houſe; being now proſelyted to the Romiſh faith, came into the wigwam, and with her an Engliſh maid, who was taken the laſt war, who was dreſſed in Indian apparel, unable to ſpeak one word of Engliſh, who ſaid ſhe could neither tell her own name, or the name of the place from whence ſhe was taken. Theſe two talked in the Indian dialect with my maſter a long time; after which my maſter bade me croſs myſelf; I told him I would not; he commanded me ſeveral times, and I as often refuſed. Ruth ſaid, Mr. Williams, you know the ſcripture, and therefore act againſt your own light; for you know the ſcripture faith. Servants obey your maſters; he is your maſter, and you his ſervant. I told her ſhe was ignorant, and knew not the meaning of the ſcripture; telling her, I was not to diſobey the great God, to obey my maſter, and that I was ready to die to ſuffer for God, if called thereto: On which ſhe talked with my maſter, I ſuppoſe ſhe interpreted what I ſaid. My maſter took hold of my hand to force me to croſs myſelf, but I ſtruggled with him, and would not ſuffer him to guide my hand; upon this he pulled off a crucifix from off his own neck, and bade me kiſs it; but I refuſed once and again; he told me, he would daſh out my brains with his hatchet if I refuſed. I told him, I ſhould ſooner chooſe death than to ſin againſt God; then he ran and took up his hatchet, and acted as tho' he would have daſhed out my brains; ſeeing I was not moved, he threw down his hatchet, ſaying, he would firſt bite off all my nails, if I ſtill refuſed; I gave him my hand and told him, I was ready to ſuffer; he ſet his teeth in my thumb nail, and gave a gripe, and then ſaid, No good miniſter, no love God, as bad as the Devil; and ſo left off. I have reaſon to bleſs God, who ſtrengthened me to withſtand; by this he was ſo diſcouraged, as never more to meddle with me about my religion. I aſked leave of the Jeſuits to pray with thoſe Engliſh of our town that were with me, but they abſolutely refuſed to give us any permiſſion to pray one with another, and did what they could to prevent our having any diſcourſe together.
After a few days the governor de'Vaudrel, governor in chief, ſent down two men with letters to the Jeſuits, deſiring them to order my being ſent up to him to Montreal, upon which one of the Jeſuits went with my two maſters, and took me along with them, as alſo two more from Deerfield, a man and his daughter about ſeven years of age. When we came to the lake, the wind was tempeſtuous and contrary to us, ſo that they were afraid to go over; they landed and kindled a fire, and ſaid they would wait a while to ſee whether the wind would fall or change. I went aſide from the company among the trees, and ſpread our caſe, with the temptations of it, before God, and pleaded that he would order the ſeaſon ſo that we might not go back again, but be furthered on our voyage, that I might have opportunity to ſee my children and neighbors, and converſe with them, and know their ſtate. When I returned, the wind was more boiſterous, and then a ſecond time, and the wind was more fierce; I reflected upon myſelf for my unquietneſs, and the want of a reſigned will to the will of God. And a third time went and bewailed before God my anxious cares, and the tumultuous working of my own heart, begged a will fully reſigned to the will of God, and thought that by his grace I was brought to ſay amen to whatever God ſhould determine. Upon my return to the company, the wind was yet high; the Jeſuit and my maſter ſaid, come we will go back again to the fort; for there is no likelihood of proceeding in our voyage, for very frequently ſuch a wind continues three days, ſometimes ſix; after it continued ſo many hours, I ſaid to them, The will of the Lord be done; and the canoe was put again into the river, and we embarked. No ſooner had my maſter put me into the canoe, and put off from the ſhore, but the wind fell, and coming into the middle of the river, they ſaid, we may go over the lake well enough; and ſo we did. I promiſed, if God gave me opportunity, I would ſtir up others to glorify God in a continued perſevering, committing their ſtraits of heart to him; He is a prayer hearing God, and the ſtormy winds obey him. After we paſſed over the lake, the French wherever we came, were very compaſſionate to us.