Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Pequot War of 1637
Chapter 2: John Winthrop and the Official Thanksgiving Declaration (1637)
Chapter 3: The Thanksgiving Feast of 1621
Chapter 4: Squanto: The Last of the Patuxet
Chapter 5: The Kidnapping of Squanto (1621)
Chapter 6: Captain Shrimp and the Wessagusset Massacre
Chapter 5:
The
Kidnapping of Squanto
August
14, 1621
Nemasket
Middleborough, Massachusetts
Aspinet: “The Narragansetts have abducted your Indian ally Chief of
the Wampanoags, Massasoit.”
Myles Standish: “That means we're at war with the Narragansett. You
couldn't have told me any worse news than that.”
Hobbamock, a stout Indian interpreter, comes rushes in the door,
tired, and out of breath.
Hobbamock: “Guess what? They got Squanto!”
Standish: “Well, that's worse. Now wait a second... What? Why?”
Hobbamock: “I just ran over 20 miles, at least. Squanto and I were
just in Nemasket, going to talk to Corbitant, when they jumped us.
The last I saw of Squanto, Corbitant had a knife to his throat, and
was threatening to kill him. He said if he killed Squanto, then the
English would lose their tongue!”
Myles Standish: “Well, we still got a tongue since you ran away...
Well then. We don't have a choice. Now we ride. Come on men, let's
get loaded up, we're moving out!”
Hobbamock: “They've got Massasoit, and Corbitant was trying to get
Massasoit's people to come join him in his tribe.”
A petty soldier: “Where are we going?”
Standish:
“Nemasket. We're going to get Chief Corbitant, sagamore of
the Mattapoinset and Pocasset. Dead
or Alive.”
Myles Standish finds 10 volunteers to go with him, to get Corbitant.
He warned that they may have to shoot some people. Myles and
Hobbamock were going to go into the wigwam, and the other 8 were
ordered to stand guard outside, and to shoot anything or anybody that
looked suspicious.
Hobbamock was to lead them to Corbitant's wigwam around
midnight. Once Standish had positioned them around the dwelling, he
and Hobbamock would charge inside and take Corbitant.
The men were instructed to shoot any Indians who attempted to escape.
In the dark, Hobbamock directed them to the big wigwam of Corbitant's
at Nemasket that had a considerable number of men, women, and
children inside, sleeping on the low platforms built along the
interior walls. The central fire had dwindled to a few embers left.
The rain on the wigwam's reed mats masked the sounds of the Pilgrims
taking their positions.
Standish burst in, shouting Corbitant's name. It was very dark inside
and with Hobbamock acting as his interpreter, the Pilgrim Captain
demanded to know where Corbitant was. The people inside were too
terrified to speak.
Some leaped off their sleeping platforms and tried to force their way
through the walls of the wigwam. Soon the guards outside were
shooting off their muskets as the people inside screamed and wept.
3 of the runners were shot, and they fell to the ground.
Several women clung to Hobbamock, calling him friend. What had been
intended as a bold strike against the enemy was threatening to become
a chaotic mess.
One woman spoke: “Corbitant had been at Nemasket, but nobody knows where he's at now.”
Hobbamock pulled himself up through the wigwam's smoke hole and
balancing himself on the roof, called out for Squanto, and
Squanto came out, alive and unscathed.
Squanto reports Corbitant's
whereabouts: “You all just missed him. Corbitant escaped into the
woods toward his own country at Mattapoinset."
Standish: “I have a message to the residents of Nemasket that even
though Corbitant has escaped us, there will no safe place for him
anymore. The English are looking for him.”
Hobbamock (to Squanto, in Algonquin):
“I can't believe they kidnapped Massasoit. That's their own chief!”
Squanto (also in Algonquin): “Yeah.
Sachem Corbitant is the sagamore of the Mattapoinset and Pocasset
Tribes... That's Wampanoag all right... that's Massasoit's men. I
don't think Massasoit was kidnapped. I think this was ordered by him.
Hobbamock: Or they were just testing
us.
Squanto: “And they gambled and lost.”
Hobbamock: “Wow. Who knew? You
shouldn't have quarreled with Massasoit.”
