Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
of horse flesh. Afterwards he asked me to make a cap for his boy, for
which he invited me to dinner. I went, and he gave me a pancake, about
as big as two fingers. It was made of parched wheat, beaten, and fried
in bear's grease, but I thought I never tasted pleasanter meat in my
life. There was a squaw who spake to me to make a shirt for her sannup,
for which she gave me a piece of bear. Another asked me to knit a pair
of stockings, for which she gave me a quart of peas. I boiled my peas
and bear together, and invited my master and mistress to dinner; but the
proud gossip, because I served them both in one dish, would eat nothing,
except one bit that he gave her upon the point of his knife. Hearing
that my son was come to this place, I went to see him, and found him
lying flat upon the ground. I asked him how he could sleep so? He
answered me that he was not asleep, but at prayer; and lay so, that they
might not observe what he was doing. I pray God he may remember these
things now he is returned in safety. At this place (the sun now getting
higher) what with the beams and heat of the sun, and the smoke of the
wigwams, I thought I should have been blind. I could scarce discern one
wigwam from another. There was here one Mary Thurston of Medfield, who
seeing how it was with me, lent me a hat to wear; but as soon as I was
gone, the squaw (who owned that Mary Thurston) came running after me,
and got it away again. Here was the squaw that gave me one spoonful
of meal. I put it in my pocket to keep it safe. Yet notwithstanding,
somebody stole it, but put five Indian corns in the room of it; which
corns were the greatest provisions I had in my travel for one day.
The Indians returning from Northampton, brought with them some horses,
and sheep, and other things which they had taken; I desired them that
they would carry me to Albany upon one of those horses, and sell me for
powder: for so they had sometimes discoursed. I was utterly hopeless of
getting home on foot, the way that I came. I could hardly bear to think
of the many weary steps I had taken, to come to this place.
THE NINTH REMOVE
But instead of going either to Albany or homeward, we must go five miles
up the river, and then go over it. Here we abode a while. Here lived a
sorry Indian, who spoke to me to make him a shirt. When I had done it,
he would pay me nothing. But he living by the riverside, where I often
went to fetch water, I would often be putting of him in mind, and
calling for my pay: At last he told me if I would make another shirt,
for a papoose not yet born, he would give me a knife, which he did when
I had done it. I carried the knife in, and my master asked me to give
it him, and I was not a little glad that I had anything that they would
accept of, and be pleased with. When we were at this place, my master's
maid came home; she had been gone three weeks into the Narragansett
country to fetch corn, where they had stored up some in the ground. She
brought home about a peck and half of corn. This was about the time that
their great captain, Naananto, was killed in the Narragansett country.
My son being now about a mile from me, I asked liberty to go and
see him; they bade me go, and away I went; but quickly lost myself,
traveling over hills and through swamps, and could not find the way to
him. And I cannot but admire at the wonderful power and goodness of God
to me, in that, though I was gone from home, and met with all sorts of
Indians, and those I had no knowledge of, and there being no Christian
soul near me; yet not one of them offered the least imaginable
miscarriage to me. I turned homeward again, and met with my master. He
showed me the way to my son. When I came to him I found him not well:
and withall he had a boil on his side, which much troubled him. We
bemoaned one another a while, as the Lord helped us, and then I returned
again. When I was returned, I found myself as unsatisfied as I was
before. I went up and down mourning and lamenting; and my spirit was
ready to sink with the thoughts of my poor children. My son was ill, and
I could not but think of his mournful looks, and no Christian friend was
near him, to do any office of love for him, either for soul or body.
And my poor girl, I knew not where she was, nor whether she was sick, or
well, or alive, or dead. I repaired under these thoughts to my Bible (my
great comfort in that time) and that Scripture came to my hand, "Cast
thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Psalm 55.22).
But I was fain to go and look after something to satisfy my hunger, and
going among the wigwams, I went into one and there found a squaw who
showed herself very kind to me, and gave me a piece of bear. I put it
into my pocket, and came home, but could not find an opportunity to
broil it, for fear they would get it from me, and there it lay all that
day and night in my stinking pocket. In the morning I went to the same
squaw, who had a kettle of ground nuts boiling. I asked her to let me
boil my piece of bear in her kettle, which she did, and gave me some
ground nuts to eat with it: and I cannot but think how pleasant it
was to me. I have sometime seen bear baked very handsomely among the
English, and some like it, but the thought that it was bear made me
tremble. But now that was savory to me that one would think was enough
to turn the stomach of a brute creature.
One bitter cold day I could find no room to sit down before the fire.
I went out, and could not tell what to do, but I went in to another
wigwam, where they were also sitting round the fire, but the squaw laid
a skin for me, and bid me sit down, and gave me some ground nuts, and
bade me come again; and told me they would buy me, if they were able,
and yet these were strangers to me that I never saw before.
