of those Indians unto all pious and impartial men, that shall peruse this script; and so far as in me lies, to vindicate the hand of God and religion, that these Christians profess and practise; and to declare I cannot join with the multitude, that would cast them all into the same lump with the profane and brutish heathen, who are as great enemies to our Christian Indians as they are to the English. For though some of them were captivated by the enemy, and escaped with their lives, (so, many of the English that were taken captive also did,) yet this I observed all along in this war, that the wicked Indians (our enemies) did very industriously endeavour to bring the Christian Indians into disaffection with the English, and to this end raised several false reports concerning them, as if they held a correspondency with them, and on the other side sent their secret messages to the Christian Indians that the English designed, in the conclusion, to destroy them all, or send them out of the country for bond slaves; and indeed, if the conscientious and pious rulers of the country had not acted contrary to the minds of sundry men, this last might have proved too true.
1675, Sept. 7th. The Council gave orders to Lieutenant Thomas Henchman, of Chelmsford, to send out an Indian messenger or two,[1] with a safe conduct, to Wannalanset, Sachem of Naamhok,[2] who with some few others (related to him) had withdrawn into the woods for fear, and quartered about Penagoog;[3] this Sachem being a wise man, and true to the English, and a great lover of our nation, presuming the
- ↑ With these messengers was sent the following letter: "This our writing or safe conduct doth declare, that the governor and council of Massachusetts do give you and every of you, provided you exceed not six persons, free liberty of coming unto and returning in safety from the house of Lieut. T. Henchman, at Naamkeake, and there to treat with Capt. Daniel Gookin, and Mr. John Eliot, whom you know, and [whom] we will fully empower to treat and conclude with you upon such meet terms and articles of friendship, amity, and subjection, as were formerly made and concluded between the English and old Passaconaway, your father, and his sons and people; and for this end we have sent these messengers [] to convey these unto you, and to bring your answer, whom we desire you to treat kindly, and speedily to despatch them back to us with your answer. Dated in Boston, 1 Oct. 1675. Signed by order of the Council.
John Leverett, Gov'r.
Edw. Rawson, Sec'r."
- ↑ The same as Naamkeake, since called Amoskeag, now in Hookset, New Hampshire.
- ↑ Pennakook, since Concord, N. H.
