The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-12-20
wholly deserved the name then given
ITO him of Stalwart Standish.

' n y
I When, on account of the absence of
/ horses, ''he covered his bull with broad
cloth and rode on his back; when he
returned he placed his wife there and
led the sbuH by, the ring in7his nose. !"
A man capable of such a daring gal
Ilantry could certainly. have added much
/ to a Thanksgiving feast.
Massasoit was then about forty wears
old. lie was an ablerbodied, tall man.
grave of countenance and spare of
Espeech; his face was painted with sad
/ red and oiled, both head and face, that
ne looked greasily. = His followers were
also painted red andsblanlx, yellow and
white. They were mostly dressed In
skIns.h Massasoit's dress differed some
what fr9ms theirs particularly in the
addition OF q great chain of white beads
[ about his neck, on which, from behind,
hung a little. bag Of tobacco, which he
4smoked and offered his friends to
smoke. His tribe, short time before
the Pilgrip1s landed, was numbered BY
the thousands, but direful disease had
reduced it to such an extentthat, at this
time, it counted only about three hun
{qfed, ksREs 5so$8 n sl<sstoN
! As the chief sat there, the guest .efthe
4 Eolonists, he must have heard some
little "reminiscences given of their hard
] ships, endured, as we'll as of their ioys
and sorrows. Of course the mind of
| sMilesssStandish went back to the times
OF three years before, when he led a
party of the newly-landed Pilgrims into
i the thick forests inSsearch of the needed
/ food; he must have recalled how they
found an Indian grave-mound, in which
was a little old basket full of ssfaire
Indian corne," and a large round
basket, narrow at the top, with some
thirty-six goodly earessof eorne, which
was a goodly sight; for it held about
threeor four bushels, which they shared
in common, to be saved for seed, and how.
/ they had then proposed as. soon as they
Should meet with any of the Indian in
| habitants, ito make them large salts
faction which proposal they had
carried out some. time afterwards ,on
meeting Massasoit. ii. "a 4
OF course they talked over the. hearty
'welcome' which, two wears before,
they had, received from Samoset, the
first Indian whom they had personally
known; for they remembered his tall,
straight figure, nearly naked, his black
hair, long behind and short in front,
| his beardfess. face and his bow of two
arrows, ''the one headed and the other
unheaded,hE Fhey Remembered how
he had brought Squanto to them as an
| lnterpretor-since he had been slave
in Bngland-who brought from Afassa-
soft a message, desiring an interview
with the GovermDri how the Governor
had sent Winslow back with him. with,
| a present of ''three knives. a copper
chain with jewel attached, an ear
ring, q pot of strong water and some
biscuit, to the great Sachem, who had
met them with sixty of his followers;
how, after brief parley, Winslow had
been left behind as a hostage, while
Massasoit and twenty unarmed follow
,ers had met Standish and others at the
brook which divided the parties; how
they had beensconducted 10 an unfin-
ished building where rug and cushs
IONS had been spread for them; and
had met the Governor and some few
musketeers, with their ''drums and
trumpets;;'' = and as they referred
to- this, Massasoit t must have re-
membered how u treaty had
then been made that he and his people
should offer no injury to the English.
which treaty he was proud to feel he had
thus far kept. Perhaps be remembered
how afraid he ewas of the guns, so much
so, that, trembling all over, he had
motioned them away. Hes Surely re-
called how, after the interview, having
hnGfocroc hnh ind he loI
to the brook by the Governor himself to
reioin his party; where he found that,
/ ia the meanwhile, the Governor had
sent for his kettle and returned it '.full
of pease.n As Governor Carver had
died soon after this meeting with, the
great chief, he was not present at these
festivities to add his memories of that
pleasant occasion. Perhaps this little
rcminiscence reminded Massasoit of
little later time, when an embassy, with
Squanto as interpreter, from the Colon
lists, came to his home in Narragansett
Bay, and brought to him as a present
red cotton coat 'tlaced with a slight
lace, and to his chiefs some beads and
jack4kniyes how he received them
gladly, adorned himself in the coat,
AtttFNtS tt S7INttb Sl'SOSIlS dSodl GISul
of his friendship and cautioning them
not to trust the rival tribe of the Nara
gansetts. ~.
a' At the mention of this tribe SONG of /
the colonists must have been reminded, |
even in the midst of their feasting, of
the sad fate of poor Sguanto, who was
killed by one of it's chiefs; but thev
were doubtless proud to relate how ten
of their number, AIMED, sur1uundeas the
tribe numbering its, several thousands, |
on its own dominions and conquered
them. Squanto was dear, to the Pill
grims, for it was ne, who had told them
how to cultivate the corn and to manure
itwith fish; and how to raise and cook |
the squashes,. pumpkins and beans
which added so much to their feast.
Massaseit must have missed. in these I
festivities, the bright young face of the
gentleman-born Winslow He was one
of the Youngest of the leaders being
then only twentY-nine years old-but |
his diplomatic power made him essen
tial in all the negotiations of the Col
enists. He was Off in England at this
time on business for the Colony, where
hn 81 80