Captives among the Indians : $b first-hand narratives of Indian wars, customs, tortures, and habits of life in colonial timesRowlandson, Mary White
History
Captives among the Indians : $b first-hand narratives of Indian wars, customs, tortures, and habits of life in colonial times
Rowlandson, Mary White
Indian captivities -- Northeastern States
Hearing that my son was come to this place, I went to see him, and told
him his father was well, but very melancholy. He told me he was as much
grieved for his father as for himself. I wondered at his speech, for I
thought I had enough upon my spirit, in reference to myself, to make me
mindless of my husband and every one else, they being safe among their
friends. He told me also, that a while before, his master, together
with other Indians, were going to the French for powder; but by the way
the Mohawks met with them, and killed four of their company, which made
the rest turn back again. For which I desire that myself and he may
ever bless the Lord; for it might have been worse with him had he been
sold to the French, than it proved to be in his remaining with the
Indians.
I asked his master to let him stay awhile with me, that I might comb
his head and look over him, for he was almost overcome with lice. He
told me when I had done that he was very hungry, but I had nothing to
relieve him, but bid him go into the wigwams as he went along, and see
if he could get anything among them; which he did, and, it seems,
tarried a little too long, for his master was angry with him, and beat
him, and then sold him. Then he came running to tell me he had a new
master, and that he had given him some ground-nuts already. Then I went
along with him to his new master, who told me he loved him, and he
should not want. So his master carried him away, and I never saw him
afterwards till I saw him at Piscataqua, in Portsmouth.
That night they bid me go out of the wigwam again; my mistress's
papoose was sick, and it died that night; and there was one benefit in
it, that there was more room. I went to a wigwam and they bid me come
in, and gave me a skin to lie upon, and a mess of venison and
ground-nuts, which was a choice dish among them. On the morrow they
buried the papoose; and afterwards, both morning and evening, there
came a company to mourn and howl with her; though I confess I could not
much condole with them.
THE FOURTEENTH REMOVE.--Now must we pack up and be gone from this
thicket, bending our course towards the Bay towns; I having nothing to
eat by the way this day but a few crumbs of cake that an Indian gave my
girl the same day we were taken. She gave it me, and I put it in my
pocket. There it lay till it was so mouldy, for want of good baking,
that one could not tell what it was made of. It fell all into crumbs,
and grew so dry and hard that it was like little flints; and this
refreshed me many times when I was ready to faint. It was in my
thoughts when I put it to my mouth that, if ever I returned, I would
tell the world what a blessing the Lord gave to such mean food.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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