Soldier Rigdale: How He Sailed in the Mayflower and How He Served Miles Standish

by Beulah Marie Dix

  CHAPTER X

  THE LORDS OF THE SOIL

  SAMOSET proved as good as his word. The very next morning, for all itwas Sunday, back he came, and with him five other tall Indians, whowere even more wonderful fellows than he, for they were clad in skinsof deer or of wildcat, and had dressed their hair with feathers, andpainted their faces in black streaks. To divert their English hosts,they sang and danced, which Master Hopkins called a violation of thesanctity of the day, but Miles privately thought most edifying.

  He was even better pleased when that night, at the departure of hiscomrades, Samoset was ill or feigned to be, so, spite of MistressHopkins, he must be sheltered in her husband's house. Thus for threedays Miles dwelt under the same roof with a live Indian, and ate atthe same board, till he came to have not the least tremor at sight ofa copper-colored face. Indeed, he neglected every task he was set, todog the Indian guest about the street and make shy efforts at talk withhim, and he was heartily grieved when at last, on Wednesday, Samosetwent away into the forest.

  "No doubt he'll come again, the mistress always makes him so welcome,"Ned Lister consoled Miles, "and each time he goes, for his furtherencouragement, they give him a present. This morning they gave hima hat and shoes and stockings, and a shirt and a loin cloth. I takeit, 'tis because I am what Master Hopkins calls a son of Belial thatit makes me to laugh, when I think of Sagamore Samoset in an Englishheadpiece with a flapping brim."

  "I'm mighty sorry he went," sighed Miles, uncomforted. "I was learningthe Indian words, so I could talk to him presently, like CaptainStandish. 'Cossaquot,' that means _bow_; and 'et chossucke' is _aknife_; and 'petuckquanocke' is _bread_; and--"

  Ned yawned suggestively, and fell to work again. He and Miles thatafternoon were busied in the spaded garden patch at the north end ofthe dooryard, where they were pressing the seeds into the soft earth.The sun was hot, and, as Miles worked, he smeared his warm face withhis fingers, till Ned assured him he was all streaked brown, like anIndian.

  But though it was hot and dirty labor, it was far manlier than to beever dandling a baby; so Miles toiled on earnestly, spite of Ned'sindolent example, and did not pause even to stretch his cramped legsor straighten his aching back till mid-afternoon. Then he started upat a noise of people hurrying through the street, the sound of a quickfootstep, the rattle of the house-door.

  "'Tis Master Hopkins has taken his musket and gone forth," spoke Ned,who was lounging farther down the garden. "Somewhat's afoot." Away hewent to look into the matter, and Miles ran stiffly after.

  Out in the street the men and boys, and even one or two girls, werehastening toward the bluff above the spring. As they went, a confusedtalking spread among them, from which Miles learned that yonder, on thegreat wooded hill across the brook, Indians had been seen,--Indians whobrandished their bows and whetted their arrows in defiance. CaptainStandish and Master Hopkins and two men from the _Mayflower_ had gonedown to cross the brook and parley with them. Look, yonder they wentnow!

  From where the company had halted, high up beyond Goodman Cooke'scottage, Miles could see the bright river and the hill opposite, thickwith unleaved woods. Up its base wound slowly the little band ofEnglishmen, now half-screened, now wholly visible; but Miles lookedfrom them, higher up the slope, where the bare branches were agitated,as if something moved among them. "'Tis the savages!" said one; but,strain his eyes as he would, Miles saw through the bushes only thesad-colored English doublets.

  Yet, with an anxiety he scarcely comprehended, the men lingered on thebluff, watching and discussing in grave tones, till the Captain andhis followers came toilsomely up the path from the spring. They hadseen naught; the savages had not suffered them draw nigh them, CaptainStandish explained, so briefly that he seemed curt, while his puckeredbrows still were bent on the slope whence the Indians had sent theirdefiance.

  Slowly the little group of curious and troubled people scattered, someof the weightier ones to speak with the Governor and the Captain,others to simpler tasks. Miles went back to his garden, but thesunlight had now left that corner of the yard. The great hill, wherestood the guns, looked black against the sky, and there seemed in allout-of-doors a menace that made him glad at dusk to get within thehouse. Throughout supper the men kept from speaking of the savages withan elaborateness that made their silence the more suspicious, and theunspoken anxiety wrought on Miles till at bedtime he smuggled Trug intothe chamber and made the dog lie near him.

