Captivity and Restoration
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Mrs. Mary Rowlandson >> Captivity and Restoration
Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
The sovereignty and goodness of GOD, together with the
faithfulness of his promises displayed, being a narrative of the
captivity and restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, commended by
her, to all that desires to know the Lord's doings to, and
dealings with her. Especially to her dear children and
relations. The second Addition [sic] Corrected and amended.
Written by her own hand for her private use, and now made public
at the earnest desire of some friends, and for the benefit of
the afflicted. Deut. 32.39. See now that I, even I am he, and
there is no god with me, I kill and I make alive, I wound and I
heal, neither is there any can deliver out of my hand.
On the tenth of February 1675, came the Indians with great
numbers upon Lancaster: their first coming was about sunrising;
hearing the noise of some guns, we looked out; several houses
were burning, and the smoke ascending to heaven. There were
five persons taken in one house; the father, and the mother and
a sucking child, they knocked on the head; the other two they
took and carried away alive. There were two others, who being
out of their garrison upon some occasion were set upon; one was
knocked on the head, the other escaped; another there was who
running along was shot and wounded, and fell down; he begged of
them his life, promising them money (as they told me) but they
would not hearken to him but knocked him in head, and stripped
him naked, and split open his bowels. Another, seeing many of
the Indians about his barn, ventured and went out, but was
quickly shot down. There were three others belonging to the
same garrison who were killed; the Indians getting up upon the
roof of the barn, had advantage to shoot down upon them over
their fortification. Thus these murderous wretches went on,
burning, and destroying before them.
At length they came and beset our own house, and quickly it was
the dolefulest day that ever mine eyes saw. The house stood
upon the edge of a hill; some of the Indians got behind the
hill, others into the barn, and others behind anything that
could shelter them; from all which places they shot against the
house, so that the bullets seemed to fly like hail; and quickly
they wounded one man among us, then another, and then a third.
About two hours (according to my observation, in that amazing
time) they had been about the house before they prevailed to
fire it (which they did with flax and hemp, which they brought
out of the barn, and there being no defense about the house,
only two flankers at two opposite corners and one of them not
finished); they fired it once and one ventured out and quenched
it, but they quickly fired it again, and that took. Now is the
dreadful hour come, that I have often heard of (in time of war,
as it was the case of others), but now mine eyes see it. Some
in our house were fighting for their lives, others wallowing in
their blood, the house on fire over our heads, and the bloody
heathen ready to knock us on the head, if we stirred out. Now
might we hear mothers and children crying out for themselves,
and one another, "Lord, what shall we do?" Then I took my
children (and one of my sisters', hers) to go forth and leave
the house: but as soon as we came to the door and appeared, the
Indians shot so thick that the bullets rattled against the
house, as if one had taken an handful of stones and threw them,
so that we were fain to give back. We had six stout dogs
belonging to our garrison, but none of them would stir, though
another time, if any Indian had come to the door, they were
ready to fly upon him and tear him down. The Lord hereby would
make us the more acknowledge His hand, and to see that our help
is always in Him. But out we must go, the fire increasing, and
coming along behind us, roaring, and the Indians gaping before
us with their guns, spears, and hatchets to devour us. No
sooner were we out of the house, but my brother-in-law (being
before wounded, in defending the house, in or near the throat)
fell down dead, whereat the Indians scornfully shouted, and
hallowed, and were presently upon him, stripping off his
clothes, the bullets flying thick, one went through my side, and
the same (as would seem) through the bowels and hand of my dear
child in my arms. One of my elder sisters' children, named
William, had then his leg broken, which the Indians perceiving,
they knocked him on [his] head. Thus were we butchered by those
merciless heathen, standing amazed, with the blood running down
to our heels. My eldest sister being yet in the house, and
seeing those woeful sights, the infidels hauling mothers one
way, and children another, and some wallowing in their blood:
and her elder son telling her that her son William was dead, and
myself was wounded, she said, "And Lord, let me die with them,"
which was no sooner said, but she was struck with a bullet, and
fell down dead over the threshold. I hope she is reaping the
fruit of her good labors, being faithful to the service of God
in her place. In her younger years she lay under much trouble
upon spiritual accounts, till it pleased God to make that
precious scripture take hold of her heart, "And he said unto me,
my Grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Corinthians 12.9). More
than twenty years after, I have heard her tell how sweet and
comfortable that place was to her. But to return: the Indians
laid hold of us, pulling me one way, and the children another,
and said, "Come go along with us"; I told them they would kill
me: they answered, if I were willing to go along with them,
they would not hurt me.
