After They Consulted
Together For A While, Retired Into Their Boats, Which Weare Four Or Five
Miles From Thence, And Wher I Have Bin A While Before.
They layed mee
hither, houlding me by the hayre, to the imbarking place; there they began
to errect their cottages, which consisted only of some sticks to boyle
their meate, whereof they had plenty, but stuncke, which was strange to mee
to finde such an alteration so sudaine.
They made [me] sitt downe by. After
this they searched me and tooke what I had, then stripped me naked, and
tyed a rope about my middle, wherin I remained, fearing to persist, in the
same posture the rest of the night. After this they removed me, laughing
and howling like as many wolves, I knowing not the reason, if not for my
skin, that was soe whit in respect of theirs. But their gaping did soone
cease because of a false alarme, that their Scout who stayed behind gave
them, saying that the ffrench and the wild Algongins, friends to the
ffrench, came with all speed. They presently put out the fire, and tooke
hould of the most advantageous passages, and sent 25 men to discover what
it meant, who brought certaine tydings of assurance and liberty.
In the meanewhile I was garded by 50 men, who gave me a good part of my
cloathes. After kindling a fire againe, they gott theire supper ready,
which was sudenly don, ffor they dresse their meat halfe boyled, mingling
some yallowish meale in the broath of that infected stinking meate; so
whilst this was adoing they combed my head, and with a filthy grease
greased my head, and dashed all over my face with redd paintings. So then,
when the meat was ready, they feeded me with their hod-pot, forcing me to
swallow it in a maner. My heart did so faint at this, that in good deede I
should have given freely up the ghost to be freed from their clawes,
thinking every moment they would end my life. They perceived that my
stomach could not beare such victuals. They tooke some of this stinking
meate and boyled it in a cleare watter, then mingled a litle Indian meale
put to it, which meale before was tossed amongst bourning sand, and then
made in powder betwixt two rocks. I, to shew myselfe cheerfull att this,
swallowed downe some of this that seemed to me very unsavoury and clammie
by reason of the scume that was upon the meat. Having supped, they untyed
mee, and made me lye betwixt them, having one end of one side and one of
another, and covered me with a red Coverlet, thorough which I might have
counted the starrs. I slept a sound sleep, for they awaked me uppon the
breaking of the day. I dreamed that night that I was with the Jesuits at
Quebuc drinking beere, which gave me hopes to be free sometimes, and also
because I heard those people lived among Dutch people in a place called
Menada [Footnote:
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