  Next morning, in the clear sunlight, Miles's courage revived mightily,but his elders still looked sober. None the less, whether Indiansthreatened or no, the work of the colony must be done: all the morningmen and boys trudged about their tasks, though none went far afield;and after the noon meal the men gathered once more at the Common House,to consider the public business which the first coming of Samoset hadbroken off.

  Oceanus was ailing that afternoon and needed his mother, so Mileshad to mind Damaris for a dreary hour. As he sat with her upon thedoorstone, he spied a noiseless little group of some five Indianspassing down the street, and, alert at once, he begged leave to run seewhat might happen; but Mistress Hopkins, all a-tremble herself, forbadehim venture out while those bloodthirsty wretches were abroad, and evenmade him come in and shut the door fast.

  But speedily there sounded a rattling knock to which the mistressmust open, and in came the men of the household, so hurriedly thatstraightway the living room was in confusion. For the great SagamoreMassasoit, with his brother Quadequina and sixty warriors, was at hand,just across the brook. One of the Indians, Squanto, who could speakEnglish, had gone back to bid him enter the settlement, and the men ofthe colony must get under arms to receive him; perhaps even to defendthemselves, Master Hopkins let a word fall.

  There followed a great throwing-on of buff-jackets and buckling ofsword-belts, while Giles, newly appointed drummer to the colony,rattled over the pots and kettles in a meaningless search for hisdrumsticks, which some one had surely moved from the place where heleft them. Oceanus wailed, Damaris, indignant at being neglected,screamed aloud, Trug barked, and Mistress Hopkins scolded, but somehow,in the midst of the hurly-burly, the three men equipped themselves andtramped away; and right at their heels went Giles, with the drumstickswhich Constance had found.

  But the door closed behind them and shut Miles, a soldier in name only,in with the women and children for another tedious hour. Damaris foundlittle rest in his arms those minutes, while he ran from the westernwindow, whence he could see a bit of the street and the path to thespring, to the eastern window, whence, far down the street, he beheldthe men gathered in martial line, all in armor, which glimmered bravelyin the afternoon sun.

  He was still gazing down the street when Constance, who had venturedto the other window, called to him in a terrified voice: "Miles! Oh,Miles! Come hither. 'Tis Indians indeed. Hundreds of them!"

  With no wish to see further, the girl drew away from the westernwindow, and Miles thrust eagerly into her place. Yes, there wereIndians indeed, swarms of them, it seemed at first sight, so heflinched back a little from the casement. For they were filing pastthe house, and that brought them so near that Miles could see eventhe grotesque figures in which their faces were painted. But soon heperceived English musketeers marshalling them, and he saw, too, thatthe savages were unarmed. Their mission must be peaceful, he judged;so, eager and unafraid, he stared at them, and was sorry when the lastone disappeared down the street.

  Just then, as he turned from the window, sounded the tap, tap of adrum. "It is the Governor and the rest of the men with drum and trumpetmarching up the street," spoke Constance from the eastern casement."They have led the savages into the unfinished cottage by the CommonHouse, and now they are going in to them."

  Miles, at her side, squirmed with impatience. "There's Jack yonderbeneath the cottage window," he exclaimed, "and Francis and Joe. Andthere's such a deal to see. And I'm sure they are all good, harmlessIndians." He gave a glance toward the bedroom, where he could hearMistress Hopkins lulling
Oceanus, then whispered Constance: "Won't youmind Damaris? I'll tell you all about it when I come back."

  "I see not why you wish to go forth at such a time, but I'll do 'tfor you. Run quick, ere stepmother stop you," answered kind-heartedConstance; and away sped Miles.

  Still, he was too late to share in the main excitement, for when hecame into the yard of the unfinished house, he found the door fast shutand all the great folk, white or copper-colored, gone within. Only twomusketeers remained outside to keep watch, and Edward Dotey, who wasone of them, proved so unsympathetic as to cuff Francis Billington whenhe tried to get a peep in at the window. Much discouraged, for wheresaucy Francis failed to go there was no hope for the others, the smallboys of the colony gathered in a patient little group in the dooryardto talk of these great happenings.

  "Master Winslow has gone out amongst the Indians," said Jack, "andthey're holding him as hostage for their old King. 'Twas right valiantof him--"

  "Pooh! The Captain would 'a' gone just as quick," Miles retortedjealously. "There's naught to be afraid of, anyway. I would I wereGiles Hopkins, and stood there in the house with the savages."

