The Indianapolis journal., 1886-02-20

the cape to find place to settle they across
grave or mound, which they opened and found
some baskets of corn concealed i'll it. They took
it, bat afterwards they were careful to
pay for it. Winsiow, one Of the Gov.
to King Philips war that before that trouble the
English did not possess foot of land that was
not honorably purchased. They paid for the
land and the furs they bought of the Indians In
beads, hatchets knives, blankets, etc. These
things seem trifes to Us, but the beads served
as money to the natives, and hatchet or knife
was worth more than miles of land as they used
it. When the Pilgrims first landed the Indians
were slow to make the acquaintance or the
whites One day they were very mucn sur
prised to see tall, naked Indian walking into
their little settlement And they were more sur
prlsed TO hear him say in their own language.
Welcome. Englishmen." This mani had
been among the fishermen who had come
over from England to the coast of Maine, and
from them had picked up little English. His
| name was Samoset He told the settlers about
the plague that had swept off nearly all the
natives in that locality four years before. He
told them the tribe living in that region was the
Wampanoags. and their chief was Massasot.
In few days he brought Massasoit, with party
of sixty warriors, to Plymouth. These visitors
were decked out in feathers and paint, and not
much BESIDES and they were treated with great
consideration The Governor went forth to
meet them with a drum and guns, and
with much show he could make.
A treaty of friendship was made,
which faithfully kept by both parties till the
death OF Massasoit-for fifty years. But there
were other tribes in New England with which it
was not 80 easy to keep the peace, especially the
Naragansetts and the Pequots. The Indians
were naturally suspicious and treacherous. In
time past, white men, Spanish and English ex-
plorers, who had stopped along the coast and
enticed Indians on board their vessels, had kid
naped them and carried them off to be sold as
slaves. These injuries they could never forget
The second year Canonicus. the Chief of the
Naragansetts sent a strange challenge to the
Pilgrims. It was brought by an Indian and
given to Governor Bradford. 1t was bunch of
arrows tied together by a rattlesnake
skin. That was no light matter. for the Nara
gansetts numbered thirty thousand, and Ave
thousand warriors, and at that time there were
not in the Plymouth colony more than fifty
men and boys to defend the settlement. To ada
to their weakness, they were then on short
rations. But these Puritans were not easily
frightened. Capt. Miles Standish was brave
man; he had fought many battle and he was
ready to answer this challenge So he filled
| the rattesnake's skin with powder and balls
and sent il back to Canonicus. The chief
was thoroughly frightened; there was something
| supernatural ABOUT this powder; he sent it back
| to Plymouth. 1t was evident. however. there was
| trouble ahead. There had been already a
| JerflDle massacre IN virginia. Inc cOloulStS
proceeded at once to erect fort on the top of
| the hill. on whose side the little village was
planted within the stockade
The first outbreak was due to some lawless,
reckless men who had been sent over the second
year by Thomas Weston, London merchant
They were wild adventures, wholly different
from the Pilgrims; they expected TO plunder
from the natives and steal all they could. They
made settlement at Weymouth. They made
enemies Of the Indians at once. The latter
70 r1or{ {ho EnC in
cluding the Plymouth people. Massasoit, true
to his treaty informed his Plymouth friends of
their danger. Miles Standish was equal to the
emergency. He was told by Massasoit that if
he wanted to defeat the conspiracy he must
be in haste to strike down the chiefs who were
instigatiug it. So he took six or eight Of his
bravest young men, and in a boat sailed round
along the coast to the Weymouth settlement.
There he found three miserable, lowly men,
half starved, wholly ignorant of their danger,
and there he met, as he expected, the Indian
chiefs who were plotting the massacre. Stand
| ish had taken only few with him so as not to
excite suspicion. He asked an interview with
Wituwamset and Pecksuot, the leaders. and
room with two or three of his own men, he shut
| the door and locked it. Then followed a des-
perate hand to-hand fight. each white man at
| tacking an Indian. Standish went for
who had an ugly knife hanging
from his neck. 1t was fight that meant death.
When it was over the two stalwart chiefs lay
dead upon the floor. and the other was bound.
Wituwamscts head was cut off and carried to
Plymouth and exposed on pole as a wholesome
warning. This bold deed no doubt saved the lit
tie colony from a massacre and exterminatiop
Young men grew familiar with danger. They
were always prepared for it. They even had to
60 to church with loaded guns and keep o SEN
tinel outside when worship, was going on inside;
We read of an order that no one should
fire. off his gun except at an Indian
or wolf. Powder and ball were not to be
wasted on small game on Sundays Men and
boys both had to be on the alert they were liable
| to be called suddenly to the defense of their
homes. History does not record more he
roic deeds than we find in the annals of those
carly settlers in New England.
One or two incidents will give good idea of
what boys sometimes had to encounter. They
were often taken captives AS a rule. the
Indians tortured and then killed. their captiyes,
but not always
The story is told, by Mr. Coffin, of two boys
captured 10 a little settlement on the Merrimac,
in 1890. Their names were Isaac Bradley, fifteen
years old, and Joseph Whitaker. eleven years. A
party of Indians coming down the river in canoe
seized them and took them to their camp far in
the north The boys picked up enough of the
Indian language to learn that they were to be
taken to Canada in the spring aud sold. The
oldest resolved he would rather die in the at
tempt to escape than stay. He told his plans to
the other boy night was fixed When the
Indians were sound asleep Isaac, who had kept
awake. reused lis companion. They took an
Indians gun. some moose meat and bread. and
started. guided only by the stars. In the morning
the Indians are in intense excitement, and start
in pursuit with dogs. The boys, knowing what
to expect. have crawled into hollow log The
dogs came to their hiding place first but these
boys know dog nature as well as Indian natures
they throw piece of moose meat to them say
ing, good fellow Bose take your breakfast y
The dogs are satisfied and stop barking The
Indians come to the spot, but they are none the
wiser. The boys travel nights and hide during
the days. On the third day they kill pigeon
and eat it raw; they find turtle and eat that
They also try to satisfy hunger with roots and
buds of trees On the sixth day they almost ran
into Indian camp. They are in rags.
aud their feet are bleeding. Joseph at
length gives out and lies down on a
mossy bank to die. Isaacs courage and strength
hold out. He leaves his companion. to explore
tha country. he retu-ns with s-ood .a..ze