 Preface of Historical Tales, Volume 1, American. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Kalinda. Historical Tales, Volume 1, American by Charles Morris. Preface. It has become a commonplace remark that fact is often stranger than fiction. It may be said as a variant of this that history is often more romantic than romance. The pages of the Record of Man's Doings are frequently illustrated by entertaining and striking incidents. Relief points in the dull monotony of everyday events. Stories fitted to rouse the reader from languid weariness and stir anew in his veins the pulse of interest in human life. There are many such dramas on the stage of history, life scenes that are pictures in action, tales, pathetic, stirring and livening, full of the element of the unusual, of the stuff the novel and the romance are made of, yet with the advantage of being actual fact. Incidents of this kind have proved as attractive to writers as to readers. They have dwelt upon them lovingly, embellished them with the charms of rhetoric and occasionally with the inventions of fancy, until what began as fact has often entered far into the domains of legend and fiction. It may well be that some of the narratives in the present work have gone through this process. If so, it is simply indicative of the interest they have awakened in generations of readers and writers. But the bulk of them are fact, so far as history in general can be called fact. It having been our design to cull from the annals of the nations some of their more stirring and romantic incidents and present them as a gallery of pictures that might serve to adorn the entrance to the temple of history, of which this work is offered as in some sense an illuminated anti-chamber. As such it is hoped that some pilgrims from the world of readers may find it a pleasant halting-place on their way into the far extending aisles of the great temple beyond. For information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The world was about to come to an end. Such was the general belief. How it was to reach its end, whether by fire, water, or some other agent of ruin, the prophets of disaster did not say, nor did people trouble themselves to learn. Destruction was coming upon them, that was enough to know. How to provide against it was the one thing to be considered. Some hastened to the churches, others to the taverns. Here prayers went up, there wine went down. The petitions of the pious were matched by the ribaldry of the profligate. Some made their wills, others wasted their wealth in revelry, eager to get all the pleasure out of life that remained for them. Many freely gave away their property, hoping by ridding themselves of the goods of this earth to establish a claim to the goods of heaven with little regard to the fate of those whom they loaded with their discarded wealth. It was an era of ignorance and superstition. Christendom went insane over an idea. When the year ended and the world rolled on, none the worse for conflagration or deluge, green with the spring leafage and ripe with the works of man, dismay gave way to hope, mirth took the place of prayer, men regained their flown wits, and those who had so recklessly given away their wealth thought themselves of taking legal measures for its recovery. Such was one of the events that made that year memorable. There was another of a highly different character. Instead of a world being lost, a world was found. The old world not only remained unharmed, but a new world was added to it, a world beyond the seas. For this was the year in which the foot of the European was first set upon the shores of the transatlantic continent. It is the story of this first discovery of America that we have now to tell. In the autumn of the year 1000, in a region far away from fear-haunted Europe, a scene was being enacted of a very different character from that just described. Over the waters of unknown seas a small strange craft boldly made its way, manned by a crew of the hardiest and most vigorous men, driven by a single square sail whose coarse woollen texture bellied deeply before the fierce ocean winds, which seemed at times as if they would drive that deckless vessel bodily beneath the waves. The crew was of men to whom fear was almost unknown, the stalwart Vikings of the North, whose oar and sail-driven barks now set out from the coasts of Norway and Denmark to ravage the shores of southern Europe. Now turned their prows boldly to the west in search of unknown lands afar. Shall we describe this craft? It was a tiny one in which to venture upon an untraveled ocean in search of an unknown continent, a vessel shaped somewhat like a strong bow, scarcely fifty feet in length, low amid ships and curving upwards to high peaks at stem and stern, both of which converged to sharp edges. It resembled an enormous canoe rather than ought else to which we can compare it. On the stem was a carved and gilt dragon, the figurehead of the ship, which glittered in the bright rays of the sun. Along the bulwarks of the ship, fore and aft, hung rows of large painted wooden shields, which gave an argous-eyed aspect to the craft. Between them was a double row of thulepins for the great oars, which now lay at rest in the bottom of the boat, but by which in calmer weather this walker of the seas could be forced swiftly through the yielding element. Near the stern on an elevated platform stood the commander, a man of large and powerful frame and imposing aspect, one whose commands not the fiercest of his crew would lightly venture to disobey. A coat of ring-mail encircled his stalwart frame. By his side, in a richly embossed scabbard, hung a long sword with hilt of gilded bronze. On his head was a helmet that shone like pure gold shaped like a wolf's head with gaping jaws and threatening teeth. Land was in sight, an unknown coast, peopled perhaps by war-like men. The cautious Viking leader deemed it wise to be prepared for danger and was armed for possible combat. Below him on the rowing benches sat his hardy crew, their arms, spears, axes, bows, and slings beside them, ready for any deed of daring they might be called upon to perform. Their dress consisted of trousers of coarse stuff belted at the waist, thick woolen shirts, blue, red, or brown in color, iron helmets beneath which their long hair streamed down to their shoulders and a shoulder belt descending to the waist and supporting their leather-covered sword scabbards. Heavy whiskers and mustaches added to the fierceness of their stern faces and many of them wore as ornament on the forehead a band of gold. They numbered thirty-five in all, a crew who had set out to brave the terrors and solve the mysteries of the great Atlantic. Their leader, Leif by name, was the son of Eric the Red, the discoverer of Greenland, and a Viking as fierce as ever breathed the air of the Northland. Outlawed in Norway, where in hot blood he had killed more men than the law could condone, Eric had made his way to Iceland. Here his fierce temper led him again to murder and flight once more became necessary. Manning a ship he set sail boldly to the west and in the year 982 reached a land on which the eye of European had never before gazed. To this he gave the name of Greenland, with the hope perhaps that this inviting name would induce others to follow him. Such proved to be the case. Eric returned to Iceland, told the story of his discovery, and in 985 set sail again for his new realm with twenty-five ships and many colonists. Others came afterwards, among them one Bjarni, a bold and enterprising youth for whom a great adventure was reserved. Inveloped in fogs and driven for days from its course by northeasterly winds, his vessel was forced far to the south. When at length the fog cleared away the distressed mariner saw land before them, a low-level, thickly wooded region, very different from the ice-covered realm they had been led to expect. Is this the land of which we are in search? asked the sailors. No, answered Bjarni, for I am told that we may look for very large glaciers in Greenland. At any rate, let us land and rest. Not so, my father has gone with Eric. I shall not rest till I see him again. And now the winds blew northward, and for seven days they scutted before a furious gale, passing on their way a mountainous, ice-covered island, and in the end, by great good fortune, Bjarni's vessel put into the very port where his father had fixed his abode. Bjarni had seen, but had not set foot upon, the shores of the New World. That was left for bolder or more enterprising mariners to perform. About 995 he went to Norway, where the story of his strange voyage caused great excitement among the adventure-loving people. Above all, it stirred up the soul of Lief, eldest son of Eric the Red, then in Norway, who in his soul resolved to visit and explore that strange land which Bjarni had only seen from afar. Lief returned to Greenland with more than this idea in his mind. When Eric left Norway, he had left a heathen land. When Lief visited it, he found it a Christian country. Or at least he found there a Christian king, Olaf Trigvassen by name, who desired his guest to embrace the new faith. Lief consented without hesitation. Heathenism did not seem very firmly fixed in the minds of those northern barbarians. He and all his sailors were baptized and betook themselves to Greenland with this new faith as their most precious freight. In this way Christianity first made its way across the seas, and thus it further came about that the ship which we have seen set sail for southern lands. The ship was that of Bjarni. Lief had bought it. It may be with the fancy that it would prove fortunate in retracing its course. Not only Lief, but his father Eric, now an old man, was fired with the hope of new discoveries. The aged Viking had given Greenland to the world. It was a natural ambition to desire to add to his fame as a discoverer. But on his way to the vessel his horse stumbled. Superstitious as all men were in that day, he looked on this as an evil omen. I shall not go, he said. It is not my destiny to discover any other lands than that on which we now live. I shall follow you no farther but end my life in Greenland. And Eric rode back to his home. Not so the adventurers. They boldly put out to sea, turned the prow of their craft southward and battled with the waves day after day, their hearts full of hope, their eyes on the alert for the glint of distant lands. At length land was discovered. A dreary country, mountainous, icy, doubtless the inhospitable island which Bjarni had described. They landed but only to find themselves on a shore covered with bare, flat rocks while before them loomed snow-covered heights. This is not the land we seek, said Leif, but we will not do as Bjarni did, who never set foot on shore. I will give this land a name and will call it Heluland, a name which signifies the land of broad stones. Onward they sailed again, their hearts now filled with ardent expectation. At length rose again the stirring cry of Land, or its Norse equivalent, and as the dragon-peaked craft glided swiftly onward, there rose into view a long coastline, flat and covered with white sand in the foreground, while a dense forest spread over the rising ground in the rear. Markland, land of forest, let it be called, cried Leif. This must be the land which Bjarni first saw. We will not be like him, but will set foot on its promising shores. They landed, but tarried not long. Soon they took ship again and sailed for two days out of sight of land. Then there came into view an island with a broad channel between it and the mainland. Up this channel they laid their course, and soon came to where a river poured its clear waters into the sea. They decided to explore this stream. The boat was lowered and the ship towed up the river, until, at a short distance inland, it broadened into a lake. Here at Leif's command the anchor was cast, and their good ship, the pioneer in American discovery, came to rest within the inland waters of the New World. Not many minutes passed before the hardy mariners were on shore and eagerly observing the conditions of their new discovered realm. River and lake alike were full of salmon, the largest they had ever seen, a fact which agreeably settled the question of food. The climate seemed deliciously mild, as compared with the icy shores to which they were used. The grass was but little withered by frost and promised a winter supply of food for cattle. All together they were so pleased with their surroundings that Leif determined to spend the winter at that place, exploring the land so far as he could. For some time they dwelt under booths, passing the nights in their leather sleeping bags, but wood was abundant, axes and hands skillful to wield them were at