THE SEVENTEENTH REMOVE
A comfortable remove it was to me, because
of my hopes. They gave me a pack, and along we went cheerfully; but quickly my
will proved more than my strength; having little or no refreshing, my strength
failed me, and my spirits were almost quite gone. Now may I say with David
"I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like
the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down like the locust; my knees
are weak through fasting, and my flesh faileth of fatness" (Psalm
119.22-24). At night we came to an Indian town, and the Indians sat down by a
wigwam discoursing, but I was almost spent, and could scarce speak. I laid down
my load, and went into the wigwam, and there sat an Indian boiling of horses
feet (they being wont to eat the flesh first, and when the feet were old and
dried, and they had nothing else, they would cut off the feet and use them). I
asked him to give me a little of his broth, or water they were boiling in; he
took a dish, and gave me one spoonful of samp, and bid me take as much of the
broth as I would. Then I put some of the hot water to the samp, and drank it
up, and my spirit came again. He gave me also a piece of the ruff or ridding of
the small guts, and I broiled it on the coals; and now may I say with Jonathan,
"See, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a
little of this honey" (1 Samuel 14.29). Now is my spirit revived again;
though means be never so inconsiderable, yet if the Lord bestow His blessing
upon them, they shall refresh both soul and body.
We took up our packs and along we went,
but a wearisome day I had of it. As we went along I saw an Englishman stripped
naked, and lying dead upon the ground, but knew not who it was. Then we came to
another Indian town, where we stayed all night. In this town there were four
English children, captives; and one of them my own sister's. I went to see how
she did, and she was well, considering her captive condition. I would have
tarried that night with her, but they that owned her would not suffer it. Then
I went into another wigwam, where they were boiling corn and beans, which was a
lovely sight to see, but I could not get a taste thereof. Then I went to
another wigwam, where there were two of the English children; the squaw was
boiling horses feet; then she cut me off a little piece, and gave one of the
English children a piece also. Being very hungry I had quickly eat up mine, but
the child could not bite it, it was so tough and sinewy, but lay sucking,
gnawing, chewing and slabbering of it in the mouth and hand. Then I took it of
the child, and eat it myself, and savory it was to my taste. Then I may say as
Job 6.7, "The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful
meat." Thus the Lord made that pleasant refreshing, which another time
would have been an abomination. Then I went home to my mistress's wigwam; and
they told me I disgraced my master with begging, and if I did so any more, they
would knock me in the head. I told them, they had as good knock me in head as
starve me to death.
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