Edited by Brooke Brice
It was their usual manner to remove, when they had done any mischief, lest they should be found out; and so they did at this time. We went about three or four miles, and there they built a great wigwam1, big enough to hold an hundred Indians, which they did in preparation to a great day of dancing. They would say now amongst themselves, that the governor would be so angry for his loss at Sudbury,2 that he would send no more about the captives, which made me grieve and tremble. My sister being not far from the place where we now were, and hearing that I was here, desired her master to let her come and see me, and he was willing to it, and would go with her; but she being ready before him, told him she would go before, and was come within a mile or two of the place. Then he overtook her, and began to rant as if he had been mad, and made her go back again in the rain; so that I never saw her till I saw her in Charlestown3. But the Lord requited many of their ill doings, for this Indian her master, was hanged afterward at Boston. The Indians now began to come from all quarters, against their merry dancing day. Among some of them came one Goodwife Kettle4. I told her my heart was so heavy that it was ready to break. “So is mine too,” said she, but yet said, “I hope we shall hear some good news shortly.” I could hear how earnestly my sister desired to see me, and I as earnestly desired to see her; and yet neither of us could get an opportunity. My daughter was also now about a mile off, and I had not seen her in nine or ten weeks, as I had not seen my sister since our first taking. I earnestly desired them to let me go and see them: yea, I entreated, begged, and persuaded them, but to let me see my daughter; and yet so hard-hearted were they, that they would not suffer it. They made use of their tyrannical power whilst they had it; but through the Lord’s wonderful mercy, their time was now but short.
On a Sabbath day 5, the sun being about an hour high in the afternoon, came Mr. John Hoar 6 (the council permitting him, and his own foreward spirit inclining him), together with the two forementioned Indians, Tom and Peter7, with their third letter from the council. When they came near, I was abroad. Though I saw them not, they presently called me in, and bade me sit down and not stir. Then they catched up their guns8, and away they ran, as if an enemy had been at hand, and the guns went off apace. I manifested some great trouble, and they asked me what was the matter? I told them I thought they had killed the Englishman (for they had in the meantime informed me that an Englishman was come). They said, no. They shot over his horse and under and before his horse, and they pushed him this way and that way, at their pleasure, showing what they could do. Then they let them come to their wigwams. I begged of them to let me see the Englishman, but they would not. But there was I fain to sit their pleasure. When they had talked their fill with him, they suffered me to go to him. We asked each other of our welfare, and how my husband did, and all my friends? He told me they were all well, and would be glad to see me. Amongst other things which my husband sent me, there came a pound of tobacco9, which I sold for nine shillings10 in money; for many of the Indians for want of Tobacco11, smoked Hemlock, and Ground Ivy. It was a great mistake in any, who thought I sent for Tobacco; for through the favor of God, that desire was overcome12 I now asked them whether I should go home with Mr. Hoar? They answered No, one and another of them, and it being night, we lay down with that answer. In the morning Mr. Hoar invited the Sagamores13 to dinner; but when we went to get it ready we found that they had stolen the greatest part of the provision Mr. Hoar had brought, out of his bags, in the night. And we may see the wonderful power of God, in that one passage, in that when there was such a great number of the Indians together, and so greedy of a little good food, and no English there but Mr. Hoar and myself, that there they did not knock us in the head, and take what we had, there being not only some provision, but also trading-cloth, a part of the twenty pounds agreed upon. But instead of doing us any mischief, they seemed to be ashamed of the fact, and said, it were some Matchit Indian14 that did it. Oh, that we could believe that there is nothing too hard for God! God showed His power over the heathen in this, as He did over the hungry lions when Daniel was cast into the den. Mr. Hoar called them betime to dinner, but they ate very little, they being so busy in dressing themselves, and getting ready for their dance, which was carried on by eight of them, four Men and four Squaws15. My master and mistress being two. He was dressed in his holland shirt, with great laces sewed at the tail of it; he had his silver buttons, his white stockings, his garters were hung round with shillings, and he had girdles of Wampum16 upon his head and shoulders. She had a kersey coat, and covered with girdles of Wampum from the loins upward. Her arms from her elbows to her hands were covered with bracelets; there were handfuls of necklaces about her neck, and several sorts of jewels in her ears. She had fine red stockings, and white shoes, her hair powdered and face painted17 red, that was always before black. And all the dancers were after the same manner. There were two others singing and knocking on a kettle for their music. They kept hopping up and down one after another, with a kettle of water in the midst, standing warm upon some embers, to drink of when they were dry. They held on till it was almost night, throwing out Wampum to the standers by.
Thanks to Project Gutenberg for providing the digitized version of this text free of charge. Without their generosity, this project would not be possible.
Wigwams are defined by the Oxford Dictionary to be “An [Indigenous] cabin or hut, usually of a conical form, and made of a framework of poles covered with hides, bark, or mats”. Note that the Oxford Dictionary chooses to use the term “Indian” in their definition, but the editor of this edition changed the wording for the sake of accuracy and respect for the Indigenous peoples. ↩
This website gives a detailed history of the entirety of King Philip’s War for context. It also highlights the defeat of the English at Sudbury, which Rowlandson speaks about here. ↩
This link takes the viewer to a pictorial history of Charlestown. The website showcases an accurate map of Charlestown from 1706, and offers insight into the city’s history during the 15th and 16th century. ↩
Goodwife Kettle was another captive taken from Lancaster, and a friend of Rowlandson’s. ↩
Rowlandson mentions Sabbath Day multiple times during her narrative. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines this day as “Sunday observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship”. ↩
This link takes the viewer to John Hoar’s Wikipedia page, which offers a good insight into his history and the role he played in Rowlandson’s freedom. ↩
Tom and Peter are known as “praying Indians” in Rowlandson’s account. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines this term as “a member of an indigenous North American people converted to Christianity by English colonial settlers.” For more information on this term and its use in Rowlandson’s time, the link escorts the viewer to a Wikipedia page on the subject. ↩
It is unclear in Rowlandson’s account–and many accounts of this era–exactly what type of gun people would have owned and used in this scenario. Attached here is a link that relocates the viewer to Harold Leslie Peterson’s book, “Arms and Armor in Colonial America,” where Peterson discusses the history of guns and weaponry in this period. Pages 12 to 49 are especially relevant to this passage. ↩
Tobacco was a hard plant to grow in this period, and thus it was hard to obtain. Due to its rarity, the value of tobacco was high, making it a good trade item. ↩
In this period, a single shilling would have been the equivalent of twelve Canadian pennies. This means that Rowlandson sold the Tobacco for $1.08. ↩
Fun Fact: according to the University of Minnesota Libraries, when Sir Francis Drake originally brought tobacco and potatoes to America, people believed that tobacco was wonderful, but potatoes were poisonous! This link leads to the library’s page for more information on the tobacco trade. ↩
Trading goods was highly against Rowlandson’s Puritan values. In the Puritan belief system, trading was not a job that was meant for women. This act shows one of the instances in which Rowlandson disregarded her beliefs in favour of survival. ↩
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Sagamore as “a subordinate chief of the Algonquian Indians of the North Atlantic coast”. ↩
A tribe seperate from Rowlandson’s captors. ↩
Squaws are defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary to be North American Indigenous women or wives. It is important to note that this term is considered to be offensive. ↩
Wampum, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a bead made of shells, commonly used by Indigenous tribes. ↩
This link leads the viewer to a web page that discusses the significance of body art in Indigenous culture and offers visual examples for reference. It is important to note that body art varies between Indigenous tribes, and thus these visiual representations will not be wholly accurate to Wettimore’s body art; however, they will still be similar. ↩