No man of that day was better fitted to undertake such a task as the writing of the Indian Key than Roger Williams, for no man had lived so intimately with the New England Indians. The quaint book is to-day considered very valuable and very precious among book-lovers. Of course most of the history concerns the Narragansetts particularly, but Roger Williams also made use of the knowledge he had gained from other tribes. Suppose we take a few peeps into this fascinating old volume, for nowhere can we find a better picture of the author’s “barbarians.” We notice, first, that it is made up something like a dictionary. On the left side of each page are the Indian words and phrases and, on the right, their meaning in English. But what a difficult dictionary! Think of mastering such mouth-filling words as “Muckquachuckquêmese” or “Maumashinnaunamaùta.” Only the patience of a Roger Williams could ever have discovered that such enigmas meant “a little boy” and “Let us make a good fire.” It is interesting to know that the very first phrase in the book is the familiar “What cheer, Netop?” or the first greeting that reached Roger Williams’ ears in the land of the Narragansetts. Besides explaining the commoner expressions of the Indians, the author includes notes about their life and habits. At the close of each chapter are a few lines of simple, crude verse that sounds for all the world like the pointed sermons with which good old-fashioned stories used to end. As to the religion of the Indians, Roger Williams tells his readers that he has been given the names of thirty-seven different gods which they solemnly worship. Among these, Cautantouwit, the great god of the southwest, was a general favorite. From his field came their corn and beans and it is to his abode their souls will go at death, provided they have lived good lives. All murderers, thieves and liars, on the other hand, must wander restlessly abroad. Besides Cautantouwit, many other gods are mentioned, such as the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern Gods, the House God, the Woman’s God, the Children’s God, the Sun and the Moon Gods, and the Fire God. “The Indians find the sun so sweet, He is a god, they say; Giving them light and heat and fruit, And guidance all the day. “They have no help of clock or watch, And sun they overprize. Having those artificial helps, the sun We unthankfully despise.” The superstitions of the Indians were many and curious, as is seen by the following: Though crows frequently stole their corn, yet scarcely one native in a hundred would put them to death. Why? Because they firmly believed that the crow first brought them a grain of Indian corn in one ear and an Indian bean in the other from Cautantouwit’s field. Another superstition was their childlike faith in the power of their priests and conjurers to work cures. To Roger Williams’ way of thinking, these “wise men” did nothing but “howl and roar” over them.