Some Three Hundred Years AgoBrewster, Edith Gilman
History
Some Three Hundred Years Ago
Brewster, Edith Gilman
New Hampshire -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Juvenile literature
The day's excitement was not over, for that night David Thompson led into
camp Captain Miles Standish of the Plymouth colony. He had a hard story
to tell of the starving condition of his people. They had compared
themselves with the Israelites during the famine of Egypt, yet the
Hebrews had their flocks and herds left to them. "However," continued the
captain, "the Lord has been good to give us the abundant fish of the sea
and the spring water, which is all we have, save a few dried peas." He
then added that Governor Bradford had urged him to go even as far as
Piscataqua to search for food.
"And little could we have offered him," spoke up the cook, "if the old
lynx and his friends had had a night in our store-house!"
Much was then given from the ample supply of the settlement, and Captain
Standish returned to Plymouth well repaid for his journey.
DANGER FOR THE COLONISTS.
Five years had passed since Roger Low and his father had come to America
to help establish the Mason Manor. Although David Thompson, the leader,
had found an island in Massachusetts Bay more to his liking, still enough
settlers remained at Piscataqua to make the Lower Plantation one of
importance. Edward Hilton yet held what was called the Upper Plantation
at Dover.
One morning, early in the summer of 1628, the Mason settlers were
disturbed to find that John, the cook, had disappeared. Whether the days
had become too monotonous for him and he had gone in search of adventure,
or had been lost by wandering too far into the woods, no one knew.
Finally Nonowit, who had become fond of Roger and had spent much time in
teaching him the ways of the woods, was sent with the boy in search of
the lost cook.
The two started in the direction of the Upper Plantation. Not far from
the Hilton Settlement, the sound of a shot in the woods brought them to a
standstill and then to the ground, where they hid in the underbrush.
Through the clearing they saw a deer fall. They waited breathlessly,
expecting next to see the bulky form of John shoulder his game. To their
surprise, a Tarateen Indian glided over the ground to the fallen deer. As
he was an enemy, Nonowit and Roger remained in hiding until they could
safely continue their journey. They then carried to the plantation not
only news of a lost man, but also the astonishing word that Indians were
using guns in the woods.
Such a thing was unheard of. It was against the law of the settlers to
trade firearms or ammunition with the Indians. How it had been done, or
by whom, was a matter that must be looked into at once. The people of the
Upper Plantation had seen nothing of the cook, though that was of small
moment now.
Edward Hilton felt it was of utmost importance to return at once with
Roger and Nonowit to the Lower Plantation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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