hand, and they quickly went to work to build themselves habitations more suitable for the coming season of cold. No inhabitants of the land were seen. So far as yet appeared it might be a region on which human foot had never before been set, but Leif was a cautious leader. He bade his men not to separate until the houses were finished. Then he divided them into two parties, left one to guard their homes and their ship, and sent the other inland to explore. Beware though, he said, that you risk not too much. We know not what perils surround us. Go not so far inland, but that you can get back by evening and take care not to separate. Day after day these explorations continued, the men plunging into the forest that surrounded them and wandering far into its hidden recesses, each evening bringing back with them some story of the marvels of this new land, or some sample of its productions strange to their eyes. An evening came in which one of the explorers failed to return. He had either disobeyed the injunctions of Leif and gone too far to get back by evening, or some peril of that unknown land had befallen him. This man was of German birth, Türke by name, a southerner who had for years dwelt with Eric and been made the foster-father of Leif, who had been fond of him since childhood. He was a little wretched-looking fellow with protruding forehead, unsteady eyes, and tiny face, yet a man skilled in all manner of handicraft. Leif, on learning of his absence, abraded the men bitterly for losing him and called on twelve of them to follow him in search. Into the forest they went, and before long had the good fortune to behold Türke returning. The little fellow, far from showing signs of disaster, was in highest of spirits, his face radiant with joy. How now, foster-father, cried Leif, why are you so late, and why have you parted from the others? Türke was too excited to answer. He rolled his eyes wildly and made rye faces. When words came to him, he spoke in his native German, which none of them understood. Joy seemed to have driven all memory of the language of the North from his mind. It was plain that no harm had come to him. On the contrary, he seemed to have stumbled upon some landfall of good luck. Yet some time passed before they could bring him out of his ecstasy into reason. I did not go much farther than you, he at length called out in their own tongue, and if I am late I have a good excuse. I can tell you news. What are they? I have made a grand discovery. See, I have found vines and grapes, and he showed them his hands filled with the purple fruit. I was born in a land where grapes grow in plenty and this land bears them. Behold what I bring you. The memory of his childhood had driven for the time all memory of the Norse language from his brain. Grapes he had not seen for many years, and the sight of them made him a child again. The others beheld the prize with little less joy. They slept where they were that night, and in the morning followed Türke to the scene of his discovery, where he gladly pointed to the arbor-like vines laden thickly with wild grapes. A fruit delicious to their unaccustomed palates. This is a glorious find, cried Leif. We must take some of this splendid fruit north. There are two kinds of work now to be done. One day you shall gather grapes, the next you shall cut timber to freight the ship. We must show our friends north what a country we have found. As for this land I have a new name for it. Let it be called Vineland, the land of grapes and wine. After this discovery there is little of interest to record. The winter, which proved to be a very mild one, passed away, and in the spring they set sail again for Greenland, their ship laden deeply with timber, so useful a treasure in their treeless northern home, while the longboat was filled to the gun-well with the grapes they had gathered and dried. Such is the story of the first discovery of America, as told in the sagas of the North. Leif the Lucky was the name given the discoverer from that time forward. He made no more visits to Vineland, for during the next winter his father died, and he became the governing head of the Greenland settlements. But the adventurous Northmen were not the men to rest at ease with an untrodden continent so near at hand. Thorvald, Leif's brother, one of the boldest of his race, determined to see for himself the wonders of Vineland. In the spring of 1002 he set sail with thirty companions in the pioneer ship of American Discovery, the same vessel which Bjarne and Leif had made famous in that service. Unluckily the records failed to give us the name of this notable ship. Steering southward they reached in due time the lake on whose shores Leif and his crew had passed the winter. The building stood unharmed, and the new crew passed a winter here. Most of their time being spent in catching and drying the delicious salmon which thronged river and lake. In the spring they set sail again and explored the coast for a long distance to the south. How far they went we cannot tell, for all we know of their voyage is that nearly everywhere they found white sandy shores and a background of unbroken forest. Like Leif they saw no men. Back they came to Vineland and there passed the winter again. Another spring came in the tender green of the young Leifage and again they put to sea. So far fortune had steadily befriended them. Now the reign of misfortune began. Not far had they gone before the vessel was driven ashore by a storm and broke her keel on a protruding shoal. This was not a serious disaster, a new keel was made, and the old one planted upright in the sands of the coast. We will call this place Keallernas, Keel Cape, said Thorvald. On they sailed again and came to a country of such attractive aspect that Thorvald looked upon it with longing eyes. This is a fine country and here I should like to build myself a home, he said, little deeming in what gruesome manner his words were to be fulfilled. For now, for the first time in the story of these voyages, are we told of the natives of the land, the skrillings as the Norsemen called them. Passing the Cape which Thorvald had chosen for his home, the mariners landed to explore the shore and on their way back to the ship saw on the white sands three significant marks. They were like those made by a boat when driven ashore. Continuing their observation they quickly perceived, drawn well up on the shore, three skin canoes turned keel upward. Dividing into three parties they righted these boats and to their surprise saw that under each three men lay concealed. The blood-loving instinct of the Norsemen was never at fault in a case like this. Drawing their swords they assailed the hidden men and of the nine only one escaped, the other being stretched in death upon the beach. The mariners had made a fatal mistake. To kill none unless they could kill all should have been their rule, a lesson in practical wisdom which they were soon to learn. But heedless of the danger and with the confidence of strength and courage, they threw themselves upon the sands and being weary and drowsy were quickly lost in slumber. And now came a marvel, a voice none knew whence or of whom called loudly in their slumbering ears. Wake, Thorvald! Wake all your men if you would save your life and theirs! Haste to your ship and fly from land with all speed for vengeance and death confront you. Suddenly aroused they sprang to their feet looking at each other with astounded eyes and asking who had spoken those words. Little time for answer remained. The woods behind them suddenly seemed alive with fierce natives who had been roused to vengeful fury by the flying fugitive and now came on with hostile cries. The Norsemen sprang to their boats and rode in all haste to the ship. But before they could make sail, the surface of the bay swarmed with skinboats and showers of arrows were poured upon them. The warlike mariners in turn assailed their foes with arrows, slings and javelins, slaying so many of them that the remainder were quickly put to flight. But they fled not unrevenged. A keen pointed arrow flying between the ship's side and the edge of his shield struck Thorvald in the armpit, wounding him so deeply that death threatened to follow the withdrawal of the fatal dart. My day has come, said the dying chief, return home to Greenland as quickly as you may. But as for me you shall carry me to the place which I said would be so pleasant to dwell in. Doubtless truth came out of my mouth, for it may be that I shall live there for a while. There you shall bury me and put crosses at my head and feet, and henceforward that place shall be called Crassanes, cross-cape. The sorrowing sailors carried out the wishes of their dying chief, who lived but long enough to fix his eyes once more on the place which he had chosen for his home, and then closed them in the sleep of death. They buried him there, replacing the crosses at his head and feet as he had been, and then set sail again for the booths of leaf at Vineland, where part of their company had been left to gather grapes in their absence. To these they told the story of what had happened and agreed with them that the winter should be spent in that place and that in the spring they should obey Thorvald's request and set sail for Greenland. This they did, taking on board their ship vines and in abundance of dried grapes. ere the year was old their good ship again reached Eric's fjord, where leaf was told of the death of his brother and of all that had happened to the voyagers. The remaining story of the discoveries of the Northmen must be told in a few words. The next to set sail for that far-off land was Thorstein, the third son of Eric the Red. He failed to get there, however, but made land on the east coast of Greenland where he died, while his wife Gudrid returned home. Much was this woman noted for her beauty and as much for her wisdom and prudence, so the sagas tell us. In 1006 came to Greenland a noble Icelander, Thorfinn by name. That winter he married Gudrid and so allied himself to the family of Eric the Red. And quickly he took up the business of discovery, which had been pursued so ardently by Eric and his sons. He sailed in 1007 with three ships for Vineland where he remained three years, having many adventures with the natives, now trading with them for furs, now fighting with them for life. In Vineland was born a son to Thorfinn and Gudrid, the first white child born in America. From him, Snorri Thorfinnson, he was named, came a long line of illustrious descendants, many of whom made their mark in the history of Iceland and Denmark, the line ending in modern times in the famous Thorwaldsen, the greatest sculptor of the 19th century. The sagas thus picture for us the natives. Swarthi they were in complexion, short and savage in aspect, with ugly hair, great eyes and broad cheeks. In a battle between the adventurers and these savages, the war-like blood of Eric manifested itself in a woman of his race. For Fradis, his daughter, when pursued and likely to be captured by the natives, snatched up a sword which had been dropped by a slain Greenlander and faced them so valiantly that they took to their heels in a fright and fled precipitately to their canoes. One more story and we are done. In the spring of 1010, Thorfinn sailed north with the two ships which he still had. One of them reached Greenland in safety. The other, commanded by Bjarne Grimulfsen, was driven from its course and being worm-eaten, threatened to sink. There was but one boat and this capable of holding but half the ship's company. Lots were cast to decide who should go in the boat and who stay on the sinking ship. Bjarne was of those to whom fortune proved kindly. But he was a man of noble strain, fit for deeds of heroic fortitude and self-sacrifice. There was on board the ship a young Icelander who had been put under Bjarne's protection and who lamented bitterly his approaching fate. Come down into the boat, called out the noble hearted Viking, I will take your place in the ship, for I see that you are fond of life. So the devoted chieftain mounted again into the ship and the youth, selfish with fear, took his place in the boat. The end was as they had foreseen. The boat reached land where the men told their story. The worm-eaten ship must have gone down in the waves, for Bjarne and his comrades were never heard of again. Thus perished one of the world's heroes. Little remains to be told for all besides his fragment and conjecture. It is true that in the year 1011 Phradis and her husband voyaged again to Vineland, though they made no new discoveries. And it is probable that in the following centuries other journeys were made to the same land. But as time passed on, Greenland grew colder. Its icy harvest descended farther and farther upon