ashore any where, it lay so full of flat sands (42). When we came to shore, we made us a barricado, and got fire wood, and set out sentinels, and betook us to our lodging, such as it was. We saw the smoke of the fire, which the savages made that night, about four or five miles from us.

21. In the morning we divided our company, some eight in the shallop, and the rest on the shore went to discover this place; but we found it only to be a bay, without either river or creek coming into it. This place the most were minded we should call Grampus bay, because we found many of them there*. We followed the track of the Indians' bare feet a good way on the sands. At length we saw here they struck into the woods by the side of a pond (43). As we went to view the

place, one said he thought he saw an Indian house among the trees. So we went up to see. And here we and the

shallop lost sight one of another till night, it being now about nine or ten o'clock. So we lighted on a path, but saw no house, and followed a great way into the woods. At length we found where corn had been set, but not that year. Anon we found a great burying place, one part whereof was encompassed with a large palisado, like a church yard, with young spires four or five yards long, set as close one by another as they could, two or three foot in the ground. Within it was full of graves, some bigger, and some less. Some were also paled about; and others had like an Indian house made over them, but not matted. Those graves were more sumptuous than those at Cornhill; yet we digged none of them up, only viewed them and went our way. Without the palisado were graves also, but not so costly. We went ranging up and down till the sun began to draw low; and then we hasted out of the woods, that we might come to our shallop. By that time we had done, and

Our

(42) See Description of Eastham. p. 155.

They found grampuses dead, two inches thick of fat, and five or six paces long. Note by the author.

(43) Great pond in Eastham, north of which they landed. This pond is well delineated in the late maps of the state

our shallop come to us (44) it was within night; and we fed upon such victuals as we had, and betook us to our rest, after we had set our watch.

22. About midnight we heard a great and hideous cry; and our sentinel called, Arm, arm. So we bestirred ourselves, and shot off a couple of muskets, and noise ceased. We concluded that it was a company of wolves and foxes, for one told us he had heard such a noise in Newfoundland. About five o'clock in the morning we began to be stirring. Upon a sudden we heard a great and strange cry, which we knew to be the same voices, though they varied their notes. One of the company, being abroad, came running in, and cried, They are men, Indians, Indians and withal their arrows came flying amongst us. Our men ran out with all speed to recover their arms. The cry of our enemies was dreadful, especially when our men ran out to recover their arms. Their note was after this manner, Woach woach ha ha hach woach. Our men were no sooner come to their arms, but the enemy was ready to assault them. There was a lusty man, and no whit less valiant, who was thought to be their captain, stood behind a tree within. half a musket shot of us, and there let his arrows fly at us. He stood three shots of a musket. At length one took, as he said, full aim at him after which he gave an extraordinary cry; and away they went all. We followed them about a quarter of a mile; but we left six to keep our shallop, for we were careful of our business. We took up eighteen of their arrows, which we had sent to England by Master Jones; some whereof were headed

with

(44) It appears from Gov. Bradford's MS. Hist. quoted by Prince, Ann. p. 77. that the shallop coasted along the shore, south, and that toward night the people on the land met it at a creek. This Morton conjectures to be Namskeket. Mem. p. 25. But it may with more probability be concluded that it was Great Meadow creek. If the travellers had gone as far as Namskeket, they must either have crossed Great Meadow, Boat Meadow, Rock harbour, and Little Namskeket creeks, or they must have passed round their heads, which, at a time when the country was covered with a forest very difficult to be penetrated, would have been no easy task. Namskeket creek was best known to the first inhabitants of Plymouth; and this appears to have been the cause of Morton's supposition.

with brass, others with harts' horn, and others with eagles' claws. Many more no doubt were shot; for these we found were almost covered with leaves; yet, by the special providence of God, none of them either hit or hurt us. (45)

23. On Monday we found a very good harbour for our shipping. We marched also into the land, and found divers corn fields and little running brooks; a place very good for situation so we returned to our ship again with good news, which did much comfort their hearts. This harbour is a bay greater than Cape Cod, compassed with goodly land, and in the bay two fine islands (46) uninhabited, wherein are nothing but woods, oaks, pines, walnut, beech, sassafras, vines, and other trees which we know not. This bay is a most hopeful place (47): innumerable store of fowl, and excellent good; and cannot but be fish in their seasons Skate, cod, turbot (48), and herring, we have tasted of; abundance of muscles, the greatest and best we ever saw; crabs and lobsters in their time infinite. fashion like a sickle or fish-hook.

