This treaty was held inviolate during the life of Massasoit and thereafter until the outbreak of the King Philip War in 1675. Precautionary measures were taken however to protect the settlement, and in 1622 a fort was erected on Burial Hill. This was supplemented by a watch tower in 1643. During the King Philip War a larger fort was erected on the same site. Fortunately the Plymouth colony escaped Indian attack although in 1676 a small community to the south near Eel River was attacked and eleven settlers killed. It is hard to realize in these days of material comforts, not to speak of luxuries, the hardships of our forebears. It was a case of work for survival. And there must have been work for by December, 1621, “seven dwelling houses and four for the use of the plantation” had been erected. The harvest of 1621 had been successful and a season of Thanksgiving had been observed, wherein some of the friendly Indians had participated, this being the origin of our present Thanksgiving Day. Nevertheless their existence was fraught with uncertainties. Their stocks of provisions were soon depleted and the problem of food supply became one of increasing concern. The very life of the colony depended upon the success of their crops. Corn had become increasingly valuable, not only as an article of food but as a medium of exchange, the colonists having little or no money. Up to 1623 they worked together on company land, sharing the fruits of their combined labor. This year owing to the shortage of crops “they begane to think how they might raise as much corne as they could and abtaine a better crope than they had done that they might not still thus languish in miserie.” LAND DIVIDED And so “to every family was assigned a parcell of land according to the proportion of their number for that end (but made no provision for inheritance) and ranged all boys & youths under some family. This had very good success for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corne was planted then other waise would have bene by any means the Governor or any other could use.” This was followed the next season by a division of land wherein “to every person was given only one acre, to them and theirs, as near the towne as might be, and they had no more till the seven years were expired.” Note: This was in accordance, at least in spirit, with the imposed provisions of their contract with the English company of Merchant Adventurers who had financed their expedition. A further division of land, following a division of livestock, was made in 1627, wherein “every person or share should have 20 acres of land divided unto them, besides the single acres they had already.” (sic). —Quotations from Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation THEY CARRY ON