A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; Mourt's Relation: A Relation or Journal of the English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, by Certain English adventurers both merchants and others — John Shaqi
A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; Mourt's Relation: A Relation or Journal of the English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, by Certain English adventurers both merchants and others
History
A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; Mourt's Relation: A Relation or Journal of the English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England, by Certain English adventurers both merchants and others
Massachusetts -- History -- New Plymouth, 1620-1691; Pilgrims (New Plymouth Colony) -- Early works to 1800
In the morning so soon as we could see the trace, we proceeded on our
journey, and had the track until we had compassed the head of a long
creek, and there they took into another wood, and we after them,
supposing to find some of their dwellings, but we marched through boughs
and bushes, and under hills and valleys, which tore our very armor in
pieces, and yet could meet with none of them, nor their houses, nor find
any fresh water, which we greatly desired, and stood in need of, for we
brought neither beer nor water with us, and our victuals was only
biscuit and Holland cheese, and a little bottle of aquavitae, so as we
were sore athirst. About ten o’clock we came into a deep valley, full of
brush, wood-gaile, and long grass, through which we found little paths
or tracks, and there we saw a deer, and found springs of fresh water, of
which we were heartily glad, and sat us down and drunk our first New
England water with as much delight as ever we drunk drink in all our
lives.
When we had refreshed ourselves, we directed our course full south, that
we might come to the shore, which within a short while after we did, and
there made a fire, that they in the ship might see where we were (as we
had direction) and so marched on towards this supposed river. And as we
went in another valley we found a fine clear pond of fresh water, being
about a musket shot broad and twice as long. There grew also many fine
vines, and fowl and deer haunted there; there grew much sassafras.[23]
From thence we went on, and found much plain ground, about fifty acres,
fit for the plow, and some signs where the Indians had formerly planted
their corn. After this, some thought it best, for nearness of the river,
to go down and travel on the sea sands, by which means some of our men
were tired, and lagged behind. So we stayed and gathered them up, and
struck into the land again, where we found a little path to certain
heaps of sand, one whereof was covered with old mats, and had a wooden
thing like a mortar whelmed[24] on the top of it, and an earthen pot
laid in a little hole at the end thereof. We, musing what it might be,
digged and found a bow, and, as we thought, arrows, but they were
rotten. We supposed there were many other things, but because we deemed
them graves, we put in the bow again and made it up as it was, and left
the rest untouched, because we thought it would be odious unto them to
ransack their sepulchres.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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