Three Young Pioneers Read online

  CHAPTER II

  THE NEW HOME

  Six years had swiftly passed by since that memorable landing, and theMassachusetts Company had in this time made fine progress.

  The band of emigrants, numbering about a thousand people, had settled invarious places, some in Salem, but the majority in the new Colony ofBoston, which Governor Winthrop made the capital.

  He was an excellent leader, and as soon as he had established hisColony, a steady stream of immigrants poured in from England, thoughthere were troubles and hardships enough for the settlers.

  Mr. Bradley came over from Salem, and selling his little farm in theforest clearing, started a business in Boston, where he dealt with theIndians, of whom he bought rich and costly furs, which they exchangedfor such articles as the white people had to offer.

  The Indians wanted cooking utensils, guns, and above all fire-water;guns were more effective than their bows and arrows when they werehunting wild animals, though later, when they became hostile to thewhite people, the governors did all in their power to prevent tradersfrom furnishing them rifles and ammunition.

  They also forbade them to sell to the Indians the much-desiredfire-water or whiskey, for this insidious poison worked great havocamong them. So anxious were they to obtain it, that they sold theirlast fur blanket to the white trader, and when they got their whiskythey drank to excess, and in their fits of drunkenness committedoutrages both upon their own people and the whites.

  Mr. Bradley was a true Christian, and therefore refrained from sellingto the Indians such things as might harm them. They were like children,and would have given in exchange for worthless beads and trinkets themost expensive and valuable furs. In this way, Mr. Bradley could havemade much money, but his heart was not covetous, and he tried his bestto teach the Indians what articles were really of use to them.

  So he prospered, but not as much as did the wicked traders who onlyconsidered their gain, and who without qualms of conscience sold to theIndians worthless and even harmful things.

  His home was near the fort, and it was substantially built of huge logswhich he had felled in the forest.

  Since his wife was accustomed to luxuries and comforts, he tried tomake his home as pleasant as possible, though she proved herself a goodpioneer, who did not grumble when she did not have the many fine thingsto which she was used in England, and which could not be obtained inthe Colony.

  "God has given me so much that is precious," she would say as herhusband expressed his regrets that he could not do more for her. "Ihave you, my dear husband, and God has sent us two obedient and piouschildren, though we have none of our own. So while not giving us all wewant, He has nevertheless filled our cup of happiness to overflowing."

  "And to me He has given a most godly and faithful wife," Mr. Bradleywould then say as he caught her up into his arms. "How shall I ever beable to thank Him enough for His tender mercies!"

  "And we have here so many friends and good neighbors," Mrs. Bradleywould say; "the whole Colony is like one big family, though at timesthey do quarrel over religion and other things. Yet in general they aretruly Christian people who desire to do what is right."

  The husband assented. "Yes, our Massachusetts Colony is the mostprosperous of them all. Every vessel brings hundreds of settlers, andthe Indians live with us in peace and harmony. May God continue Hisblessings upon us, for we are not worthy of them."

  Of course, there were also hard times when food was scarce, and whensickness and trouble afflicted many hearts.

  Yet God had given to the Colony a man of great piety and wisdom who inall matters of general and private administration conducted himselfwith prudence and vision.

  The Winthrops were great friends of the Bradleys, and often in thewinter evenings they would sit together and discuss weighty matterspertaining to the welfare of the Colony. In this way, our friendsbecame intimately acquainted with that great and good man. But everysettler acknowledged his sterling virtues, and up to the time of hisdeath in 1649, he was elected almost continually governor of the Colony.For contrary to the prevailing custom, the Massachusetts colonists couldelect their own governors, as provided by their charter.

  Governor Winthrop dressed very plainly so that when you met him, youcould not at all tell by his clothes that he was governor. He was alsoa very humble man, and labored with his hands among his servants, sincehe was not ashamed of working. This put zest into those that wereinclined to be indolent and who shirked the many toils that werenecessitated by the upbuilding of the Colony.

  In order to spread the principles of temperance Governor Winthrop dranklittle but water, and also in other respects he encouraged the habits oftemperance and sobriety. This was very necessary since peace andprosperity attend a people only if it is temperate in all things.

  When the Colony had little food, he liberally gave to the poor people ofhis own store. Once his last bread was in the oven, yet when hungrypeople came to him, and begged for flour, he dispensed to them the smallremainder. Fortunately, that very day a shipload of provisions arrived,and for a time the distress was alleviated.

  Governor Winthrop also encouraged his fellow colonists in the Christianvirtue of forgiveness. One time a leading man of the Colony wrote himan angry letter, but this he sent back at once with the note appended:"I am not willing to keep such a provocation to ill-feeling by me."The offender, a man of great influence, replied immediately: "Yourovercoming yourself, has overcome me." He became one of his warmestfriends and from that time diligently assisted him in his arduous tasks.

  The Governor was not desirous of vainglory, though according to thecustom of the time, he might have demanded absolute submission andobedience. But he was a man who rather desired the love of hisfellowmen than their slavish fear, and in all things he guided them so,that they could well govern themselves.

  His greatest boast was that he had a "loving and dutiful son," whofollowed in his father's footsteps and was as pious and sincere in hisreligion as he was. This son grew up to be a man of excellent virtues,and he became the first governor of the Colony of Connecticut.

  No wonder that under such a governor the Colony prospered and becamestronger from year to year! And what a blessing it was for our twolittle friends that they were brought up in such a Christian atmosphereand home!