its shores. In the end, its colonies disappeared and with them ended all intercourse with the grape-laden shores of Vineland. Just where lay this land of the vine no one today can tell? Some would place it as far north as Labrador. Some seek to bring it even south of New England. The runic records simply tell us of a land of capes, islands, rivers and vines. It is to the latter and to the story of a far-reaching forest land and pastureage lasting the winter through that we owe the general belief that the Vikings reached New England's fertile shores and that the ship of Bjarne and Leaf with its war-loving crews proceeded by six centuries the Mayflower with its peaceful and pious souls. He learned that Columbus was mistaken in his belief and that the shores he had discovered were not those of India and Cathay when vigorous efforts began to find some easy route to the rich lands of the Orient. Balboa in 1513 crossed the continent at its narrow neck and gazed with astounded eyes upon the mighty ocean that lay beyond the world's greatest sea. Magellan in 1520 sailed round the continent at its southern extremity as daring prows into that world of waters of seemingly illimitable width. But the route thus laid out was far too long for the feeble commerce of that early day and various efforts were made to pass the line of the continent at some northern point. The great rivers of North America, the James, the Hudson and others were explored in the eager hope that they might prove to be liquid canals between the two great seas. But a more promising hope was that which hinted that America might be circumnavigated at the north as well as at the south and the Pacific be reached by way of the icy channel of the North Seas. This hope, born so long ago, has but died out in our own days. Much of the most thrilling literature of adventure of the 19th century comes from the persistent efforts to traverse these perilous arctic ocean wastes. Let us go back to the oldest of the daring navigators of this frozen sea, the worthy knight Sir Martin Frobischer and tell the story of his notable efforts to discover a northwest passage, the only thing left undone, as he quaintly says, whereby a notable mind might become famous and fortunate. As an interesting preface to our story, we may quote from that curious old tome Purchase His Pilgrimage, the following quaintly imaginative passage. How shall I admire your valor and courage, ye marine worthies, beyond all names of worthiness, that neither dread so long either presence nor absence of the sun, nor those foggy mists, tempestuous winds, cold blasts, snows and hail in the air, nor the unequal seas, where the tritons and Neptune's self would quake with chilling fear to behold such monstrous icy islands, mustering themselves in those watery plains where they hold a continual civil war, rushing one upon another, making winds and waves give back, nor the rigid, ragged face of the broken lands sometimes towering themselves to a lofty height, to see if they can find refuge from those snows and colds that continually beat them, sometimes hiding themselves under some hollow hills or cliffs, sometimes sinking and shrinking into valleys, looking pale with snows, and falling in frozen and dead swoons, sometimes breaking their necks into the sea, rather embracing the waters than the air's cruelty, and so on with the like-labored fancies. Great God, he concludes, to whom all names of greatness are little and less than nothing, let me in silence admire thy greatness, that in this little heart of man, not able to serve a kite for a breakfast, has placed such greatness of spirit as the world is too little to fill. Thus, in long-winded mead of praise writes Master Samuel Purchase, of those bold mariners of whom he speaks, our worthy knight, Sir Martin, is one of the first and far from the least. An effort had been made to discover a northwest passage to the Pacific as early as 1527, and another nine years later. But these were feeble attempts, which ended in failure and disaster, and discovered nothing worthy of record. It was in 1576 that Frobisher, one of the most renowned navigators of his day, put into effect the project he had cherished from his youth upward, with which he had sought aid during 15 weary years, that of endeavoring to solve the ice-locked secret of the Arctic seas. The fleet with which this daring adventure was undertaken was a strangely insignificant one, consisting of three vessels which were even less in size than those with which Columbus had ventured on his great voyage. Two of these were but of twenty tons burden each, and the third only of ten, while the aggregate crews numbered but thirty-five men. With this tiny squadron less in size than a trio of fishing-smacks, the daring adventure set out to traverse the northern seas and face the waves of the Great Pacific if fortune should open to him its gates. On the eleventh of July, 1576, the southern extremity of Greenland was sighted. It presented a more icy aspect than that which the Norsemen had seen nearly six centuries before. Sailing thence westward, the land of the continent came into view, and for the first time by modern Europeans was seen that strange race now so well-known under the name of Eskimo. The characteristics of this people and the conditions of their life are plainly described. The captain went on shore and was encountered with mighty deer which ran at him with danger of his life. Here he had sight of the savages which rode to his ship in boats of seal skins with a keel of wood within them. They ate raw flesh and fish or rather devoured the same. They had long black hair, broad faces, flat noses, tawny of colour or like an olive. His first voyage went not beyond this point. He returned home having lost five of his men who were carried off by the natives. But he brought with him that which was sure to pave the way to future voyages. This was a piece of glittering stone which the ignorant goldsmiths of London evidently declared to be oar of gold. Frobisher's first voyage had been delayed by the great difficulty in obtaining aid. For his new project assistance was freely offered. Queen Elizabeth herself moved by hope of treasure coming to his help with a hundred and eighty-ton craft the aid to which two smaller vessels were added. These being provisioned and manned the bold navigator with a merry wind in his sails set out again for the desolate north. His first discovery here was of the strait now known by his name up which he passed in a boat with the mistaken notion in his mind that the land bounding the strait to the south was America and that to the north was Asia. The natives proved friendly but Frobisher soon succeeded in making them hostile. He seized some of them and attempted to drag them to his boat that he might conciliate them by presence. The Eskimos however did not approve of this forcible method of conciliation and the unwise knight reached the boat alone with an arrow in his leg. But to their great joy the mariners found plenty of the shining yellow stones and stowed abundance of them on their ships deeming like certain Virginian gold seekers of a later date that their fortunes were now surely made. They found also a great dead fish round like a porpoise twelve feet long having a horn of two yards lacking two inches growing out of the snout wreathed and straight like a wax taper and might be thought to be a sea unicorn. It was reserved as a jewel by the Queen's commandment in her wardrobe of robes. A northwest wind having cleared the strait of ice the navigators sailed gaily forward full of the belief that the Pacific would soon open to their eyes. It was not long before they were in a battle with the Eskimos. They had found European articles in some native kayaks which they supposed belonged to the men they had lost the year before. To rescue or revenge these unfortunates Frobisher attacked the natives who valiantly resisted even plucking the arrows from their bodies to use as missiles and when mortally hurt flinging themselves from the rocks into the sea. At length they gave ground and fled to the loftier cliffs leaving two of their women as trophies to the assailants. These two, one being old as the record the other encumbered with a young child we took. The old witch whom diverse of our sailors supposed to be either the devil or a witch had her buskins plucked off to see if she were cloven footed and for her ugly hue and deformity we let her go. The young woman and child we brought away. This was not the last of their encounters with the Eskimos who incensed against them made every effort to entrap them into their power. Their stratagems consisted in placing tempting pieces of meat at points near which they lay in ambush and in pretending lameness to decoy the Englishmen into pursuit. These schemes failing they made a furious assault upon the vessel with arrows and other missiles. Before the strait could be fully traversed ice had formed so thickly that further progress was stopped and leaving the hope for Cathay for future voyagers the mariners turned their prow's homeward their vessels laden with two hundred tons of the glittering stone. Strangely enough an examination of this material failed to dispel the delusion. The scientists of that day declared that it was genuine gold ore and expressed their belief that the road to China lay through Frobisher Strait. Untold wealth far surpassing that which the Spaniards had obtained in Mexico and Peru seemed ready to shower into England's coffers. Frobisher was now given the proud honor of kissing the Queen's hand. His neck was encircled with a chain of gold of more value than his entire two hundred tons of ore and with a fleet of fifteen ships, one of them of four hundred tons he set sail again for the land of the golden promise. Of the things that happened to him in this voyage one of the most curious is thus related. The salamander, one of their ships, being under both her courses and bonnets happened to strike upon a great whale with her full stem with such a blow that the ship stood still and neither stirred backward or forward. The whale thereat made a great and hideous noise and casting up his body and tail presently sank under water. Within two days they found a whale dead which they supposed was this which the salamander had stricken. Other peril came to the fleet from icebergs through the midst of which they were driven by a tempest but they finally made their way into what is now known as Hudson Strait up to which, filled with hope that the continental limits would quickly be passed and the route to China opened before them, they sailed some sixty miles. But to their disappointment they found that they were being turned southward and instead of crossing the continent were descending into its heart. Reluctantly Frobisher turned back and after many buffettings from the storms managed to bring part of his fleet into Frobisher Bay. So much time had been lost that it was not safe to proceed. Winter might surprise them in those icy wilds. Therefore shipping immense quantities of the fool's gold which had led them so sadly astray they turned their prowls once more homeward reaching England's shores in early October. Meanwhile the ore had been found to be absolutely worthless. The golden dreams which had roused England to exultation had faded away and the new shiploads they brought were esteemed to be hardly worth their weight as ballast. For this disappointment the unlucky Frobisher who had been appointed high admiral of all lands and waters which he might discover could not be held to blame. It was not he that had pronounced the worthless Pyrite's gold and he had but obeyed orders in bringing new cargoes of this useless rubbish to add to the weight of Albion's rock-bound shores. But he could not obtain aid for a new voyage to the icy north. England for the time had lost all interest in that unpromising region and Frobisher was forced to employ in other directions his skill in seamanship. With the after-career of this unsuccessful searcher for the northwest passage we have no concern. It will suffice to say that Fortune attended his later ventures upon the seas and that he died in 1594 from a wound he received in a naval battle off the coast of France. CHAPTER III. Champlain and the Iroquois On a bright May morning in the year 1609 at the point where the stream then known as the Riviere des Héroquois and which has since borne the various names of the Richelieu, the Chambley, the St. Louis, the Sorrel and the St. John poured the waters of an unknown interior lake into the channel of the broad St. Lawrence. There was presented a striking spectacle. Everywhere on the liquid surface canoes driven by the steady sweep of paddles wielded by naked and dusky arms shot to and fro. Near the shore a small shallop