THE TENTH REMOVE
That day a small part of the company removed about three-quarters of a
mile, intending further the next day. When they came to the place where
they intended to lodge, and had pitched their wigwams, being hungry, I
went again back to the place we were before at, to get something to eat,
being encouraged by the squaw's kindness, who bade me come again. When I
was there, there came an Indian to look after me, who when he had found
me, kicked me all along. I went home and found venison roasting that
night, but they would not give me one bit of it. Sometimes I met with
favor, and sometimes with nothing but frowns.
THE ELEVENTH REMOVE
The next day in the morning they took their travel, intending a day's
journey up the river. I took my load at my back, and quickly we came to
wade over the river; and passed over tiresome and wearisome hills. One
hill was so steep that I was fain to creep up upon my knees, and to hold
by the twigs and bushes to keep myself from falling backward. My head
also was so light that I usually reeled as I went; but I hope all these
wearisome steps that I have taken, are but a forewarning to me of the
heavenly rest: "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that
thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Psalm 119.75).
THE TWELFTH REMOVE
It was upon a Sabbath-day-morning, that they prepared for their travel.
This morning I asked my master whether he would sell me to my husband.
He answered me "Nux," which did much rejoice my spirit. My mistress,
before we went, was gone to the burial of a papoose, and returning, she
found me sitting and reading in my Bible; she snatched it hastily out of
my hand, and threw it out of doors. I ran out and catched it up, and put
it into my pocket, and never let her see it afterward. Then they packed
up their things to be gone, and gave me my load. I complained it was
too heavy, whereupon she gave me a slap in the face, and bade me go; I
lifted up my heart to God, hoping the redemption was not far off; and
the rather because their insolency grew worse and worse.
But the thoughts of my going homeward (for so we bent our course) much
cheered my spirit, and made my burden seem light, and almost nothing
at all. But (to my amazement and great perplexity) the scale was soon
turned; for when we had gone a little way, on a sudden my mistress gives
out; she would go no further, but turn back again, and said I must go
back again with her, and she called her sannup, and would have had him
gone back also, but he would not, but said he would go on, and come
to us again in three days. My spirit was, upon this, I confess, very
impatient, and almost outrageous. I thought I could as well have died as
went back; I cannot declare the trouble that I was in about it; but yet
back again I must go. As soon as I had the opportunity, I took my Bible
to read, and that quieting Scripture came to my hand, "Be still, and
know that I am God" (Psalm 46.10). Which stilled my spirit for the
present. But a sore time of trial, I concluded, I had to go through,
my master being gone, who seemed to me the best friend that I had of an
Indian, both in cold and hunger, and quickly so it proved. Down I sat,
with my heart as full as it could hold, and yet so hungry that I could
not sit neither; but going out to see what I could find, and walking
among the trees, I found six acorns, and two chestnuts, which were
some refreshment to me. Towards night I gathered some sticks for my own
comfort, that I might not lie a-cold; but when we came to lie down they
bade me to go out, and lie somewhere else, for they had company (they
said) come in more than their own. I told them, I could not tell where
to go, they bade me go look; I told them, if I went to another wigwam
they would be angry, and send me home again. Then one of the company
drew his sword, and told me he would run me through if I did not go
presently. Then was I fain to stoop to this rude fellow, and to go
out in the night, I knew not whither. Mine eyes have seen that fellow
afterwards walking up and down Boston, under the appearance of a Friend
Indian, and several others of the like cut. I went to one wigwam, and
they told me they had no room. Then I went to another, and they said the
same; at last an old Indian bade me to come to him, and his squaw gave
me some ground nuts; she gave me also something to lay under my head,
and a good fire we had; and through the good providence of God, I had a
comfortable lodging that night. In the morning, another Indian bade me
come at night, and he would give me six ground nuts, which I did. We
were at this place and time about two miles from [the] Connecticut
river. We went in the morning to gather ground nuts, to the river, and
went back again that night. I went with a good load at my back (for they
when they went, though but a little way, would carry all their trumpery
with them). I told them the skin was off my back, but I had no other
comforting answer from them than this: that it would be no matter if my
head were off too.
THE THIRTEENTH REMOVE
Instead of going toward the Bay, which was that I desired, I must go
with them five or six miles down the river into a mighty thicket of
brush; where we abode almost a fortnight. Here one asked me to make a
shirt for her papoose, for which she gave me a mess of broth, which
was thickened with meal made of the bark of a tree, and to make it the
better, she had put into it about a handful of peas, and a few roasted
ground nuts. I had not seen my son a pretty while, and here was an
Indian of whom I made inquiry after him, and asked him when he saw him.
He answered me that such a time his master roasted him, and that himself
did eat a piece of him, as big as his two fingers, and that he was very
good meat. But the Lord upheld my Spirit, under this discouragement; and
I considered their horrible addictedness to lying, and that there is