To let you know something about our affairs. The Pequots have sent to us desiring our friendship, and offering much wampum and beaver, etc. The first messengers were dismissed without answer; with the next we had several days’ conference, and taking the advice of some of our ministers, and seeking the Lord in it, we concluded a peace and friendship with them, on these conditions: that they should deliver to us the men who were guilty of Stone’s death.... If we desired to settle in Connecticut they should give up their right to us, and we should trade with them as friends,—the chief thing aimed at. To this they readily agreed; and begged that we should mediate a peace between them and the Narragansetts, for which purpose they were willing that we should give the Narragansetts part of the present they would bestow on us,—for they stood so much on their honour that they would not be seen to give anything of themselves. As for Captain Stone, they told us there were but two left who had a hand in his death and that they killed him in a just quarrel, for he surprised two of their men, and bound them, and forced them to show him the way up the river. He went ashore with two others, nine Indians secretly watching him; and when they were asleep that night they killed him and the others, to free their own men; and some of them going afterwards to the pinnace, it was suddenly blown up. We are now preparing to send a pinnace to them. In another of his he writes thus: Our pinnace has lately returned from the Pequots; they did little trade, and found them a very false tribe, so they mean to have no more to do with them. I have many other things to write you. Yours ever assured. JOHN WINTHROP. _Boston, 12th of the first month, 1634._