on whose deck stood a group of armed whites had just cast anchor and was furling its sails. Upon the strip of open land bordering the river and in the woodland beyond were visible great numbers of savage warriors their faces hideously bedobbed with war paint their hands busy in erecting the frail habitations of a temporary camp. The scene was one of striking beauty such as only the virgin wilderness can display. The river ran between walls of fresh green leafage here narrowed yonder widened into a broad reach which was encircled by far sweeping forests. The sun shone broadly on the animated scene while the whites from the deck of their small craft gazed with deep interest on the strange picture before them filled as it was with dusky natives some erecting their forest shelters others fishing in the stream while still others were seeking the forest depths in pursuit of game. The scene is of interest to us for another reason it was the prelude to the first scene of Indian warfare which the eyes of Europeans were to behold in the northern region of the American continent. The Spaniards had been long established in the south but no English settlement had yet been made on the shores of the new world and the French had but recently built a group of wooden edifices on that precipitous height which is now crowned with the walls and the spires of Quebec. Not long had the whites been there before the native hunters of the forests came to gaze with wondering eyes on those pale faced strangers with their unusual attire and surprising powers of architecture. And quickly they begged their aid in an expedition against their powerful enemies the confederated nations of the Iroquois who dwelt in a wonderful lake region to the south and by their strength, skill and valor had made themselves the terror of the tribes. Samuel de Champlain, an adventurous Frenchman who had already won himself reputation by an exploration of the Spanish domain of the West Indies was now in authority at Quebec and did not hesitate to promise his aid in the coming foray moved perhaps by that thirst for discovery and war-like spirit which burned deeply in his breast. The Indians had told him of great lakes and mighty rivers to the south and doubtless the ardent wish to be the first to traverse these unknown waters was a moving impulse in his ready assent. With the opening season the warriors gathered Hurons and Algonquins, a numerous band. They paddled to Quebec gazed with surprise on the strange buildings the story of which had already been told in their distant wigwams and on their no less strange inmates feasted, smoked and debated and shrank in consternation from the piercing report of the archibus and the cannon's frightful roar. Their savage hearts were filled with exultation on learning the powers of their new allies. Surely these wonderful strangers would deal destruction on their terrible foes. Burning with thirst for vengeance they made their faces frightful with the war-paint danced with frenzy gestures round the blaze of their campfires filled the air with ear-piercing war-woops and at the word of command hastened to their canoes and swept in hasty phalanx up the mighty stream accompanied by Champlain and eleven other white allies. Two days the war-party remained encamped at the place where we have seen them hunting, fishing, fasting and quarreling the latter so effectually that numbers of them took to their canoes and paddled angrily away scarce a fourth of the original array being left for the march upon the dreaded enemy. It was no easy task which now lay before them the journey was long, the way was difficult Onward again swept the diminutive squadron the shallop out-sailing the canoes and making its way up the Richelieu Champlain being too ardent with the fever of discovery to await the slow work of the paddles He had not, however, sailed far up that forest-enclosed stream before unwelcome sounds came to his ears The roar of rushing and tumbling water sounded through the still air and now through the screen of leaves came a vision of snowy foam and the flash of leaping waves The Indians had lied to him They had promised him an unobstructed route to the Great Lake ahead and here already were rapids in his path How far did the obstruction extend? That must be learned Leaving the shallop he set out with part of his men to explore the wilds It was no easy journey Tangled vines, dense thickets swampy recesses crossed the way Here lay half-decade tree trunks There heaps of rocks lifted their mossy tops in the path And ever as they went the roar of the rapids followed while through the foliage could be seen the hurrying waters pouring over rocks stealing amid drift logs eddying in chasms and shooting in white lines of foam along every open space Was this the open river of which he had been told? This the ready route to the Great Lake beyond? In anger and dismay Champlain retraced his steps to find when he reached the shallop that the canoes of the savages had come up and now filled the stream around it The disappointed adventurer did not hesitate to tell them that they had lied to him but he went on to say that though they had broken their word he would keep his In truth the vision of the mighty lake with its chain of islands its fertile shores and bordering forests and with all the ardor of the pioneer he was determined to push onward into that realm of the unknown but their plans must be changed Nine of the men were sent back to Quebec with the shallop Champlain with two others determined to proceed in the Indian canoes At his command the warriors lifted their light boats from the water and bore them on their shoulders over the difficult portage past the rapids to the smooth stream above Here launching them again the paddles once more broke the placid surface of the stream and onward they went still through the primeval forest which stretched away in an unbroken expanse of green It was a virgin solitude unmarked by habitation destitute of human inmate abundant with game for it was the debatable land between warring tribes traversed only by hostile bands the battleground of Iroquois none could dwell here in safety even hunting parties had to be constantly prepared for war Through this region of blood and terror the canoes made their way now reduced to 24 in number manned by 60 warriors and three white allies The advance was made with great caution for danger was in the air Scouts were sent in advance through the forests others were thrown out on the flanks and rear for game as they went for the store of pounded and parched maze which the warriors had brought with them was to be kept for food when the vicinity of the foe should render hunting impossible The scene that night as described by Champlain was one to be remembered The canoes were drawn up closely side by side Active life pervaded the chosen camp Here some gathered dry wood for their fires to cover their forest wigwams yonder the sound of axes was followed by the roar of falling trees The savages had steel axes obtained from the French and with their aid in two hours a strong defensive work constructed of the felled trunks was built a half circle in form with the river at its two ends This was the extent of their precautions The returning scouts reported that the forest in advance was empty of foes The tawny host cast themselves in full security on the grassy soil setting no guards and were soon lost in slumber with that blind trust in fortune which has ever been one of the weak features of Indian warfare They had not failed however to consult their oracles those spirits which the medicine man was looked upon as an adept at invoking and whose council was ever diligently sought by the superstitious natives The stranger crept within his skin-covered lodge where crouched upon the earth he filled the air with inarticulate invocations to the surrounding spirits While outside squatted on the ground the dusky auditors looked and listened with awe Suddenly the lodge began to rock violently by the power of the spirits as the Indians deemed Though Champlain fancied that the arm of the medicine man was the only spirit at work Look on the peak of the lodge the odd savages you will see fire and smoke rise into the air Champlain looked but saw nothing The medicine man by this time had worked himself into convulsions He called loudly upon the spirit in an unknown language and was answered in squeaking tones like those of a young puppy This powerful spirit was deemed to be present in the form of a stone When the conjurer reappeared his body streamed with perspiration he had to tell promised an auspicious termination of the enterprise This was not the only performance of the warriors There was another of a more rational character Bundles of sticks were collected by the leading chief which he stuck in the earth in a fixed order calling each by the name of some warrior the taller ones representing the chiefs The arrangement of the sticks indicated the plan of battle Each warrior was to occupy the position indicated by his special stick The savages gathered closely round intently studied the plan then formed their ranks in accordance therewith broke them, reformed them and continued the process with a skill and alacrity that surprised and pleased their civilized observer With the early morning light they again advanced following the ever widening stream in whose midst, islands, leagues and extent now appeared Beyond came broad channels and soon the delighted explorer found that the river had ended and that the canoes were moving over the broad bosom of that great lake of which the Indians had told him and which has ever since borne his name It was a charming scene which thus first met the eyes of civilized man Far in front spread the inland sea On either side distant forests clad in the fresh leafage of June marked the borders of the lake On the way over their leafy tops appeared lofty heights On the left of the green mountains lifted their forest clad ridges with patches of snow still whitening their tops On the right rose the clustering hills of the Adirondacks then the hunting grounds of the Iroquois and destined to remain the game preserves of the whites long after the axe and plough had subdued all the remainder of that forest clad domain They had reached a region where they could play a prominent part in the coming history of America The savages told their interested auditors of another lake thickly studded with islands beyond that on which they now were and still beyond a rocky portage over which they hoped to carry their canoes and a great river which flowed far down to the mighty waters of the sea If they met not the foe sooner they would press onward to this stream and there perhaps surprised some town whose settlements approached its banks This same liquid root in later days was to be traversed by warlike hosts both in the French and Indian and the Revolutionary wars and to be signalized by the capture of Burgoyne and his invading host one of the most vital events in the American struggle for liberty The present expedition was not to go so far Hostile bands were to be met before they left the sheet of water over which their canoes now glided Onward they went, the root becoming hourly more dangerous At length they changed their mode of progress resting in the depths of the forest all day long taking to the waters at twilight and paddling cautiously onward till the crimsoning of the eastern sky told them the day was near at hand Then the canoes were drawn up in sheltered coves and the warriors chatting, smoking and sleeping spent on the leafy lake borders the slow moving hours of the day The journey was a long one It was the 29th of July when they reached a point far down the lake near the present site of Crown Point They had paddled all night They hid here all day Champlain fell asleep on a heap of spruce boughs and in his slumber dreamed that he had seen the Iroquois drowning in the lake and that when he tried to rescue them he had been told by his Algonquin friends to leave them alone leaving The Indians believed in the power of dreams They had beset Champlain daily to learn if he had had any visions When now he told them his dream they were filled with joy victory had spoken into his slumbering ear With gladness they re-embarked when night came on and continued their course down the lake They had not far to go at ten o'clock through the shadows of the night they beheld a number of dark objects on the lake before them It was a fleet of Iroquois canoes heavier and slower craft than those of the Algonquins for they were made of oak or elm bark instead of the light paper birch used by the latter Each party saw the other and recognized that they were in the presence of foes War cries sounded over the shadowy waters The Iroquois who preferred to