Oh the doleful sight that now was to behold at this house!
"Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he has
made in the earth." Of thirty-seven persons who were in this
one house, none escaped either present death, or a bitter
captivity, save only one, who might say as he, "And I only am
escaped alone to tell the News" (Job 1.15). There were twelve
killed, some shot, some stabbed with their spears, some knocked
down with their hatchets. When we are in prosperity, Oh the
little that we think of such dreadful sights, and to see our
dear friends, and relations lie bleeding out their heart-blood
upon the ground. There was one who was chopped into the head
with a hatchet, and stripped naked, and yet was crawling up and
down. It is a solemn sight to see so many Christians lying in
their blood, some here, and some there, like a company of sheep
torn by wolves, all of them stripped naked by a company of
hell-hounds, roaring, singing, ranting, and insulting, as if
they would have torn our very hearts out; yet the Lord by His
almighty power preserved a number of us from death, for there
were twenty-four of us taken alive and carried captive.
I had often before this said that if the Indians should come, I
should choose rather to be killed by them than taken alive, but
when it came to the trial my mind changed; their glittering
weapons so daunted my spirit, that I chose rather to go along
with those (as I may say) ravenous beasts, than that moment to
end my days; and that I may the better declare what happened to
me during that grievous captivity, I shall particularly speak of
the several removes we had up and down the wilderness.
The First Remove
Now away we must go with those barbarous creatures, with our
bodies wounded and bleeding, and our hearts no less than our
bodies. About a mile we went that night, up upon a hill within
sight of the town, where they intended to lodge. There was hard
by a vacant house (deserted by the English before, for fear of
the Indians). I asked them whether I might not lodge in the
house that night, to which they answered, "What, will you love
English men still?" This was the dolefulest night that ever my
eyes saw. Oh the roaring, and singing and dancing, and yelling
of those black creatures in the night, which made the place a
lively resemblance of hell. And as miserable was the waste that
was there made of horses, cattle, sheep, swine, calves, lambs,
roasting pigs, and fowl (which they had plundered in the town),
some roasting, some lying and burning, and some boiling to feed
our merciless enemies; who were joyful enough, though we were
disconsolate. To add to the dolefulness of the former day, and
the dismalness of the present night, my thoughts ran upon my
losses and sad bereaved condition. All was gone, my husband
gone (at least separated from me, he being in the Bay; and to
add to my grief, the Indians told me they would kill him as he
came homeward), my children gone, my relations and friends gone,
our house and home and all our comforts--within door and
without--all was gone (except my life), and I knew not but the
next moment that might go too. There remained nothing to me but
one poor wounded babe, and it seemed at present worse than death
that it was in such a pitiful condition, bespeaking compassion,
and I had no refreshing for it, nor suitable things to revive
it. Little do many think what is the savageness and brutishness
of this barbarous enemy, Ay, even those that seem to profess
more than others among them, when the English have fallen into
their hands.
Those seven that were killed at Lancaster the summer before upon
a Sabbath day, and the one that was afterward killed upon a
weekday, were slain and mangled in a barbarous manner, by
one-eyed John, and Marlborough's Praying Indians, which Capt.
Mosely brought to Boston, as the Indians told me.
The Second Remove
But now, the next morning, I must turn my back upon the town,
and travel with them into the vast and desolate wilderness, I
knew not whither. It is not my tongue, or pen, can express the
sorrows of my heart, and bitterness of my spirit that I had at
this departure: but God was with me in a wonderful manner,
carrying me along, and bearing up my spirit, that it did not
quite fail. One of the Indians carried my poor wounded babe
upon a horse; it went moaning all along, "I shall die, I shall
die." I went on foot after it, with sorrow that cannot be
expressed. At length I took it off the horse, and carried it in
my arms till my strength failed, and I fell down with it. Then
they set me upon a horse with my wounded child in my lap, and
there being no furniture upon the horse's back, as we were going
down a steep hill we both fell over the horse's head, at which
they, like inhumane creatures, laughed, and rejoiced to see it,
though I thought we should there have ended our days, as
overcome with so many difficulties. But the Lord renewed my
strength still, and carried me along, that I might see more of
His power; yea, so much that I could never have thought of, had
I not experienced it.
