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and one that had been in those parts,) by small skiffs or canoes to pass up the river as far as they could. But when they came to the place, the Dutch governour promised to let them pass, but for maintaining their own interest he must protest against them. And as for the Swedish' governour, his fort shot at them ere they came up, whereupon they cast forth their anchor, and the next morning (being Lord's day) the lieutenant came aboard them, and forced them to fall down lower; when Mr. Aspinwall came to the governour he complained of the lieutenant's dealing, both in shooting at them before he hailed them, and in forcing them to weigh anchor on the Lord's day. The governour acknowledged he did ill in both, and promised all favour; but the Dutch agent being come down to the Swedes' fort,shewed express order from the Dutch governour not to let him pass, whereupon he returned; but before they came out of the river, the Swedish lieutenant made them pay 40s. which he had unduly forced from them. The pinnace arrived at Boston the 20th of July, 1644, but with much more news than what is mentioned before, for though they were not permitted to pass up the river, they were not so narrowly watched but they found opportunity to trade on Maryland side, and had gotten a good parcel of beaver; but at last the Indians coming aboard under pretence of further trading, while some were trading, others pulled out hatchets from under their garments, and therewith killed the master and two men, and carried the other two (being but five in all) ashore, and rifled the pinnace of all her goods, and sails, &c. Soon after other Indians came aboard, and falling upon these, slew the sachems and took away all the goods they had stolen. There was one Redman suspected to have betrayed this pinnacé, for he (being truckmaster, because he could speak the language) was put out of his employment on account of his evil carriage, and did bear ill will to the master, and out of revenge, sold them to the Indians, bargaining however for his own life; but at last, at the procurement of the Swedish governour, was fetched in by other Indians, who brought him and the boy to the fort,

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from which he was carried to Boston, and there tried for his life, and found guilty by the grand jury, but sentence was deferred in expectation of further evidence from DelIf there were evidence enough to condemn him more would have been redundant, but all men's sins do not go before unto judgment. But he shall give an account in due time.

aware.

For a close of these uncomfortable transactions between the Dutch, Swedes, and English of New Haven and those parts, the reader may take notice that trucking with the Indians hath seldom been observed to be blessed to them that were most addicted thereunto, whether French, Dutch or English; but for the present Dutch governour, scil. in the year 1643 and till the year 1647, Mr. William Kieft, (a sober and prudent mau,) although he always abstained from outward force, yet had continually molested the colonies of New Haven and Connecticut, using menacings and protests against them, upon all occasions, so as they were almost wearied out with his vexations, demands and oppositions. But at last going for Holland in the year 1647, in a ship of 400 tons, well manned and richly laden, to the value (as was supposed) of 20,000 pounds, in their passage home, the mariners mistaking the channel, were carried into Severn and cast away upon the coast of Wales near Swanzy, so as the said Dutch governour, with about eighty other persons were drowned, and not above twenty suffered to escape. This fell out in the year 1648.

The loss in general ought sadly to have been lamented, especially as to the lives of so many christians, that perished so near their own home by such a sad mistake; yet those who were acquainted with the particulars of some or more of the forementioned circumstances, could not but take notice of the solemn providence of God that appeared therein, to bear witness against those that had so many ways injured his own people in those parts, which some could not pass by without due acknowledgment and observation; for though indeed God seemed not to favour the designs of those colonies in the matter of their

trade with the Indians, (the salvation of whose souls should have been their principal aim, and so their merchandize might have been holiness to the Lord of Hosts,) by his constant blasting their plantations, intended chiefly to carry on such designs, yet he seemed to be more highly offended with them, that without cause set themselves so violently to oppose them.

The inhabitants of the towns about Boston, being alarmed by the forementioned troubles, (for those who now began to bark, might ere long be as ready to bite,) looked upon themselves but as a place without gates and bars, and that without some fortification, at the entrance into the harbour of Boston, they were laid open to the invasion of a mean and contemptible enemy, were willing to raise some fortification, and maintain it at their own charge, rather than to be left open to an enemy any longer.

