Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to MassachusettsBradford, William
History
Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to Massachusetts
Bradford, William
Massachusetts -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
victualls & other necessaries. But in their march y^e rest of y^e
Pequents drew into a body, and acoasted them, thinking to have some
advantage against them by[DX] reason of a neck of land; but when they
saw the English prepare for them, they kept a loofe, so as they neither
did hurt, nor could receive any. After their refreishing & repair to
geather for further counsell & directions, they resolved to pursue their
victory, and follow y^e warr against y^e rest, but y^e Narigansett
Indeans most of them forsooke them, and such of them as they had with
them for guids, or otherwise, they found them very could and backward in
y^e bussines, ether out of envie, or y^t they saw y^e English would make
more profite of y^e victorie then they were willing they should, or els
deprive them of such advantage as them selves desired by having them
become tributaries unto them, or y^e like.
For y^e rest of this bussines, I shall only relate y^e same as it is in
a leter which came from M^r. Winthrop to y^e Gov^r hear, as followeth.
Worthy S^r: I received your loving letter, and am much provocked to
express my affections towards you, but straitnes of time forbids me;
for my desire is to acquainte you with y^e Lords greate mercies
towards us, in our prevailing against his & our enimies; that you may
rejoyce and praise his name with us. About 80. of our men, haveing
costed along towards y^e Dutch plantation, (some times by water, but
most by land,) mett hear & ther with some Pequents, whom they slew or
tooke prisoners. 2. sachems they tooke, & beheaded; and not hearing of
Sassacous, (the cheefe sachem,) they gave a prisoner his life, to goe
and find him out. He wente and brought them word where he was, but
Sassacouse, suspecting him to be a spie, after he was gone, fled away
with some 20. more to y^e Mowakes, so our men missed of him. Yet,
deviding them selves, and ranging up & downe, as y^e providence of God
guided them (for y^e Indeans were all gone, save 3. or 4. and they
knew not whither to guid them, or els would not), upon y^e 13. of this
month, they light upon a great company of them, viz. 80. strong men, &
200. women & children, in a small Indean towne, fast by a hideous
swamp, which they all slipped into before our men could gett to them.
Our captains were not then come togeither, but ther was M^r. Ludlow
and Captaine Masson, with some 10. [225] of their men, & Captaine
Patrick with some 20. or more of his, who, shooting at y^e Indeans,
Captaine Trask with 50. more came soone in at y^e noyse. Then they
gave order to surround y^e swampe, it being aboute a mile aboute; but
Levetenante Davenporte & some 12. more, not hearing that co[=m]and,
fell into y^e swampe among y^e Indeans. The swampe was so thicke with
shrub-woode, & so boggie with all, that some of them stuck fast, and
received many shott. Levetenant Davenport was dangerously wounded
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