  "My father is in there too," spoke little Love Brewster, who hadattached himself to Miles, "but he is so good I do not think even anIndian would hurt him. But there were very many of them, and if mymother had come close to see, I am sure she would have been afraid.Perhaps I were best go home and tell her there's no need to fear. Youcome with me, pray you, Miles."

  Young Rigdale had no wish to take his eyes from the door of the house,but plainly the little boy was fearful enough to want his company upthe street, so he went with him, and at the Elder's cottage stayed amoment to reassure the women grandly.

  Dolly had no interest in Indians, since she found in the case ofSamoset that they did not carry about with them a store of prettybaskets, such as the one her father had brought her; but PriscillaMullins was eager to know everything, and questioned Miles and listenedto him most flatteringly, till he offered: "If you wish to go forth andview the Indians, Priscilla, I'll go and take care of you."

  Whereat young Mistress Mullins laughed, and, slipping her hand underhis chin, kissed him for his courtesy, "like a baby."

  Red and indignant, Miles flung out of the house; then forgot theinsult, as he saw Giles, with a platter in his hand, hurrying up thestreet from Governor Carver's cottage. "What are you doing there?" hecalled, running to intercept the elder lad.

  "Fresh meat," panted Giles. "The Governor wished it for the King. Ihad this bit of a goose from Mistress Carver, and now I've remembered amallard I saw stepmother set to boil."

  It took him very few minutes to hurry into his father's house, and outagain with a second larger platter balanced in one hand, but, short asthe space was, Miles had laid a plan. Stepping up to Giles, he tookfrom him Mistress Carver's dish of meat. "Let me aid you," he profferedinnocently.

  "So that's what you're scheming," laughed Giles; but he let Miles,under that pretext, come at his side down the street, past the littlegroup of envious boys, up the doorstone of the unfinished cottage, andso into the very council chamber.

  The room was close and hazy with smoke from the pipes of tobacco thatthe King and the chief of the English puffed at, but, spite of thedimness, Miles speedily made out the shapes of the Indians. Black,red, yellow, and white, their faces were partly or wholly smeared withpaint, and, through the wavering smoke-wreaths, their look was so grimthat for an instant he hesitated on the threshold.

  But Giles went on, so he followed, across the room, between whatseemed endless rows of Indians in hairy skins who stood or squattedon the floor, up to the table, where sat a tall, stalwart savage.Imitating Giles, Miles set down his dish of meat before him, and, withan agitated bow, drew back to the wall, where he wedged himself inbetween Lister and young Hopkins. "That's the King, yonder at table,"the latter whispered him softly.

  He did not look at all as Miles thought a king should look, that savageat the table. He wore a scant covering of skins,--a dress like that ofhis followers, save that the King had also about his neck a great chainof white bone beads. His face was painted a dark red; and face and headalike were oiled so he looked greasy; he fed untidily with his fingers,and sometimes, when he would give a morsel to one of his followers,rent the meat with his hands.

  But, for all he seemed so busy with feeding, his quick eyes weredarting about the smoky room,--now resting on the Governor, whosat at table near him; now on the English musketeers who lined thewalls,--and, to Miles's thinking, the King looked on them timorously;now on his own followers, who crowded silently about him. One of theIndians, squatting on the floor, held in his hands the English trumpet,on which he tried to blow, and, for a moment, the King paused to harkwith a child's wonder to his efforts, then once more began tearingMistress Hopkins's mallard.

  When nothing but bones was left of the bird, Giles slipped the plattersfrom the table, and now the serious work of the conference seemed tobegin. Up from the floor behind the table, where they had sat, rosetwo savages, who should interpret between Massasoit and the Governor;the one was a stranger, probably that Squanto whom Master Hopkins hadmentioned; the other, Miles's old acquaintance, Samoset. A transformedSamoset, however, with an English felt hat low on his brows and anEnglish shirt worn over his meagre native garments after the manner ofa carter's frock. Ned Lister, standing rigid and soldierly against thewall, took Miles a sudden dig in the ribs, and winked at him with a"Didn't I tell you as much" expression.