After this it quickly began to snow, and when night came on,
they stopped, and now down I must sit in the snow, by a little
fire, and a few boughs behind me, with my sick child in my lap;
and calling much for water, being now (through the wound) fallen
into a violent fever. My own wound also growing so stiff that
I could scarce sit down or rise up; yet so it must be, that I
must sit all this cold winter night upon the cold snowy ground,
with my sick child in my arms, looking that every hour would be
the last of its life; and having no Christian friend near me,
either to comfort or help me. Oh, I may see the wonderful power
of God, that my Spirit did not utterly sink under my affliction:
still the Lord upheld me with His gracious and merciful spirit,
and we were both alive to see the light of the next morning.
The Third Remove
The morning being come, they prepared to go on their way. One
of the Indians got up upon a horse, and they set me up behind
him, with my poor sick babe in my lap. A very wearisome and
tedious day I had of it; what with my own wound, and my child's
being so exceeding sick, and in a lamentable condition with her
wound. It may be easily judged what a poor feeble condition we
were in, there being not the least crumb of refreshing that came
within either of our mouths from Wednesday night to Saturday
night, except only a little cold water. This day in the
afternoon, about an hour by sun, we came to the place where they
intended, viz. an Indian town, called Wenimesset, northward of
Quabaug. When we were come, Oh the number of pagans (now
merciless enemies) that there came about me, that I may say as
David, "I had fainted, unless I had believed, etc" (Psalm
27.13). The next day was the Sabbath. I then remembered how
careless I had been of God's holy time; how many Sabbaths I had
lost and misspent, and how evilly I had walked in God's sight;
which lay so close unto my spirit, that it was easy for me to
see how righteous it was with God to cut off the thread of my
life and cast me out of His presence forever. Yet the Lord
still showed mercy to me, and upheld me; and as He wounded me
with one hand, so he healed me with the other. This day there
came to me one Robert Pepper (a man belonging to Roxbury) who
was taken in Captain Beers's fight, and had been now a
considerable time with the Indians; and up with them almost as
far as Albany, to see King Philip, as he told me, and was now
very lately come into these parts. Hearing, I say, that I was
in this Indian town, he obtained leave to come and see me. He
told me he himself was wounded in the leg at Captain Beer's
fight; and was not able some time to go, but as they carried
him, and as he took oaken leaves and laid to his wound, and
through the blessing of God he was able to travel again. Then
I took oaken leaves and laid to my side, and with the blessing
of God it cured me also; yet before the cure was wrought, I may
say, as it is in Psalm 38.5-6 "My wounds stink and are corrupt,
I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the
day long." I sat much alone with a poor wounded child in my
lap, which moaned night and day, having nothing to revive the
body, or cheer the spirits of her, but instead of that,
sometimes one Indian would come and tell me one hour that "your
master will knock your child in the head," and then a second,
and then a third, "your master will quickly knock your child in
the head."
This was the comfort I had from them, miserable comforters are
ye all, as he said. Thus nine days I sat upon my knees, with my
babe in my lap, till my flesh was raw again; my child being even
ready to depart this sorrowful world, they bade me carry it out
to another wigwam (I suppose because they would not be troubled
with such spectacles) whither I went with a very heavy heart,
and down I sat with the picture of death in my lap. About two
hours in the night, my sweet babe like a lamb departed this life
on Feb. 18, 1675. It being about six years, and five months
old. It was nine days from the first wounding, in this
miserable condition, without any refreshing of one nature or
other, except a little cold water. I cannot but take notice how
at another time I could not bear to be in the room where any
dead person was, but now the case is changed; I must and could
lie down by my dead babe, side by side all the night after. I
have thought since of the wonderful goodness of God to me in
preserving me in the use of my reason and senses in that
distressed time, that I did not use wicked and violent means to
end my own miserable life. In the morning, when they understood
that my child was dead they sent for me home to my master's
wigwam (by my master in this writing, must be understood
Quinnapin, who was a Sagamore, and married King Philip's wife's
sister; not that he first took me, but I was sold to him by
another Narragansett Indian, who took me when first I came out
of the garrison). I went to take up my dead child in my arms to
carry it with me, but they bid me let it alone; there was no
resisting, but go I must and leave it. When I had been at my
master's wigwam, I took the first opportunity I could get to go
look after my dead child. When I came I asked them what they
had done with it; then they told me it was upon the hill. Then
they went and showed me where it was, where I saw the ground was
newly digged, and there they told me they had buried it. There
I left that child in the wilderness, and must commit it, and
myself also in this wilderness condition, to Him who is above
all. God having taken away this dear child, I went to see my
daughter Mary, who was at this same Indian town, at a wigwam not
very far off, though we had little liberty or opportunity to see
one another. She was about ten years old, and taken from the
door at first by a Praying Ind. and afterward sold for a gun.
