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
The month of November being spente in these affairs, & much foule
weather falling in, the 6. _of Desem^r_: they sente out their shallop
againe with 10. of their principall men, & some sea men, upon further
discovery, intending to circulate that deepe bay of Cap-codd. The
weather was very could, & it frose so hard as y^e sprea of y^e sea
lighting on their coats, they were as if they had been glased; yet _that
night_ betimes they gott downe into y^e botome of y^e bay, and as they
drue nere y^e shore they saw some 10. or 12. Indeans very busie aboute
some thing. They landed aboute a league or 2. from them, and had much a
doe to put a shore any wher, it lay so full of flats. Being landed, it
grew late, and they made them selves a barricade with loggs & bowes as
well as they could in y^e time, & set out their sentenill & betooke them
to rest, and saw y^e smoake of y^e fire y^e savages made y^t night. When
_morning_ was come they devided their company, some to coaste along y^e
shore in y^e boate, and the rest marched throw y^e woods to see y^e
land, if any fit place might be for their dwelling. They came allso to
y^e place wher they saw the Indans y^e night before, & found they had
been cuting up a great fish like a grampus, being some 2. inches thike
of fate like a hogg, some peeces wher of they had left by y^e way; and
y^e shallop found 2. more of these fishes dead on y^e sands, a thing
usuall after storms in y^t place, by reason of y^e great flats of sand
that lye of. So they ranged up and doune all y^t day, but found no
people, nor any place they liked. When y^e sune grue low, they hasted
out of y^e woods to meete with their shallop, to whom they made signes
to come to them into a _creeke_ hardby, the which they did at highwater;
of which they were very glad, for they had not seen each other all y^t
day, since y^e morning. So they made them a barricado (as usually they
did every night) with loggs, staks, & thike pine bowes, y^e height of a
man, leaving it open to leeward, partly to shelter them from y^e could &
wind (making their fire in y^e midle, & lying round aboute it), and
partly to defend them from any sudden assaults of y^e savags, if they
should surround them. So being very weary, they betooke them to rest.
But aboute _midnight_, [51] they heard a hideous & great crie, and their
sentinell caled, "Arme, arme"; so they bestired them & stood to their
armes, & shote of a cupple of moskets, and then the noys seased. They
concluded it was a companie of wolves, or such like willd beasts; for
one of y^e sea men tould them he had often heard shuch a noyse in
New-found land. So they rested till about 5. of y^e clock in the
_morning_; for y^e tide, & ther purposs to goe from thence, made them be
stiring betimes. So after praier they prepared for breakfast, and it
being day dawning, it was thought best to be carring things downe to
y^e boate. But some said it was not best to carrie y^e armes downe,
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