Great Epochs in American History, Volume 2: The Planting of the First Colonies: 1562—1733
History
Great Epochs in American History, Volume 2: The Planting of the First Colonies: 1562—1733
United States -- History
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 about midnight
they heard a hideous & great crie, and their sentinall 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, others said they would be the
readier, for they had laped them up in their coats from y^e dew.
But some 3. or 4. would not cary theirs till they wente them selves,
yet as it fell out, y^e water being not high enough, they layed them
downe on y^e banke side, & came up to breakfast. But presently, all on
y^e sudain, they heard a great & strange crie, which they knew to be
the same voyces they heard in y^e night, though they varied their
notes, and & one of their company being abroad came runing in, &
cried, "Men, Indeans, Indeans"; and wth all, their arowes came flying
amongst them. Their men rane with all speed to recover their armes, as
by y^e good providence of God they did. In y^e mean time, of those
that were ther ready, two muskets were discharged at them, & 2. more
stood ready in y^e entrance of ther randevoue, but were comanded not
to shoote till they could take full aime at them; & y^e other 2.
charged againe with all speed, for ther were only 4. had armes ther, &
defended y^e baricado which was first assalted. The crie of y^e
Indeans was dreadfull, espetially when they saw ther men rune out of
y^e randevoue towourds y^e shallop, to recover their armes, the
Indeans wheeling aboute upon them. But some runing out with coats of
malle on, & cutlasses in their hands, they soone got their armes, &
let flye amongst them, and quickly stopped their violence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account