[688] _Ibid._, ii, 364. Palfrey, _History of New England_, ii, p. 30, points out that the expression in the Massachusetts Body of Liberties, “willingly sell themselves,” related to such as contracted to labor for a term of years, though in some cases, such term might have been for life. The engagement, whatever its duration, would be subject to transference to a third party, in which case the original contractor would be “sold.” [689] _Acts and Resolves_, iv, p. 641. [690] Arnold, _History of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations_, ii, p. 101; _Rhode Island Historical Society Collections_, vii, p. 232. [691] _Early Records of the Town of Providence_, xvi, p. 244. Weeden, _Early Rhode Island_, p. 173, mentions such slaves in 1750. [692] _New York Colonial Documents_, v, p. 433. [693] _Ibid._, vi, p. 546. [694] _New York Colonial Documents_, vi, p. 546. [695] List given in Ross, _History of Long Island_, i, p. 125. [696] Rivers, _Topics in the History of South Carolina_, p. 51. [697] _Ibid._, p. 51. It will be noted that in both the South Carolina cases cited, the sentence of transportation and slavery was passed before the Indians concerned were proved guilty of the charges against them. [698] Winthrop, _Journal_, Savage edition, i, p. 233 (editor’s note); Hildreth, _A History of the United States from the Discovery of the Continent_, etc., i, p. 239. [699] Hening, _op. cit._, ii, p. 15. [700] Hening, _op. cit._, iv, p. 104; _Historical Documents from the Old Dominion_, No. 3, p. 258. The governor and council, without a jury, were to act as a court for the trial of such offenders. [701] Shurtleff, _Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England_, i, p. 329. [702] Freeman, _The History of Cape Cod_, ii, p. 72; Thacher, _History of the Town of Plymouth_, p. 149. [703] _Calendar of State Papers_, colonial series, ix, p. 307; Cook, _Drummond Island_, p. 70. To retain their services for a time longer than that specified in the sentence of the court, the whites were accustomed on the ninth day to furnish the Indians with rum and get them drunk so that they must remain ten days longer. The practice was so long continued that at one time there was several hundreds of Indians on the island, “many whereof had been by the practices aforesaid kept about three months.” [704] _Plymouth Colony Records_, vi, p. 104. [705] _Manuscript Council Records of Massachusetts_, ii, p. 40; _Laws of New Hampshire, Provincial Period_, i, p. 116. [706] _Manuscript Council Records of Massachusetts_, ii, p. 310. [707] Freeman, _The History of Cape Cod_, i, p. 714. [708] _Sewall’s Diary_, in _Massachusetts Historical Society Collections_, series 5, vi, p. 143. [709] _Manuscript Council Records of Massachusetts_, viii, No. 169. [710] _Ibid._, ccxxxii, No. 1.