do their fighting on land and who were nearer the shore hastened to the beach and began at once to build a barricade of logs the air of the night with yells of defiance as they worked away like beavers The allies meanwhile remained on the lake their canoes lashed together with poles dancing with a vigor that imperiled their frail barks and answering the taunts and menaces of their foes with equally vociferous abuse It was agreed that the battle should be deferred till daybreak As day approached, Champlain and his two followers armed themselves, their armor consisting of cuirass or breastplate steel coverings for the thighs and a plumed helmet for the head By the side of the leader hung his sword and in his hand was his archibus which he had loaded with four balls The savages of these woods were now first to learn the destructive power of that weapon for which in the years to come they would themselves discard the antiquated bow The Iroquois much outnumbered their foes There were some two hundred of them in all Tall, powerful men the boldest warriors of America whose steady march excited Champlain's admiration as he saw them filing from their barricade and advancing through the woods As for himself and his two companions they had remained concealed in the canoes and not even when a landing was made did the Iroquois behold the strangely clad allies of their hereditary enemies Not until they stood face to face ready for the battle cry did the Algonquin ranks open and the white men advance in the large gaze of the Iroquois Never before had they set eyes on such an apparition and they stood in mute wonder while Champlain raised his archibus took aim at a chief and fired The chief fell dead a warrior by his side fell wounded in the bushes As the report rang through the air a frightful yell came from the allies and in an instant their arrows were whizzing thickly through the ranks of their foes For a moment the Iroquois stood their ground and turned arrow for arrow But when from the two flanks of their adversaries came new reports and other warriors bit the dust Their courage gave way to panic terror and they turned and fled in wild haste through the forest swiftly pursued by the triumphant Algonquins Several of the Iroquois were killed a number were captured At night the victors camped in triumph on the field of battle torturing one of their captives Champlain begged to put him out of pain and sent a bullet through his heart Thus ended the first battle between whites and Indians on the soil of the northern United States in a victory for which the French were to pay dearly in future days at the hands of their now vanquished foes With the dawn of the next day the victors began their retreat A few days of rapid paddling brought them to the Richelieu Here they separated the Hurons and Algonquins returning to their homes by way of the Ottawa The Montagnier who dwell in the vicinity of Quebec accompanying Champlain to his new built city The Iroquois however were not the men to be quelled by a single defeat In June of the ensuing year a war party of them advanced to the mouth of the Richelieu and a second fierce battle took place As another vivid example of the character of Indian warfare the story of this conflict may be added to that already given On an island in the St. Lawrence near the mouth of the Richelieu was gathered a horde of Montagnier Indians Champlain and others of the whites being with them A war party of Algonquins was expected and busy preparations were being made for feast and dance in order that they might be received with due honour In the midst of this festival activity an event occurred that suddenly changed thoughts of peace to those of war At a distance on the stream appeared a single canoe approaching as rapidly as strong arms could drive it through the water On coming near its inmates called out loudly that the Algonquins were in the forest engaged in battle with a hundred Iroquois who, outnumbered, were fighting from behind a barricade of trees which they had hastily erected In an instant the air was filled with deafening cries tidings of battles were to the Indians like a fresh scent to hounds of the chase The Montagnier flew to their canoes and paddled with frantic haste to the opposite shore loudly calling on Champlain and his fellow whites to follow They obeyed crossing the streaming canoes As the shore was reached the warriors flung down their paddles snatched up their weapons and darted into the woods with such speed that the Frenchmen found it impossible to keep them in sight It was a hot and oppressive day the air was filled with mosquitoes so thick, says Champlain that we could hardly draw breath and it was wonderful how cruelly they persecuted us Their root lay through swampy soil where the water at places stood knee-deep over fallen logs wet and slimy and under entangling vines their heavy armor added to their discomfort The air was close and heavy All together it was a progress fit to make one sicken of warfare in the wilderness After struggling onward till they were almost in despair they saw two Indians in the distance and by vigorous shouts secured their aid as guides to the field of battle An instinct seemed to guide the savages through that dense entangled forest In a short time they led the laboring whites to a point where the woodland grew thinner and within hearing of the wild war-woops of the combatants Soon they emerged into a partial clearing which had been made by the axes of the Iroquois in preparing their breastwork of defense Champlain gazed upon the scene before him with wondering eyes In front was a circular barricade composed of trunks of trees, boughs and matted twigs behind which the Iroquois stood like tigers at bay In the edge of the forest around were clustered their yelling foes screaming shrill defiance yet afraid to attack for they had already been driven back with severe loss Their hope now lay in their white allies and when they saw Champlain and his men a yell arose that rent the air and a cloud of winged arrows was poured into the woodland fort The beleaguered Iroquois replied with as fierce a shout and with a better-aimed shower of arrows At least Champlain had reason to think so for one of these stone-headed darts split his ear and tore a furrow through the muscles of his neck One of his men received a similar wound Furious with pain, Champlain, secure in his steel armor rushed to the woodland fort, followed by his men and discharged their archibuses through its crevices upon the dismayed savages who, wild with terror at this new and deadly weapon flung themselves flat upon the earth at each report At each moment the scene of war grew more animated The assailing Indians yelling in triumph ran up under cover of their large wooden shields and began to tug at the trees of the barricade while other of them gathered thickly in the bushes for the final onset And now from the forest depths came hurrying to the scene a new party of French allies a boat's crew of fur traders who had heard the firing and flown with warlike eagerness to take part in the fight The bullets of these new assailants added to the terror of the Iroquois They writhed and darted to and fro to escape the leaden missiles that tore through their frail barricade At a signal from Champlain the allies rushed from their leafy covert flew to the breastwork, tore down or clambered over the boughs and precipitated themselves into the fort while the French ceased their firing and led a party of Indians to the assault on the opposite side The howls of defiance, screams of pain, deafening war-woops and dull sound of deadly blows were now redoubled Many of the Iroquois stood their ground, hewing with tomahawks and war-clubs and dying not unrevenged Some leaped the barrier and were killed by the crowd outside Others sprang into the river and were drowned Of them all, not one escaped and at the end of the conflict but fifteen remained alive Prisoners in the hands of their deadly foes, destined victims of torture and flame On the next day a large party of Hurons arrived and heard with envy the story of the fight in which they were too late to take part The forest and river shore were crowded with Indian huts Hundreds of warriors assembled who spent the day in wild war dances and songs then loaded their canoes and paddled away in triumph to their homes without a thought of following up their success and striking yet heavier blows upon their dreaded enemy Even Champlain, who was versed in civilized warfare made no attempt to lead them to an invasion of the Iroquois realm He did not dream of the deadly reprisal but a defeated race would exact for this day of disaster Of the further doings of Champlain we shall relate but one incident a thrilling adventure which he tells of his being lost in the interminable woodland depths Year after year he continued his explorations now voyaging far up the Ottawa now reaching the mighty inland sea of Lake Huron voyaging upon its waters and visiting the Indian villages upon its shores now again battling with the Iroquois who this time drove their assailants in baffled confusion from their fort now joining an Indian hunting party and taking part with them in their annual deer hunt For this they constructed two lines of posts interlaced with bows each more than half a mile long and converging to a point where a strong enclosure was built The hunters drove the deer before them into this enclosure where others dispatched them with spears and arrows It was during this expedition that the incident referred to took place Champlain had gone into the forest with the hunters Here he saw a bird new to him and whose brilliant hue and strange shape struck him with surprise and admiration It was, to judge from his description, a red-headed woodpecker Bent on possessing this winged marvel he pursued it gun in hand from bow to bow from tree to tree the bird flitted onward leading the unthinking hunter step by step deeper into the wilderness Then, when he surely thought to capture his prize the luring wonder took wing and vanished in the forest depths Disappointed, Champlain turned to seek his friends But in what direction should he go? The day was cloudy, he had left his pocket compass at the camp The forest spread in endless lines around him he stood in helpless bewilderment and dismay All day he wandered blindly and at nightfall found himself still in hopeless solitude Weary and hungry, he lay down at the foot of a great tree and passed the night in broken slumbers The next day he wandered onward in the same blind helplessness reaching, in late afternoon, the waters of a forest pond shadowed by thick pines and with waterfowl on its brink One of these he shot, kindled a fire and cooked it for the first time since his misadventure, tasted food At night there came on a cold rain drenched by which the blanketless wanderer was forced to seek sleep in the open wood Another day of fruitless wandering succeeded another night of unrefreshing slumber Pads were found in the forest but they had been made by other feet than those of men and if followed would lead him deeper into the seemingly endless wild Roused by the new day from his chill couch the lost wanderer despairingly roamed on now almost hopeless of escape Yet what sound was that which reached his ear? It was the silvery tinkle of a woodland reel which crept onward unseen in the depths of a bushy glen A ray of hope shot into his breast This descending rivulet might lead him to the river where the hunters laying camped With renewed energy he traced its course making his way through thicket and glen Led ever onwards by that musical sound till he found himself on the borders of a small lake within which the waters of his forest guide were lost This lake he felt must have an outlet He circled round it clambering over fallen trees and forcing his way through thorny vines till he saw amid roots of alder bushes a streamlet flow from the lakeside This he hopefully followed Not far had he gone before a dull roar met his ears breaking the silent silence of the woods It was the sound of falling waters He hastened forward The wood grew thinner Light appeared before him Pushing gladly onward he broke through the screening bushes and found himself on the edge of an open meadow wild animals its only tenets some browsing on the grass others lurking in bushy coverts Yet a more gladsome sight to his eyes was the broad river which here rushed along in a turbulent rapid whose roar it was which had come to his ear in the forest glades He looked about him On the rocky river bank was a portage path made by Indian feet The place seemed familiar A second sweeping gaze Yes, here were points he had seen before He was saved Glad at heart he camped upon the river brink Kindled a fire Cooked the remains of his game Just