  Miles, on his good behavior, neither looked at him nor smiled, butfixed his gaze on the men about the table. The sun had now shifted downthe sky, so a great bar of light thrust in at the western window. Theyellow brightness flecked across Elder Brewster's grizzled head, madeGovernor Carver's stiff ruff even more dazzlingly white, and gleamedback again from Captain Standish's steel corselet. It rested, too, onthe papers which Master William Bradford had laid on the table beforehim, but Master Bradford's grave face, as he bent forward to write whatthe Governor bade, was in shadow. The features of Massasoit, too, weredark to see, but here and there, as the sunlight, bursting throughthe smoke, wavered across the room, the painted face or coppery bareshoulders of one of his followers stood out.

  The two interpreters jerked out the gutturals of their outlandishtongue, to which the King grunted assent, or now and again the Governorspoke a measured word. But outside the window a bird was singing in ahigh, purling strain; and Miles wondered if it were a fat, red-breastedbird, and thought more on its song and on the motes that swam in thesunlight, than on what the Governor was saying.

  After all, he was glad when the conference broke up. He was tired ofstanding stiffly, and the air of the room was heavy; and the Indians,when they neither ate nor played with trumpets, but just sat stolid,were a bit stupid. He scuffed softly but impatiently at the rear of thetrain, as the company filed forth; the Governor and the King, side byside, went first, and then, all in some semblance of order, the Indianwarriors and the English leaders and soldiery.

  Outside, a guard of honor formed about the Governor and his guest, andgave them fitting escort to the brook; but Miles remained behind androused the envy of his mates, with an account of what he had seen,till, in fickle fashion, they forsook him at the coming of a secondguest, Quadequina, the brother of Massasoit, who, in his turn, wouldhave a taste of English hospitality. He could not, however, comparein dignity and importance with Massasoit; he was just a tall, comelyyoung savage, who liked English biscuit and strong waters, but likedthe English muskets so little that his hosts good-naturedly laidthem aside. Massasoit was not cowardly like that, Miles assured hiscomrades; Massasoit was every inch a king, and it was a mighty honor tohave been in the same room with him.

  Quadequina had been but a short time gone, and the long shadows werefilling the river valley with a grayness, when back across the brook,quite unruffled by his long detention, came Master Edward Winslow. Hisfellow-colonists might be glad to see him, and he to return unscathedto them, but he carried
it laughingly. He was all sound, save that hewas uncommon hungry,--Miles, following admiringly, caught a scrap ofhis speech to Captain Standish,--the Indians had tried to buy the armoroff his back and the sword from his side, and he knew not but he mighthave sold them for a mess of pottage, only he saw no such savory viandamong the savages, nor anything, indeed, but groundnuts.

  Now that Master Winslow was returned, the colonists released theIndians whom they had held as hostages for him, and sent them away.Save only Samoset and Squanto, no Indians were suffered to remain inthe settlement, but the rumor went that King Massasoit and all hispeople had encamped for the night on the wooded hill across the brook,so a strict watch was set.

  "Do you think there will be fighting yet?" Miles questioned Giles, asthey walked home to supper. "Quadequina was afeard of our muskets. Itake it, we could beat those Indians."

  "To be sure, there'll be no fighting," answered Giles, as he tucked hisdrum under one arm in a professional way. "We've struck a truce withthe savages."

  Later, at supper, Miles heard it all explained. This was a dolorousmeal, for the meat had been devoured by his Majesty, Massasoit, andMistress Hopkins was ill-tempered and rated Miles for running away thatafternoon, and, to add to her discomfort, Samoset came blandly to supwith his old entertainers. "This has been an ill day such as I wishnever to see the like of again," fretted the poor woman.

  "It is a happy day for our colony," said Master Hopkins gravely. "Doyou not realize, Elizabeth, that we have this afternoon made a peacewith our heathen neighbors that, by the will of Heaven, shall provelasting? King Massasoit has covenanted that none of his people shall dous harm as we go abroad; and, if he be attacked, we shall aid in hisdefense, or if other tribe of savages assail us, he shall do us thelike service. Yea, the hand of Providence has been with us this day.Yesternight it was all menace; but to-night we can hope for peace."

  Miles, in his place at table, looked at Samoset, very solemn in hisfunny shirt and hat, and, blinking sleepily at the candle, took littleconcern for the earnestness of Master Hopkins's words. He scarcelyrealized that this was almost the second founding day of New Plymouth;but he did know that he had stood within arm's reach of King Massasoit,an exploit of which no other boy in the colony could boast; and, whenhe went to bed, he dreamed all night of red and blue and green Indians.