The general court had given all the encouragement they could in the year 1643, although some were discouraged because they found so many avenues about Boston, that if one passage were stopped, others were left open, wherein enemies might enter; and also because they feared, that the people would not be so able to perform, as they were forward, and willing to engage.

But in the year 1645, being every day made more sensible, that the keeping the said fortification would be of no small benefit for their defence and security, they set upon the work with a fresh resolution, and chose a committee out of the several towns to raise means to get the work done; but at last the general court, being informed by the petition of the inhabitants, that the charge of the work, and maintaining of the garrison, would be a burthen too heavy for them that had undertaken it, were induced to put the publick hand thereto, by which it was always after that time effectually carried on.

CHAP. LI.

Conspiracies of the Indians against the English in New England discovered and prevented, from the year 1641

to 1646.

AFTER the subduing of the Pequots in the year 1637, the Narragansets, the most numerous of the other Indians, either out of discontent, that the whole sovereignty over the rest of the Indians was not adjudged to belong to them, or out of envy that Uncas, a sachem of the Mohegan Indians, had insinuated further than themselves into the favour of the English, were observed to be always contriving mischief against them, though they carried it subtilly and underhand for some years, and were pretending quarrel with the said Uncas, against whom they always had an inveterate malice ever since the agreement made about distributing of the Pequots after the war with them was ended, expecting in probability, that all should have been left to their sole arbitrament. And therein were animated by the haughty spirit and aspiring mind of one Miantonimo, the heir apparent of all the Narraganset people, after the decease of the old sachem, Canonicus, that was his uncle. This Miantonimo was a very good personage, of tall stature, subtil and cunning in his contrivements, as well as haughty in his designs. It was strongly suspected that in the year 1642, he had contrived to draw all the Indians throughout the country into a general conspiracy against the English; for the first of September 1642, letters came to Boston from the court at Connecticut, and from two of the magistrates there, that the Indians had conspired to cut off the English all over the country. Mr. Ludlow certified so much from the place where he lived near the Dutch, the time appointed to be for the assault was said to be after harvest; the manner to be by several companies entering into the chief men's houses, by way of trade, and then to kill them in their houses, and seize their arms, and others should be at hand to prosecute the massacre. This was also con

firmed by three Indians that were said to reveal it in the same manner, and at the same time, to Mr. Ludlow and to the governour of New Haven. It was added also, that another Indian should discover the same plot to Mr. Haines of Connecticut, by some special circumstances, viz. that being much hurt by a cart, (which usually there are drawn with oxen,) he should send for Mr. Haines and tell him, that Englishman's God was angry with him, and sent Englishman's cow (meaning the oxen in the cart or wain) to kill him, because he had concealed such a plot against the English, and so told him all, as the other Indians had done.

Upon this, their advice from Connecticut was, that we should begin with them, and enter upon a war presently; and that if the Massachusetts would send 120 men to Saybrook, at the river's mouth, they would meet them with a proportionable number. This was a very probable story, and very likely it was, that the Indians had been discoursing of some such business amongst themselves. But the general court of the Massachusetts, when called together,did not think those informations to be a sufficient ground whereon to begin a war. Although the governour and magistrates, as many as could convene together before the court, ordered that all the Indians within their jurisdiction should be disarmed, which they willingly yielded unto; and upon all the inquiries and examinations, which were made by the court, when assembled together, they could not find any such violent presumption of a conspiracy, as to be the ground of a war. Besides, it was considered that the reports of all Indians were found by experience to be very uncertain, especially when it may well be supposed, that they are or may be raised and carried by such as are at variance one with another; who may be very like to accuse one another, to ingratiate themselves with the English. Miantonimo, sachem of Narraganset, was sent unto, and by his readiness to appear, satisfied the English that he was innocent as to any present conspiracy, though his quarrel with the Mohegans (who bordered upon Connecticut colony) might

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