that night at least in dreamless sleep With daybreak he rose, followed the river downwards and soon saw the smoke of the Indian campfires ascending in the morning air In a few moments he had joined his dusky friends greatly to their delight They had sought him everywhere in vain and now chided him gently for his careless risk declaring that thenceforth they would never suffer him to go into the forest alone End of Chapter 3 Chapter 4 of Historical Tales, Volume 1, American This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by Kalinda Historical Tales, Volume 1, American by Charles Morris Chapter 4 Sir William Phipps and the Silver Ship The story of a poor boy born on the edge of the wilderness at a despicable plantation on the river of Kennebec and almost the farthest village of the eastern settlement of New England Yet who ended his life as governor and nobleman is what we have to tell It is one of the most romantic stories in history He was born in 1651 being a scion of the early days of the Puritan colony He came from a highly prolific pioneer family He had twenty brothers and five sisters Yet none but himself of this extensive family was heard of in history or biography Genius is too rare a quality to be spread through such a flock His father was a gunsmith Of the children, William was one of the youngest After his father's death, he helped his mother at sheep keeping in the wilderness till he was eighteen years of age Then there came an unaccountable impulse upon his mind that he was born to greater matters The seed of genius planted in his nature The story of the early life of William Phipps may be told in a few words From sheep-tending, he turned to carpentry becoming an expert ship carpenter With this trade at his fingers ends, he went to Boston and there first learned to read and write accomplishments which had not penetrated to the Kennebec His next step was to marry his wife being a widow, a Mrs. Hall with little money but good connections She lifted our carpenter a step higher in the social scale At that time, says his biographer, he was one tall beyond the common set of men and thick as well as tall and strong as well as thick exceedingly robust and able to conquer such difficulties of diet and of travel as would have killed most men alive He was of a very comely, though a very manly, countenance and in character of a most incomparable generosity He hated anything small or mean was somewhat caloric but not given to nourish malice To this notable young man there soon came an adventure He had become a master workman and built a ship for some Boston merchants on the River Sheepscoat a few leaks from his native Kennebec The vessel was finished and ready to be loaded with lumber but its first cargo proved to be very different from that which Phipps had designed For Indians attacked the settlement The inhabitants, flying for their lives crowded on board the vessel and Phipps set sail with a ship load of his old friends and neighbors who could pay him only in thanks It is not unlikely that some of his own brothers and sisters were among the rescued Certainly, the extensive family of Phipps must have spread somewhat widely over the coast region of Maine William Phipps's first adventure had proved unprofitable except in works of charity But he was not one to be easily put down having in his nature an abundance of the perilous stuff of ambition He was not the man to sit down and wait for fortune to come to him Rather, he belonged to those who go to seek fortune He was determined, he told his wife, to become captain of a king's ship and owner of a fair brick house in the Green Lane of North Boston It took him some eight or nine years to make good the first of these predictions and then, in the year 1683 he sailed into the harbor of Boston as captain of the Algia Rose a frigate of 18 guns and 95 men It was by the magic wand of sunken silver that our hero achieved the success The treasures of Peru loaded on Spanish ships had not all reached the ports of Spain Some cargoes of silver had gone to the bottom of the Atlantic Phipps had heard of such a wreck on the Bahamas had sailed thither and had made enough money by the Enterprise to pay him for a voyage to England While in the Bahamas he had been told of another Spanish wreck wherein was lost a mighty treasure hitherto undiscovered It was this that took him to England He had made up his mind to be the discoverer of this sunken treasure ship The idea took possession of him wholly His hope was to interest some wealthy persons or the government itself in his design The man must have had in him something of that silver-tongued eloquence which makes persuasion easy For the royalties at Whitehall heard him with favor and support and he came back to New England captain of a king's ship with full powers to search the seas for silver And now we have reached the verge of the romance of the life of William Phipps He had before him a difficult task but he possessed the qualities which enable men to meet and overcome difficulty The silver ship was said to have been sunk in the Bahamas, the exact spot it was not easy to learn for half a century had passed since its demise Sailing thither in the Algia Rose Phipps set himself to find the sunken treasure Here and there he dredged using every effort to gain information trying every spot available ending now in disappointment starting now with renewed hope continuing with unflagging energy His frequent failures would have discouraged a common man but Phipps was not a common man and would not accept defeat The resolute searcher had more than the difficulties of the sea-bottom to contend with His men lost hope, grew weary of unprofitable labor and at last rose in mutiny They fancied that they saw their way clear to an easier method of getting silver and marched with drawn cutlaces to the quarter-deck where they bade their commander to give up his useless search and set sail for the south seas There they would become pirates and get silver without dredging or dredging It was a dangerous crisis Phipps stood with empty hands before that crew of armed and reckless men Yet collar and courage proved stronger than sword-blades Roused to fury he rushed upon the mutineers with bare hands knocked them down till the deck was strewn with fallen bodies and by sheer force of anger and fearlessness quelled the mutiny and forced the men to return to their duty They were quelled but not conquered The daring adventurer was to have a more dangerous encounter with these would-be pirates Some further time had passed in fruitless search The frigate lay careened beside a rock of a Bahamian island some eight or ten men being at work on its barnacled sides while the others had been allowed to go on shore They pretended that they wished to take a ramble in the tropical woods What they wished to do was to organize a more effectual mutiny, seize the ship leave the captain and those who held with him on that island and sail away as lawless rovers of the sea Under the great trees of that Spanish island moss grown and bowery in a secluded spot which nature seemed to have set aside for secret councils The mutinous crew perfected their plans and signed a round robin compact which pledged all present to the perilous enterprise One man they needed to make their project sure they could not do without the carpenter He was at work on the vessel They sent him a message to come to them in the woods He came, heard their plans affected to look on them favorably but asked for a half hour to consider the matter This they were not disposed to grant They must have an answer at once The carpenter looked about him dark and resolute faces surrounded him Yet he earnestly declared he must have the time They vigorously declared he should not He was persistent and in the end prevailed The half hour respite was granted The carpenter then said that he must return to the vessel His absence from his work would look suspicious They could send a man with him to see that he kept faith The enterprise would be in danger if the captain noticed his absence The mutineers were not men of much intelligence or shrewdness and consented to his return The carpenter who had at heart no thought of joining the mutineers had gained his point and saved the ship In spite of the guard upon his movements he managed to get a minutes interview with Captain Phipps in which he told him what was afoot He was quickly at his post again and under the eyes of his guard but he had accomplished his purpose Captain Phipps was quick to realize the danger and called about him those who were still in the ship They all agreed to stand by him By good fortune the gunner was among them The energetic captain lost no time in devising what was to be done During the work on the ship the provisions had been taken ashore and placed in a tent where several pieces of artillery were mounted to defend them in case the Spaniards to whom the island belonged should appear Quickly but quietly these guns were brought back to the ship Then they and the other guns of the ship were loaded and brought to bear on the tent and the gangway which connected the ship with the land was drawn on board No time had elapsed but Captain Phipps was ready for his mutinous crew To avert suspicion during these preparations the carpenter at the suggestion of Phipps had gone ashore and announced himself as ready to join the mutineers This gave them great satisfaction and after a short interval to complete their plans they issued in a body from the woods and approached the ship As they drew near the tent, however they looked at one another in surprise and dismay The guns were gone We are betrayed! was the fearful whisper that ran around the circle Stand off you wretches at your peril! cried the captain in stern accents The guns of the ship were trained upon them They knew the metal of Captain Phipps In a minute more cannonballs might be plowing deadly gaps through their midst They dared not fly, they dared not fight Hannock fear took possession of them They fell upon their knees in a body Begged the captain not to fire and vowed that they would rather live and die with him than any other man in the world All they had found fault with was that he would not turn pirate otherwise he was the man of their hearts The captain was stern, they were humble and beseeching In the end he made them deliver up their arms and then permitted them to come on board a thoroughly quelled body of mutineers Captain Phipps knew better than to trust these men a third time The moment the ship was in sailing trim he hoisted anchor and sailed for Jamaica where he turned the whole crew except the few faithful ones adrift and shipped another crew, smaller but as he hoped more trustworthy The treasure ship still drew him like a magnet He had not begun to think of giving up the search Discouragement, failure, mutiny were to him but incidents The silver was there somewhere and have it he would if perseverance would avail From Jamaica he sailed to Hispaniola There his fluent persuasiveness came again into play He met a very old man, Spaniard or Portuguese who was said to know where the ship lay and by the policy of his address wormed from him some further information about the treasure ship The old man told him that it had been wrecked on a reef of shoals and seas from Hispaniola and just north of Port de la Plata which place got its name from the landing there of a boatload of soldiers with plates saved from the sinking vessel Phipps proceeded thither and searched narrowly but without a veil The sea held its treasures well, the charmed spot was not to be found The new crew also seemed growing mutinous Phipps had had enough of mutiny He hoisted sail and made the best of his way back to England Here, trouble and annoyance awaited him He found powerful enemies Doubtless ridicule also met his projects To plow the bottom of the Atlantic in search of a ship that had gone down 50 years before certainly seemed to yield fair food for mirth Yet the polite behavior, the plausible speech the enthusiasm and energy of the man had their effect He won friends among the higher nobility The story of the mutiny and of its bold suppression had also its effect A man who could attack a horde of armed mutineers with his bare fists a man so ready and resolute in time of danger so unflinchingly persevering in time of discouragement was the man to succeed if success were possible Finally, the Duke of Albemarle and some others agreed to supply funds for the expedition and Captain Phipps in no long time had another ship under his feet and was once more upon the seas His ship was now accompanied by a tender He had contrived many instruments to aid him in his search It is said that he invented the diving bell There was certainly one used by him but it may have been an old