It is in

24. The eighteenth, we went along the coast in the woods, some seven or eight mile (49), but saw not an In

dian,

(45) For a narrative of the events, which took place between this skirmish and the landing at Plymouth, see Morton's Mem. p. 27, 28. and Prince's Ann. p. 77, 78.

(46) There is not at present but one island in the harbour of Plymouth. But there is a shoal called Brown's island, lying about a half of a mile east by north from Beach point. This, it is supposed, was once upland. There is a tradition, that stumps of trees have been seen here. The fol lowing extract from Winthrop's Journal, p. 87. will perhaps confirm this supposition. "A. D. 1635. Sep. 6. Two shallops going laden with goods to Connecticut, were taken in the night with an easterly storm, and cast away upon Brown's Islands, near the Gurnet's Nose, and the men all drowned."

(47) The experience of a few years convinced the inhabitants of Plymouth that the place was not so hopeful, as they had at first supposed.

(48) By turbot may be intended the flounder, or the halibut.

(49) Which ever way the travellers went, they could not have walked seven miles; because north-west, at the distance of four miles, they would have come to Jones' river in Kingston; and south-east, at the distance of three miles to Eel river. These rivers, though not large, cannot be denominated brooks. The latter then ran into the harbour of Plymouth; but at present its mouth is on the outside of Beach point.

dian, nor an Indian house; only we found where formerly had been some inhabitants, and where they had planted their corn. We found not any navigable river, but four or five running brooks of very fresh water, that all run into the sea. The land for the crust of the earth is a spit's depth, excellent black mould, and fat in some places: two or three great oaks, but not very thick, pines, walnuts, beech, ash, birch, hazel, holly, asp (50), sassafras in abundance, and vines every where, cherry trees, plum trees, and many others which we know not. Many kinds of herbs we found here in winter, as strawberry leaves innumerable, sorrel, yarrow, carvel, brooklime, liverwort, water-cresses, great store of leeks and onions, and an excellent strong kind of flax and hemp. Here is sand, gravel, and excellent clay, no better in the world, excellent for pots, and will wash like soap, and great store of stone, though somewhat soft, and the best water (51) that ever we drunk ; and the brooks now begin to be full of fish (52). That night, many being weary with marching, we went aboard again.

25. The nineteenth of December, after our landing and viewing of the places so well as we could, we came to a conclusion, by most voices, to set on the main land, on the first place, on a high ground, where there is a great deal of land cleared, and hath been planted with corn three or four years ago; and there is a very sweet brook (53) runs under the hill side, and many delicate springs of as good water as can be drunk, and where we may harbour our shallops and boats exceeding well; and in this brook is much good fish in their seasons; on the further side of the river also much corn ground cleared (54). In one field is a great hill (55), on which we point to make a platform,

(50) Aspen.

(51) Plymouth is abundantly supplied with springs and brooks of excellent water.

(52) Eels and smelts enter the brooks of Plymouth in autumn; and frost fish, or tom-cods, in December.

(53) Now called Town brook. It issues from a pond, named Billington sea.

(54) At present denominated the Training green.

(55) On which the burying ground now is.

platform, and plant our ordnance; which will command all round about. From thence we may see into the bay, and far into the sea; and we may see from thence Cape Cod.

26. Saturday, the three and twentieth, so many of us as could went on shore, felled and carried timber, to provide themselves stuff for building. Monday, the five and twentieth, we went on shore, some to fell timber, some to saw, some to rive, and some to carry so no man rested all that day.

27. Monday, the five and twentieth, being Christmas day, we began to drink water aboard; but at night the master caused us to have some beer; and so on board we had divers times now and then some beer, but on shore none at all. We took notice how many families they were, willing all single men, that had no wives, to join with some family, as they thought fit, that so we might build fewer houses; which was done, and we reduced them to nineteen families. To greater families we allotted larger plots; to every person half a pole in breadth, and three in length; and so lots were cast where every man should lie; which was done, and staked out. We thought this proportion was large enough at the first, for houses and gardens to impale them round, considering the weakness of our people, many of them growing ill with colds for our former discoveries in frost and storms, and the wading at Cape Cod, had brought much weakness amongst us, which increased every day more and more, and after was the cause of many of our deaths.

;

28. Friday and Saturday we fitted ourselves for our labour; but our people on shore were much troubled and discouraged with rain and wet that day, being very stormy and cold. We saw great smokes of fire made by the Indians, about six or seven miles from us, as we conjectured.

29. Thursday, the fourth of January, Captain Miles Standish, with four or five more, went to see if they could meet with any of the savages in that place where the fires were made. They went to some of their houses, but not lately inhabited; yet could they not meet with any. As they came home, they shot an eagle and killed her,

which