  It is true, sometimes Fred longed to find out what became of his father,but in spite of all efforts made to ascertain anything about him,nothing was heard of him.

  In those early times many a settler disappeared, and no one ever learnedwhat had become of him. The woods were full of fierce animals, theIndians at times were hostile, and took revenge for real or imaginedinjuries which they suffered by killing innocent persons, for theyregarded the Colonies as so many units, so that the wrongs inflicted byindividuals were regarded as having been done by the whole community.

  In the long and dreary winters storms and tempests would rage, and manya settler lost his way in the forests, and perished miserably in thedeep snow. Then when spring came, forest streams would wash away thebodies, or wild animals would devour them. In short, there were manyways to account for the disappearance of Fred's father, as the boylearned when he grew up.

  Yet he was not a boy to brood over matters that could not be changed,and the rich and varied life in the Colony gave him little time fordreaming idle dreams.

  In the mornings he rose early, and went with Mr. Bradley to his finestore, which was near the house. There the Indians gathered, andbrought their furs and other goods of barter and sale.

  Fred soon learned to trust the Indians and to like them, and in a shorttime he was able to attend to many a sale himself. He knew the valueof furs, and the prices for all articles in his foster-father's store.

  Though the language of the Indians was difficult for the white people tolearn, the bright lad made rapid progress in it, especially as he playedwith the Indian children, who did not know a word of English.

  This knowledge helped him considerably
in his dealings with the Indianswho trusted the white people the more as they used their language.

  Agnes in the meanwhile stayed in the house with Mrs. Bradley, helpingher in the many duties which the housewife of that time had to perform.

  Every colonist raised some corn and garden vegetables, and such thingsas contributed to the food supply of the community; for the foodquestion was of great importance to them.

  The corn they planted after Indian fashion, placing two fish into theholes into which the kernels were dropped. The Indians connected withthis act some superstitious rite, but the white people knew that thefish were necessary to fertilize the sterile soil. Soon they usedimproved methods, and their harvests were much greater than those of theIndians.

  In the course of time Agnes learned from Mrs. Bradley every art ofmanaging a home. She could sew garments, make moccasins, heal bruisesand wounds, cook the various dishes which the Puritans liked, and inshort, attend to the many tasks of managing a home.

  Mrs. Bradley never had occasion to be sorry for having adopted thechildren, and often she would thank God for them as she considered thatshe had none of her own. How lonely the large house of the traderwould have been had not Fred and Agnes brought life into it!

  But their life was not all work.

  Their foster parents were very conscientious in giving them a goodeducation, and for this purpose they hired Master Henry, a youngtheologian who had studied in England, and now continued his studiesprivately under the instruction of the learned Reverend John Davenport.

  In the meanwhile he earned a few shillings by instructing children,visiting the sick, and doing other useful things for the busy minister,whose tasks increased as the Colony became larger from year to year.

  Master Henry's teaching was not the kind which was practiced bypedagogues of little learning and experience, who ruled with the rodand inculcated their lessons by blows and punishments.

  Fred and his sister liked to learn, and their lessons were alwaysprepared thoroughly the evening before.

  So when shortly after midday the young minister would come to Mr.Bradley's home, he was welcomed by the children with great joy.

  Mrs. Bradley always kept a bowl of rich, hot soup for him, or somedainty which he liked. But Master Henry was a man of frugal habits, andwhile he enjoyed his meal, he partook of the food very sparingly.

  The instruction would continue till four o'clock, the children weregiven a vacation during which they might divert themselves.

  These were the golden hours of unqualified joy when they amusedthemselves to their heart's delight. As Mr. Bradley was becomingwealthy, he could allow them many pleasures which poor parents had todeny their children.

  As soon as they were old enough, he bought them two small horses whichthey could use very well, as the means of transportation were veryprimitive. So they rode out into the forests and made friends with theIndians, or they visited the other Colonies which were not far away.To the north there was the Salem Colony, and to the south, the oldColony of Plymouth, which was the mother colony of all the Englishsettlements. On these trips they not only made many friends, but alsobecame acquainted with the country and learned to lose all fear of whitemen and Indians.

  One summer Fred, with the help of young Indian friends, made a boat,and he and Agnes rowed up the rivers and streams of which there weremany.

  At first their only weapons were bows and arrows and home-made spearswhich they could use with the skill of the Indians. However, when theybecame older, Mr. Bradley allowed them small firearms for their huntingexpeditions.

  Thus Fred and Agnes spent a very happy life in the Boston Colony, andthey grew up to be strong and healthy, with a wisdom not gotten out ofbooks merely, but which their varied experience taught them.

  They could swim, skate, cover long distances over the snow by means ofsnow-shoes, shoot, ride horseback, and do almost all the things whichthe pioneers did.

  Like all the Puritans they were well versed in the Bible, and they knewmany hymns by heart, so that when they joined the church, they did thisof their own accord and with firm convictions.

  Thus six years passed by with rapidity, and before he realized it, Fredwas fourteen years old, while Agnes was thirteen.

  Their life had been very happy, and in mind and body they had maturedso, that they appeared to be much older than they really were. Mr.Bradley could trust Fred with almost any task that he would assign toa man, while Agnes was a regular little tom boy, who was skilled notonly in the duties of a good young lady, but also in those of young men.Whether she was in the house, or outside, she could always be dependedupon.

  There was not a better rider in the whole community than she, and shehandled every sort of weapon with great skill.

  Life in the Colony was pleasant indeed!