device improved by his Yankee ingenuity Port de la Plata was reached in due time the year being 1684 or 1685 Here, Phipps had a large canoe or periago made fitted for eight or ten oars It was hollowed out from the trunk of a cotton tree He used his own hands and ads in the work enduring much hardship and lying abroad in the woods many nights together The shoals where search was to be made were known by the name of the boilers They lay only two or three feet below the surface yet their sloping sides were so steep that says one author, a ship striking on them would immediately sink down who could say how many fathom into the ocean The tender and the periago were anchored near these dangerous shoals and the work went on from them Days passed still of fruitless labour The men as they said could make nothing of all their peeping among the boilers Fortunately they had calm weather and a quiet sea and could all day long pursue their labours around and among the shoals A day came in which one of them looking far down into the smooth water saw what is known as a sea feather One of the attractive products of those gardens of the sea growing out of what seemed a rock below him He turned to an Indian diver and asked him to dive down and bring it up We will take it to the captain, he said It is tiresome going back always empty handed The diver made the leap In a minute he was back with the sea feather in his hand There were signs of excitement on his dusky face as he climbed into the boat He had indeed a surprising story to tell I saw great guns down there, he said What? Guns? was the general cry Yes, great guns as from some ship Guns! the despondency of the crew had once changed to ardent enthusiasm Had they at length hit upon the spot for which they had so long sought in vain The Indian was told to dive again and see what could be found He did so When he came up their eyes were ready to start from their heads They bore with them an object of infinite promise to their wealth-craving souls It was a lump of silver, a sow they called it Worth some two or three hundred pounds in money The search was over, the spot was found Fortune lay within their reach Marking the spot with a buoy they rode back to the ship on which the captain had remained Here they, disposed to have some sport, declared with long faces that the affair had better come to an end Wasting time and labour, the sea had no treasure to yield If we were wise, captain, said the leading speaker We'd pull up stakes and sail back from merry old England There's nothing but failure here As much work done in digging and dredging at home would bring tenfold more profit Phipps listened in silence to him and the others looking from face to face Our disappointments have been many, he replied, in a calm and resolute tone We do not despair, I am determined to wait patiently on God's providence We will find the treasure ship yet, my lads, do not lose courage Turning his gaze to one side as he spoke he started violently and then asked in a tone so constrained that it seemed the voice of agony Why, what is this? Whence comes this? He had caught sight of the sow of silver which they had cunningly laid a little out of direct vision It is silver, Captain Phipps, said the spokesman, we did but just with you That came from the bottom of the sea, all is well we have found the treasure ship Then thanks be to God we are made, cried the captain, clasping his hands in fervent thankfulness There was no longer any lack of energy in the labour All hands went to work with a hearty goodwill Curiosity to learn what the sea had to yield wrought upon them as much as desire for reward Up came the silver, sow after sow In a short time they had brought up no less than thirty-two tons of this precious metal With six tons besides that were raised and appropriated by a Captain Adderley of Providence Whom Phipps had engaged to help him and who took this means of helping himself His crew was small but his diligence great The silver was not all in sows, much of it was coined And this coined silver was in many cases covered with a crust several inches thick Of limestone-like material It came out in great lumps, the crust needing to be broken with iron tools When outward tumble whole bushels of rusty pieces of eight Nor was the treasure confined to silver There came up gold in large quantities and also pearls and other precious stones The Spaniards had gleaned actively in those days of old When the treasures of Peru were theirs for the taking And the ocean, its secret hiding place once found, yielded generously In short, the treasure recovered is said to have been worth nearly three hundred thousand pounds sterling They did not exhaust the deposit, their provisions failed And they had to leave before the work was completed Others who came after them were well paid for their labor The treasure on board, Captain Phipps had new trouble The men, seeing such vast litters of silver sows and pigs come on board Were not content with ordinary sailors' pay They might even be tempted to seize the ship and take its rich lading for themselves Phipps was in great apprehension He had not forgotten the conduct of his former crew He did his utmost to gain the friendship of his men And promised them a handsome reward for their services Even if he had to give them all his own share England was reached in safety and the kingdom electrified by the story of Captain Phipps' success The romantic incidents of the narrative attracted universal attention Phipps was the hero of the hour Some of his enemies, it is true, did their utmost to make him a wronged hero They diligently sought to persuade James II, then on the throne To seize the whole treasure as the apanage of the crown And not to be content with the tithe to which his prerogative entitled him James II was tyrannical but not unjust He refused to rob the mariners Captain Phipps, he said, he saw to be a person of that honesty, ability, and fidelity That he should not want his countenance Phipps was certainly honest So much so indeed that little of the treasure came to him His promises to his men were carefully kept His employers were paid the last penny of their dues In the end, out of the whole, there remained to himself less than sixteen thousand pounds The Duke of Albemarle, moved by admiration for this honesty Gave him as a present from his wife A gold cup of the value of nearly one thousand pounds As for the king, he was so pleased with the whole conduct of the adventurer And perhaps so charmed by Phipps' silvery speech That he conferred on him the honour of knighthood And the plain Kennebec boy became Sir William Phipps And a member of the aristocracy of England Everyone acknowledged that the discovery owed his success to merit, not to luck He was evidently a man of the highest capacity And might had he chosen have filled high places And gained great honours in England But America was his native land And he was not to be kept from its shores He became such a favourite at court That one day, when King James was particularly gracious to him And asked him what favour he desired He replied that he asked nothing for himself But hoped that the king would restore to his native province His lost liberties by returning the charter of which it had been deprived Anything but that exclaimed James Who had no idea of restoring liberty to motherland or colony He appointed Phipps, however, high sheriff of New England And the adventurer returned home as a man of power and station On his way there he visited the silver ship again And succeeded in adding something of value to his fortune Then, sailing to Boston, he rejoined his wife after a five years absence And to complete the realisation of his predictions Immediately began to build himself a fair brick house in Green Lane We have finished our story Which was to tell how the sheep boy of the Kennebec Rows to be the high sheriff of New England With the privilege of writing Sir before his name His afterlife was a little less memorable than the part of it told But we have no space left to tell it King James was soon driven from the throne And King William took his place But Sir William Phipps retained his power and influence In 1690 he led an army against Port Royal in Acadia Took it and came back to receive the plaudits of the Bestonians He next attempted to conquer all Canada from the French Attacked Quebec with a strong force but was repulsed Largely in consequence of a storm that scattered his ships The Bostonians had now no plaudits for him The expedition had cost New England about forty thousand pounds And there was not a penny in the treasury The difficulty was overcome by the issue of treasury notes An expedient which was not adopted in England till five years afterward Charles Montague, the alleged inventor of exchequer bills Doubtless owed his idea to the sharp-witted Bostonians The beginning of 1692 found Sir William again in England Once he came back to his native land as Captain General And Governor-in-Chief of the colony of Massachusetts From Sheep Boy he had risen to the title of Your Excellency Phipps was Governor of Massachusetts during the witchcraft delusion The part he took in it was not a very active one But when in 1693 he found that grand juries were beginning To throw out indictments and petite juries to return Vertex of not guilty he ended the whole mad business By emptying the prisons then containing about one hundred and fifty persons committed While over two hundred more were accused In 1693 Governor Phipps led an expedition against the Indians of Maine And forced them to conclude a treaty of peace In 1694 he went to England to answer certain accusations Against his conduct as governor and here was taken suddenly sick And died February 18th 1695 The noble house of Phipps thus instituted Has steadily grown in rank and dignity since that date Bearing successfully the titles of Baron, Viscount, Earl Until finally in 1838 a Phipps attained the rank of Marquis of Normandy It is a remarkable development from the life of that poor boy Of a family of twenty-six whose early life was spent Intending sheep in the wilderness of Maine End of chapter four Chapter five of historical tales volume one, American This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by Kalinda Historical tales volume one, American By Charles Morris Chapter five The Story of the Regicides The years 1675 and 1676 were years of terrible experience For New England The most dreadful of all the Indian outbreaks of that region That known as King Philip's War was raging And hundreds of the inhabitants fell victim to the ruthless rage Of their savage foes Whole villages perished Their inhabitants being slain on the spot Or carried away captive for the more cruel fate of Indian vengeance The province was in a state of terror For none knew at what moment the terrible war-woop might sound And the murderous enemy be upon them with tomahawk and brand Everywhere the whites were on the alert The farmer went to his fields with his musket As an indispensable companion Outlying houses were guarded like fortresses Even places of worship were converted into strongholds And the people prayed with musket in hand And while listening to the exhortations of their pastors Kept keenly alive to the sounds without For none could tell at what moment the foe might break in on their devotions In the frontier town of Hadley, Massachusetts Then on the northwestern edge of civilization On a day in the summer of 1676 The people were thus all gathered at the meeting-house Engaged in divine service It was a day of fasting and prayer Set aside to implore God's aid to relieve the land From the reign of terror which had come upon it Yet the devout villagers, in their appeal for spiritual aid Did not forget the importance of temporal weapons They had brought their muskets with them And took part in the pious exercises With these carnal instruments of safety Within easy reach of their hands Their caution was well advised In the midst of their devotional exercises A powerful body of Indians made a sudden onslaught upon the village They had crept up in their usual stealthy way Under cover of trees and bushes And their wild yells as they assailed the outlying houses Were the first intimation of their approach These alarming sounds reached the ears of the worshippers And quickly brought their devotional services to an end In an instant all thought of dependence upon the Almighty Was replaced by the instinct of dependence upon themselves Grasping their weapons they hurried out to find themselves Face to face with the armed and exultant savages Who now crowded the village street And whose cries of triumph filled the air with discordant sounds The people were confused and frightened Huddled together with little show of order or discipline And void