University of Virginia Library

61. The Lost Boy
BY GOVERNOR BRADFORD (1621)

TEN of our men made a voyage to the Kingdom of Nauset to find a boy that had lost himself in the woods. The 11th of June we set out, the weather being very fine.

Before we had been long at sea, however, there arose a storm of wind and rain with much lightning and thunder. So that a water-spout arose not far from us. But God be praised, it did not last long; and we put in that night at a harbor where we had some hope of finding the boy.

Two savages were in the boat with us. The one was Tisquantum who was our interpreter. The other was Tokamahamon, a special friend. It was night when we came into the bay.

In the morning we saw savages hunting lobsters, and sent our two interpreters to speak with them. They told the Indians who we were and whence we came. They told the Indians not to fear us for we would not hurt them, as we were only searching for a lost boy.

Their answer was that the boy was well but that he was at Nauset. Yet, since we were there, they wished us to come ashore and eat with them. This we did.

They brought us to their sachem, Iyanough, a man not over twenty-six years of age. He was very gentle, polite, and considerate. Indeed he was not like a savage, with the exception of his dress.

He entertained us in the same kind polite way; and his foods of different kinds were plentiful.

One thing was very sad to us at this place. There was an old woman, whom we judged to be no less than a hundred years of age. She came to see US because she had never seen any English people. Yet she could not look at us, without breaking out in great anger, weeping and crying loudly.

We asked the reason of this. They told us that she had three sons who went aboard a ship when Mr. Hunt was in this place, to trade with him, and he carried them away as captives into Spain.

So the old woman had lost the comfort of her sons in her old age. We told them we were sorry that any English man should do them that wrong. We said that Hunt was .t bad man, and that all the English people who heard of the deed would say the same. But for us, we would not do them any harm, even if it would gain us all the skins in the country. So we gave her some small presents, which quieted her anger somewhat.

After dinner we took boat for Nauset. Iyanough and two of his men went with us. We sent Tisquantum to tell Aspinet, the sachem, at Nauset why we came. The savages here came very thick about us. But we had little cause to trust them, as they had

some time before made an attack upon us in that place. When our boat was aground they gathered on the shore, but we stood upon our guard, not allowing any of them to enter the boat except two.

AN OLD TOY.

[Description: Black and white illustration of a toy carriage.]

After sunset, Aspinet came with a great company of Indians, and brought the boy with him. One Indian carried the boy through the water. He had wandered five days, living on berries. Then he saw the lights of an Indian village which proved to be that of these people who first attacked us.

Aspinet, when he brought the boy to us, had not less than a hundred Indians with him. Half of them came with him to our boats' side unarmed. The others stood at some distance with their bows and arrows.

There he gave over to us the boy, hung with beads, and then made peace with us. We presented him with a knife. We gave one also to another Indian who had cared for the boy at his home and brought him here. Then they went away from us.