Mourt’s Relation

The Voyage and Cape Cod

A Relation or Journal of the Proceedings of the Plantation Settled at Plymouth in New England

On Wednesday, the sixth of September, the wind came east-northeast with a fine, light breeze, and we departed from Plymouth. We had been kindly entertained and courteously treated by various friends living there. After many difficulties in violent storms, at daybreak on the ninth of November, by God’s providence, we finally sighted land. We believed it to be Cape Cod, and so it later proved.

Its appearance greatly comforted us, especially because we saw such a beautiful land, wooded to the very edge of the sea. It caused us to rejoice together and praise God for allowing us once again to see land. We then set our course south-southwest, intending to go to a river ten leagues south of the Cape. But at night the wind turned against us, so we turned back toward Cape Cod Bay.

On the eleventh of November, we anchored in the bay. It is a good harbor and a pleasant bay, enclosed on every side except at its entrance, which is about four miles across from shore to shore. Oaks, pines, juniper, sassafras, and other sweet-smelling woods surround it all the way to the sea. A thousand ships could ride safely in this harbor.

There we supplied ourselves with wood and water and refreshed our people while our shallop was fitted out to explore the bay’s coast and search for a place to settle. There was the greatest abundance of birds that we had ever seen.

Every day we saw whales playing close beside us. If we had possessed the instruments and means to take them, we might have made a very rich return there. To our great regret, we lacked them. Our master, his mate, and others experienced in fishing declared that we might have made three or four thousand pounds’ worth of oil. They preferred this place to the Greenland whale fishery and intended to fish for whales here the next winter.

We tried fishing for cod but found none, though there is doubtless a good supply in season. During all the time we remained there, we caught no fish except a few small ones along the shore. We found large mussels, very fat and full of sea pearls, but we could not eat them. Everyone who ate them, sailors and passengers alike, became sick. They caused vomiting and purging, though those affected soon recovered.

The bay is so round and enclosed that before we could anchor, we passed around all the points of the compass. Because of the shallow water, we could not come within three-quarters of an English mile of shore. This was a serious disadvantage. Those going ashore had to wade one or two bowshots before reaching land, which caused many to develop colds and coughs, since the weather was often freezing cold.

Before we entered the harbor that day, we observed that some were not well disposed toward unity and harmony but showed signs of forming a faction. We therefore thought it wise to establish an association and agreement by which we would unite as one body and submit to whatever government and governors we should establish and choose by common consent. We signed the following agreement, word for word:

“In the name of God, amen. We whose names are written below, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord King James, by the grace of God king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, etc.,

“Having undertaken, for the glory of God, the advancement of the Christian faith, and the honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one another, covenant and unite ourselves together into a civil body politic for our better ordering and preservation and the furtherance of the purposes stated above. By virtue of this covenant, we shall enact, establish, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices from time to time as shall be thought most fitting and convenient for the general good of the colony, to which we promise all due submission and obedience.

“In witness of this, we have signed our names below. Cape Cod, the eleventh of November, in the eighteenth year of the reign of our sovereign lord King James of England, France, and Ireland, and the fifty-fourth of Scotland, in the year of our Lord 1620.”

That same day, as soon as we could, we put fifteen or sixteen well-armed men ashore, along with some men to gather wood, since we had none left. They were also to examine the land and see what inhabitants they might encounter.

They found it to be a narrow neck of land. The bay where we lay was on one side, and the sea was on the other. The ground consisted of sandy hills much like the dunes in Holland, but much better. The earth’s top layer, to a spade’s depth, was excellent black soil. The land was entirely wooded with oaks, pines, sassafras, juniper, birch, holly, vines, some ash, and walnut. Most of the woods were open and free from undergrowth, suitable for traveling either on foot or horseback.

At night our people returned without having found any person or dwelling. They loaded their boat with juniper, which smelled very sweet and strong. We burned it during most of the time we remained there.

On Monday, the thirteenth of November, we unloaded our shallop and drew it onto land to mend and repair it. We had been forced to cut it down to store it between decks, and it had opened considerably because people had lain in it. This kept us there for a long time, since the carpenter did not finish it for sixteen or seventeen days.

Our people went ashore to refresh themselves, and our women went to wash, which they greatly needed to do. We remained there expecting the shallop to be ready within five or six days at most, but our carpenter worked slowly. Some of our people became impatient with the delay and asked, for the advancement of our plans, to travel overland into the country and see whether it might be a suitable place for us to settle.

