Anecdotes of the American Indians, illustrating their eccentricities of character
History
Anecdotes of the American Indians, illustrating their eccentricities of character
Indians of North America -- Anecdotes
“In the mean time an Indian came to him and brought some furs, but
rather to get what he could from the Captain than to trade; and though
the Captain carried things as smoothly as he could, yet, at his return,
the Indian reported that he saw by his eyes that he was angry in his
heart, and therefore began to suspect themselves discovered. This
caused one Pecksuot, who was a Pinese (chief) being a man of a notable
spirit to come to Hobamock (Standish’s Indian guide and interpreter)
and tell him that he understood the Captain was come to kill himself
and the rest of the savages there: ‘Tell him, said he, we know it, but
fear him not, neither will we shun him; but let him begin when he dare,
he shall not take us at unawares.’ Many times after, divers of them,
severally or a few together, came to the plantation, where they would
whet and sharpen the point of their knives before his face, and use
many other insulting gestures and speeches. Among the rest, Wittuwamat
bragged of the excellency of his knife, on the handle of which was
pictured a woman’s face. ‘But, said he, I have another at home,
wherewith I have killed both French and English, and that hath a man’s
face on it, and by and by, these two must be married.’ Further he said
of that knife which he there had, _Hinnaim namen, binnaim michen, matta
cuts_, that is to say, _by and by it should see, by and by it should
eat, but not speak_. Also Pecksuot being a man of greater stature than
the Captain, told him ‘though you are a great Captain, yet you are but
a little man; though I be no Sachem, yet I am a man of great strength
and courage.’ These things the Captain observed, but, for the present,
bore them with patience.
“On the next day, seeing he could not get many of them together at
once, but Pecksuot and Wittuwamat being together, with another man and
the brother of Wittuwamat a youth of eighteen, putting many tricks on
the weaker sort of men, and having about as many of his own men in the
same room, the Captain gave the word to his men; and the door being
fast shut, be begun himself with Pecksuot and snatching the knife from
his neck, after much struggling killed him therewith; the rest killed
Wittuwamat and the other man; the youth they took and hanged. It is
incredible, how many wounds these men received, before they died, not
making any fearful noise, but catching at their weapons, and striving
to the last. Hobamock stood by as a spectator, observing how our men
demeaned themselves in the action; which being ended, he, smiling,
brake forth and said, ‘Yesterday Pecksuot bragged of his own strength
and stature, and told you that though you were a great Captain, yet you
were but a little man; but, to-day, I see you are big enough to lay him
on the ground.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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