When I came in sight, she would fall aweeping; at which they
were provoked, and would not let me come near her, but bade me
be gone; which was a heart-cutting word to me. I had one child
dead, another in the wilderness, I knew not where, the third
they would not let me come near to: "Me (as he said) have ye
bereaved of my Children, Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and
ye will take Benjamin also, all these things are against me."
I could not sit still in this condition, but kept walking from
one place to another. And as I was going along, my heart was
even overwhelmed with the thoughts of my condition, and that I
should have children, and a nation which I knew not, ruled over
them. Whereupon I earnestly entreated the Lord, that He would
consider my low estate, and show me a token for good, and if it
were His blessed will, some sign and hope of some relief. And
indeed quickly the Lord answered, in some measure, my poor
prayers; for as I was going up and down mourning and lamenting
my condition, my son came to me, and asked me how I did. I had
not seen him before, since the destruction of the town, and I
knew not where he was, till I was informed by himself, that he
was amongst a smaller parcel of Indians, whose place was about
six miles off. With tears in his eyes, he asked me whether his
sister Sarah was dead; and told me he had seen his sister Mary;
and prayed me, that I would not be troubled in reference to
himself. The occasion of his coming to see me at this time, was
this: there was, as I said, about six miles from us, a small
plantation of Indians, where it seems he had been during his
captivity; and at this time, there were some forces of the Ind.
gathered out of our company, and some also from them (among whom
was my son's master) to go to assault and burn Medfield. In
this time of the absence of his master, his dame brought him to
see me. I took this to be some gracious answer to my earnest
and unfeigned desire. The next day, viz. to this, the Indians
returned from Medfield, all the company, for those that belonged
to the other small company, came through the town that now we
were at. But before they came to us, Oh! the outrageous roaring
and hooping that there was. They began their din about a mile
before they came to us. By their noise and hooping they
signified how many they had destroyed (which was at that time
twenty-three). Those that were with us at home were gathered
together as soon as they heard the hooping, and every time that
the other went over their number, these at home gave a shout,
that the very earth rung again. And thus they continued till
those that had been upon the expedition were come up to the
Sagamore's wigwam; and then, Oh, the hideous insulting and
triumphing that there was over some Englishmen's scalps that
they had taken (as their manner is) and brought with them. I
cannot but take notice of the wonderful mercy of God to me in
those afflictions, in sending me a Bible. One of the Indians
that came from Medfield fight, had brought some plunder, came to
me, and asked me, if I would have a Bible, he had got one in his
basket. I was glad of it, and asked him, whether he thought the
Indians would let me read? He answered, yes. So I took the
Bible, and in that melancholy time, it came into my mind to read
first the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, which I did, and when I
had read it, my dark heart wrought on this manner: that there
was no mercy for me, that the blessings were gone, and the
curses come in their room, and that I had lost my opportunity.
But the Lord helped me still to go on reading till I came to
Chap. 30, the seven first verses, where I found, there was mercy
promised again, if we would return to Him by repentance; and
though we were scattered from one end of the earth to the other,
yet the Lord would gather us together, and turn all those curses
upon our enemies. I do not desire to live to forget this
Scripture, and what comfort it was to me.
Now the Ind. began to talk of removing from this place, some
one way, and some another. There were now besides myself nine
English captives in this place (all of them children, except one
woman). I got an opportunity to go and take my leave of them.