Squanto: “Sachem Massasoit and I did
have our disagreement, but I thought we buried that hatchet awhile
back.”
Hobbamock: “It was Chief Massasoit,
all along... Wow. Hey Squanto, it looks like that plague is coming
after you.”
xxx
A
Treaty of Peace
September
13, 1621
Narrator: “The
show of force earned the English some newfound respect. Several
sachems sent their “congratulations” to Gov Bradford. Epenow, the
Martha's Vineyard sachem who had attacked Thomas Dermer, made
overtures of friendship. Even Corbitant let it be known that he now
wanted to make peace. By this time, Massasoit was back in Sowams, and
with the Pilgrims haven proven themselves to be loyal supporters, a
much firmer peace existed throughout the region. On September 13, 9
Sachems, including Corbitant, Epenow, Massasoit's brother Quadequina,
and Canacum, the sachem who had sent John Billington Jr. to the
Nausets—journeyed to Plimouth to sign a new treaty. About this
time, Bradford determined that an expedition should be sent north to
the land of Massachusetts. On September 13, 1621, nine sachems,
including Corbitant, came to Plymouth to sign a treaty of loyalty to
King James.”
[in background, show 9 sachems signing
a document in Plimouth, with some Pilgrims around]
xXx
The Pilgrim's First
Christmas
December 25, 1621
The “rowdier” bunch of the Fortune
would rather play sports (unique sports) on December 25 instead of
doing their Puritan work, as they were supposed to do.
Bradford recorded that on the morning
of the 25th, he had called everyone out to work, but some men from
the newly arrived ship "Fortune" told him it was against
their conscience to work on Christmas.
Bradley: I will spare you until you are
better informed. But when he returned at noon, he found them playing
games in the street. His response, as noted in his writings, was: "If
they made the keeping of it a matter of devotion, let them keep it in
their houses, but there should be no gaming or reveling in the
streets."
Bradford observes some of the Pilgrims
playing sports with each other.
William Bradford:
“You must be from the ship Fortune.”
Pilgrim 1: “Yes
sir. How did you know?”
Bradford: “Well,
you probably don't know this, since the Adventurers who sent you here
didn't inform you, but we have a law against Christmas here in New
England, and when you come to live on my land, under my protection,
you'll abide by our laws.”
Pilgrim
1: “Look sir, I'm just like you. I want to live and survive just
like you, and I believe in the value of hard work, but you see, we
both believe in Jesus Christ being our Lord and Savior, and just
because you do not believe that today is his birthday, my conscience.
And my conscience won't allow me to make a mockery of Jesus's
birthday! It's Christmas man.”
Bradford: “Ah... bah humbug! Jesus
wasn't born on this day. Plus, it's illegal. Today is no more special
than any other day and what we Puritans know how to do best, we work!
We work hard! I'll forgive you that you aren't more enlightened, but
I can't force you to go against your conscience, so just go inside,
so as the others don't see that I've given you your day off.”
Pilgrim 1: “Thanks for being so
understanding, my liege.”
Bradford: “Ah... the end days are
nigh. Revelations is upon us. Here I am Lord! I am ready for your
second coming! I am ready for your rapture to come save me from this
dreadful life!”
Squanto Dies
November 30, 1622
Bradford: “Well that was a great
feast the Massachusetts had for us.”
Squanto: “I never ate so much. The
food and drink was so much. So much fun.”
Bradford: “Our trade went smoothly.
They were very warm and hospitable. It almost seems too good to be
true. It was almost like they were preparing for us a Last Supper.”
Then Squanto started coughing, and
blood gushed out of his nose.
Bradford: “Those sons of Devils
poisoned you!”
Squanto: “Please Governor, pray for
me, so that I may get to go to the Englishmen's God in heaven.”
Squanto started twitching, and then he
was dead.
Bradford: “NO! Not my Squanto! Not my
Squanto! Squanto was your special instrument oh Lord, that you sent
to us, for us English to survive... why would you take away such a
valuable man away from us oh Lord... from me! Oh Lord! Oh Squanto!
You will pay for this Chickatawbut! You will pay for this!” (shakes
fist angrily in the sky)
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