of the spirit and energy Necessary to meet their threatening foe The Indians were on all sides completely surrounding them The suddenness of the alarm The dependence of imminent peril Robbed the villagers of their usual vigor and readiness Signs of panic were visible And had the Indians attacked at that moment The people must have been hurled back in disorderly flight To become, in great part, the victims of their foes It was a critical moment Was Hadley to suffer the fate of other frontier towns Or would the recent prayers of pastor and people Bring some divine interposition in their favour Yes, suddenly it seemed as if God indeed had come to their aid For as they stood there in a state of nervous dread A venerable stranger appeared in their midst A tall, stately personage with long white hair And dressed in strange, old-fashioned garb His countenance beaming with energy and decision Quick, he cried, into line and order at once The Indians are about to charge upon you Take heart and prepare for them They will slaughter you like sheep With the air of one born to command He hastily formed the band of villagers into military array Displaying such skill and ardour That their temporary fright vanished To be succeeded by courage and confidence Had not the Almighty sent this venerable stranger to their aid Should they fear when led by God's messenger? Now upon them, cried their mysterious leader We must have the advantage of the assault Putting himself at their head, he led them on With an ardour remarkable in one of his years The savages, who had been swarming together preparatory to an attack Beheld with surprise this orderly rush forward of the villagers And shrunk from their death-dealing and regular volleys And the white-haired form who led their foes With such fearless audacity struck terror to their superstitious souls Filling them with dread and dismay The struggle that followed was short and decisive Animated by the voice and example of their leader The small band attacked their savage enemies with such vigor And show of discipline that in very few minutes The Indians were in full flight for the wilderness Leaving a considerable number of dead upon the ground Of the villagers only two or three had fallen The grateful people, when the turmoil and confusion of the affray were over Turned to thank their venerable leader for his invaluable aid To their surprise he was nowhere to be seen He had vanished in the same mysterious manner as he had appeared They looked at one another in bewilderment What did this strange event signify? Had God really sent one of his angels from heaven In response to their prayers to rescue them from destruction? Such was the conclusion to which some of the people came While the most of them believed that there was some miracle Concerned in their strange preservation This interesting story which tradition has preserved In the form here given has a no less interesting sequel We know what most of the villagers never knew Who their preserver was And how it happened that he came so opportunely to their rescue To complete our narrative we must go back years in time To the date of 1649 To the year of the execution of Charles I of England 59 signatures had been affixed to the death warrant of this royal criminal A number of the signers afterwards paid the penalty of that day's work on the scaffold We are concerned here with only two of them Generals Wally and Goff Who after the death of Cromwell and the return of Charles II To New England Knowing well what would be their fate if found in their motherland A third of the regicides Colonel Dixwell afterwards joined them in America But his story is void of the romance which surrounded that of his associates Wally and Goff reached Boston in July 1660 The vessel that brought them brought also tidings that Charles II was on the throne Their narratives were well received They had stood high in the Commonwealth Brought letters of commendation from Puritan ministers in England And hoped to dwell in peace in Cambridge Where they decided to fix their residence But the month of November brought a new story to Boston In the act of indemnity passed by Parliament The names of Wally and Goff were among those left out They had played a part in the execution of the king And to the regicides no mercy was to be shown The states were confiscated, their lives declared forfeited Any man who befriended them did so at his own peril These tidings produced excitement and alarm in Boston The Puritans of the colony were all warmly inclined towards their endangered guests Some would have protected them at all hazards Others felt inclined to help them to escape A few thought it might be their duty to take them prisoners The illustrious fugitives settled this difficulty by privately leaving Cambridge And making their way over land to New Haven Here they were well received In truth the Reverend John Davenport, one of the founders of the colony Did not hesitate to speak to his congregation in their behalf We quote from his bold and significant words Whose slightly masked meaning his hearers failed not to understand Withhold not countenance, entertainment and protection from the people of God Whom men may call fools and fanatics If any such come to you from other countries As from France or England or any other place Be not forgetful to entertain strangers Hide the outcasts, betray not him that wandereth Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab Be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler Mr. Davenport was not afraid to live up to the spirit of his words For several weeks the regicides dwelled openly in his house But meanwhile a proclamation from the king had reached Boston Ordering their arrest as traitors and murderers News of its arrival was quickly received at New Haven The fugitives, despite the sympathy of the people, were in imminent danger Measures must be taken for their safety They left New Haven and proceeded to Milford Where they showed themselves in public But by night they covertly returned And for more than a week lay hid in Mr. Davenport's cellar This cellar is still in existence and the place in it where the fugitives are said to have hidden may still be seen But their danger soon grew more imminent Peremptory orders came from England for their arrest Governor Endicott felt obliged to act decisively He gave commission to two young royalists who had recently come from England Empowering them to search through Massachusetts for the fugitives Letters to the governors of the other colonies requesting aid in their purpose were also given them These agents of the king at once started on their mission of death They had no difficulty in tracing the fugitives to New Haven One person went so far as to tell them that the men they sought were secreted in Mr. Davenport's house Stopping at Guilford they showed their warrant to Mr. Leet, the deputy governor And demanded horses for their journey and aid and power to search for and apprehend the fugitives Deputy Leet had little heart for this task He knew very well where the fugitives were but managed to make such excuses and find so many reasons for delay That the agents who arrived on Saturday were detained until Sunday And then as this was puritan New England could not get away till Monday Meanwhile a secret messenger was on his way to New Haven to warn the fugitives of their danger On hearing this startling news they hastily removed from their hiding place in Mr. Davenport's house And were taken to a secluded mill two miles away The royal messengers reached New Haven and demanded the assistance of the authorities in their search They failed to get it Every obstacle was thrown in their way They equally failed to find any trace of the fugitives, though the latter did not leave the immediate vicinity of the town After two days at the mill they were taken to a hiding place at a spot called Hatchet Harbor And soon afterwards finding this place to be too exposed They removed to a cavern-like covert in a heap of large stones near the summit of West Rock, not far from the town Here they remained in hiding for several months, being supplied with food from a lonely farmhouse in the neighborhood The royal agents, finding their search fruitless and their efforts to get aid from the magistrates vexatiously baffled At length returned to Boston where they told a bitter story of the obstinate and pertinacious contempt of His Majesty's orders The fugitives found shelter in a house in Milford where they dwelt in seclusion for two years But danger returned, the king demanded light revenge for his father's death Commissioners from England reached Boston armed with extraordinary powers of search The pursuit was renewed with greater energy than before The fugitives, finding the danger imminent and fearing to bring their protectors into trouble returned to their cave Here they lay for some time in security while the surrounding country was being actively scoured by parties of search On one occasion, when out of their place of shelter they were so nearly overtaken that they only escaped by hiding under a bridge This was what is known as Neck Bridge over Mill River As they sat beneath it they heard above them the hoofbeats of their pursuers' horses on the bridge The sleuthhounds of the law passed on without dreaming how nearly their victims had been within their reach This was not the only narrow escape of the fugitives Several times they were in imminent danger of capture, yet fortune always came to their aid A day arrived in which the cave ceased to serve as a safe harbor of refuge A party of Indians hunting in the woods discovered its lurking occupants Fearing that the savages might betray them to obtain the large number of fugitives The fugitives felt it necessary to seek a new place of shelter A promising plan was devised by their friends, who included all the pious Puritans of the colony Leaving the vicinity of New Haven and travelling by night only, the aged regicides made their way through many miles of forest to Hadley Then an outpost in the wilderness Here the Reverend John Russell, who ministered to the spiritual wants of the inhabitants Gladly received and sheltered them His house had been lately added to and contained many rooms and closets In doing this work a hiding place had been prepared for his expected guests One of the closets in the garret had doors opening into two chambers while its floorboards were so laid That they could be slipped aside and admit to a dark under-closet From this there seems to have been a passageway to the cellar With this provision for their retreat in case the house should be searched Mr. Russell gave harbour to the hunted regicides, the secret of their presence being known only to his family and one or two of the most trusty inhabitants The fugitives, happily for them, had no occasion to avail themselves of the concealed closet Their place of hiding remained for years unsuspected In time the rigor of the search was given up and for many years they remained here in safety Their secret being remarkably well kept It was in 1664 that they reached Hadley In 1676 when Colonel Goff so opportunely served the villages in their extremity So little was it known that two strangers had dwelt for twelve years concealed in their midst That some of the people, as we have said, decided that their rescuer must be an angel from heaven In defaults of other explanation of his sudden appearance There is little more to say about them General Wally died at Hadley, probably in the year of the Indian raid And was buried in the cellar of Mr. Russell's house His secret being kept even after his death His bones have since been found there As for General Goff, his place of exit from this earth is a mystery Tradition says that he left Hadley, went westward towards Virginia, and vanished from human sight and knowledge The place of his death and burial remains unknown It may be said in conclusion that Colonel Dixwell joined his fellow regicides in Hadley in 1665 He had taken the name of Davids and was not known to be in America and was comparatively safe He had no reason to hide and dwelt in a retired part of the town Where his presence and intercourse doubtless went far to relieve the monotony of life of his fellows in exile He afterwards lived many years in New Haven where he spent much of his time in reading History being his favourite subject In walking in the neighbouring groves And in intercourse with the more cultivated inhabitants The Reverend Mr. Pierpont being his intimate friend He married twice while here and at his death left a wife and two children who resumed his true name Which he made known in his last illness His descendants are well known in New England and the Dixwells are among the most respected Boston families of today End of chapter 5