They being to go one way, and I another, I asked them whether
they were earnest with God for deliverance. They told me they
did as they were able, and it was some comfort to me, that the
Lord stirred up children to look to Him. The woman, viz.
goodwife Joslin, told me she should never see me again, and that
she could find in her heart to run away. I wished her not to
run away by any means, for we were near thirty miles from any
English town, and she very big with child, and had but one week
to reckon, and another child in her arms, two years old, and bad
rivers there were to go over, and we were feeble, with our poor
and coarse entertainment. I had my Bible with me, I pulled it
out, and asked her whether she would read. We opened the Bible
and lighted on Psalm 27, in which Psalm we especially took
notice of that, ver. ult., "Wait on the Lord, Be of good
courage, and he shall strengthen thine Heart, wait I say on the
Lord."
The Fourth Remove
And now I must part with that little company I had. Here I
parted from my daughter Mary (whom I never saw again till I saw
her in Dorchester, returned from captivity), and from four
little cousins and neighbors, some of which I never saw
afterward: the Lord only knows the end of them. Amongst them
also was that poor woman before mentioned, who came to a sad
end, as some of the company told me in my travel: she having
much grief upon her spirit about her miserable condition, being
so near her time, she would be often asking the Indians to let
her go home; they not being willing to that, and yet vexed with
her importunity, gathered a great company together about her and
stripped her naked, and set her in the midst of them, and when
they had sung and danced about her (in their hellish manner) as
long as they pleased they knocked her on head, and the child in
her arms with her. When they had done that they made a fire and
put them both into it, and told the other children that were
with them that if they attempted to go home, they would serve
them in like manner. The children said she did not shed one
tear, but prayed all the while. But to return to my own
journey, we traveled about half a day or little more, and came
to a desolate place in the wilderness, where there were no
wigwams or inhabitants before; we came about the middle of the
afternoon to this place, cold and wet, and snowy, and hungry,
and weary, and no refreshing for man but the cold ground to sit
on, and our poor Indian cheer.
Heart-aching thoughts here I had about my poor children, who
were scattered up and down among the wild beasts of the forest.
My head was light and dizzy (either through hunger or hard
lodging, or trouble or all together), my knees feeble, my body
raw by sitting double night and day, that I cannot express to
man the affliction that lay upon my spirit, but the Lord helped
me at that time to express it to Himself. I opened my Bible to
read, and the Lord brought that precious Scripture to me. "Thus
saith the Lord, refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes
from tears, for thy work shall be rewarded, and they shall come
again from the land of the enemy" (Jeremiah 31.16). This was a
sweet cordial to me when I was ready to faint; many and many a
time have I sat down and wept sweetly over this Scripture. At
this place we continued about four days.
The Fifth Remove
The occasion (as I thought) of their moving at this time was the
English army, it being near and following them. For they went
as if they had gone for their lives, for some considerable way,
and then they made a stop, and chose some of their stoutest men,
and sent them back to hold the English army in play whilst the
rest escaped. And then, like Jehu, they marched on furiously,
with their old and with their young: some carried their old
decrepit mothers, some carried one, and some another. Four of
them carried a great Indian upon a bier; but going through a
thick wood with him, they were hindered, and could make no
haste, whereupon they took him upon their backs, and carried
him, one at a time, till they came to Banquaug river. Upon a
Friday, a little after noon, we came to this river. When all
the company was come up, and were gathered together, I thought
to count the number of them, but they were so many, and being
somewhat in motion, it was beyond my skill. In this travel,
because of my wound, I was somewhat favored in my load; I
carried only my knitting work and two quarts of parched meal.
Being very faint I asked my mistress to give me one spoonful of
the meal, but she would not give me a taste. They quickly fell
to cutting dry trees, to make rafts to carry them over the
river: and soon my turn came to go over. By the advantage of
some brush which they had laid upon the raft to sit upon, I did
not wet my foot (which many of themselves at the other end were
mid-leg deep) which cannot but be acknowledged as a favor of God
to my weakened body, it being a very cold time. I was not
before acquainted with such kind of doings or dangers. "When
thou passeth through the waters I will be with thee, and through
the rivers they shall not overflow thee" (Isaiah 43.2). A
certain number of us got over the river that night, but it was
the night after the Sabbath before all the company was got over.
On the Saturday they boiled an old horse's leg which they had
got, and so we drank of the broth, as soon as they thought it
was ready, and when it was almost all gone, they filled it up
again.