Rescue of Weston’s Settlement—Weston arrives at New Plymouth—His reception and ingratitude—Individual planting of corn substituted for communal—Hardships—John Pierce and the Patent—Sixty new Settlers—Compact between the Colony and private Settlers—Captain Robert Gorges, Governor-General of New England—Weston charged and arrested—Fire at New Plymouth: Storehouse threatened: 1623. It may be thought strange that the Weston colony should have fallen into such extremity in so short a time being fully provided when the ship left them, in addition to their share of the corn which was got by trade, besides much that they got by one means or another from the Indians where they lived. It must needs have been their lack of order, spending excessively whilst they had it, and may be wasting part among the Indians—for the chief man amongst them was said to keep Indian women, how truly I know not. Then, when they began to want many sold their clothes and bed-coverings; others,—so depraved were they,—became servants to the Indians, cutting them wood and fetching them water for a capfull of corn; others fell to plain stealing from the Indians of which they complained grievously. In the end some starved and died with cold and hunger; one in gathering shell-fish was so weak he stuck fast in the mud, and was found dead in the place; at last most of them left their dwellings, and scattered up and down in the woods and by the water-side, a few here and a few there, wherever they could find ground-nuts and clams. The Indians scorned them for such conduct, and began to insult them in a most insolent manner. Often, while they were cooking a pot of ground-nuts or shell-fish, when it was ready, the Indians would come and eat it up; and at night they would come and steal the blankets from such few as had them, and let them lie in the cold. Their condition was very lamentable, and in the end, in order to satisfy the Indians, they were obliged to hang one of their men whom they could not keep from stealing. While things went on thus, the Governor and the people here had notice that their friend Massasoyt was sick, and near to death. They visited him, and took whatever they could to relieve him; and he recovered. He then discovered a conspiracy amongst the Indians of Massachusetts, and other neighbouring tribes with whom they had conspired, to wipe out Mr. Weston’s people, in revenge for the continual injuries they did them, taking opportunity of their weakness to do it. And believing that the people at New Plymouth would avenge their death, they decided to do the same by them, and had solicited Massasoyt to join them. He advised the New Plymouth settlement to prevent it, by speedily capturing some of the chief of the conspirators before it was too late, for he assured them of the truth of it.