The proposal clearly involved danger because they would not have the shallop and had no means of carrying provisions except on their backs. They were especially interested because, as we sailed into the harbor, we had seen what appeared to be a river opening into the mainland. Their willingness was approved, but because of the danger, the undertaking itself was permitted rather than recommended.

After receiving cautions, directions, and instructions, sixteen men set out. Each carried a musket, sword, and breastplate. They were under the command of Captain Miles Standish, with William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins, and Edward Tilley appointed to counsel and advise him.

On Wednesday, the fifteenth of November, they were put ashore. After arranging themselves in single file, they marched about a mile beside the sea and saw five or six Native people approaching with a dog. When the Native people saw them, they ran into the woods and whistled for the dog to follow them, etc.

At first the explorers supposed they were Master Jones, the master of the ship, and some of his men, since those men were ashore and knew about the expedition. But when they realized that they were Native people, they marched after them into the woods in case others were lying in ambush. When the Native people saw our men following them, they ran away with all their strength. Our men left the woods and continued after them because that was the direction they had intended to travel, but they could not come near them.

They followed their footprints for about ten miles that night. They saw that the Native people had come by the same route, and at a turn in the path they noticed where they had run up a hill to see whether our men were following them.

At last night overtook the party, and they had to make camp. They posted three sentinels. Some of the others kindled a fire, while the rest gathered wood, and there we held our rendezvous for the night.

In the morning, as soon as we could see the trail, we continued our journey. We followed it around the head of a long creek, where the Native people had entered another wood. We followed, expecting to find some of their dwellings. Instead, we marched through branches and bushes and over hills and valleys, which tore even our armor to pieces. We found neither the people nor their houses.

We also found no fresh water, which we greatly desired and urgently needed. We had brought neither beer nor water, and our provisions consisted only of biscuits, Holland cheese, and a small bottle of brandy, so we were painfully thirsty.

At about ten o’clock, we entered a deep valley full of brush, wood-gale, and long grass. We found small paths or tracks through it, saw a deer, and discovered springs of fresh water. We were heartily glad and sat down to drink our first New England water with as much pleasure as we had ever taken in any drink in our lives.

After refreshing ourselves, we traveled directly south so that we might reach the shore, which we did soon afterward. There we made a fire so that those aboard the ship might see where we were, as we had been instructed. We then marched toward the supposed river.

In another valley along the way, we found a fine, clear pond of fresh water, about a musket shot across and twice as long. Many small vines grew there, and birds and deer frequented the place. Much sassafras also grew there.

From there we continued and found about fifty acres of level ground suitable for the plow, along with signs that the Native people had formerly planted corn there. Afterward, some thought it best, because we were near the river, to go down and travel along the sea sands. This tired some of us, who fell behind, so we waited and gathered them together before turning inland again.

There we found a small path leading to several heaps of sand. One was covered with old mats and had a wooden object like a mortar turned upside down on top of it. An earthen pot had been placed in a small hole at one end. Wondering what it might be, we dug into it and found a bow and what we thought were arrows, though these had decayed.

We supposed that many other things were there, but because we believed these heaps to be graves, we put the bow back, restored the grave as it had been, and left the rest untouched. We thought the people would consider it hateful if anyone ransacked their burial places.

Continuing farther, we found fresh stubble where corn had been harvested that year. We also saw many walnut trees full of nuts, a great abundance of strawberries, and some vines.

After crossing one or two small fields, we came to another that had also been harvested recently. There we found the site of a house and four or five old planks laid together. We also found a large kettle that had once belonged to a ship and had been brought from Europe.

Another heap of sand like the earlier ones stood there, but this one had been made recently. We could see where it had been patted down by hand. We dug it up and found a small old basket full of good corn. Digging farther, we found a large, fine, new basket full of excellent corn from that year, together with about thirty-six large ears. Some were yellow, some red, and others mixed with blue, making a splendid sight.

The basket was round and narrow at the top. It held about three or four bushels, as much as two men could lift from the ground, and was very skillfully and handsomely made.

While some were occupied with these things, we stationed the rest of the men as sentinels in a circle, leaving only two or three to dig up the corn. We were uncertain what to do with the corn and the kettle. After much consultation, we decided to take the kettle and as much corn as we could carry. When our shallop came, if we could find the people and speak with them, we would return the kettle and compensate them for the corn.

We therefore took all the ears and placed a good quantity of the loose corn in the kettle, which two men carried between them on a staff. Those who could put corn in their pockets filled them as well. We buried the rest again because our armor already burdened us too heavily to carry more.

Not far from this place, we found the remains of an old fort or palisade, which we believed had been made by Christians. It stood near the place we had thought was a river. When we reached it, we found that it was indeed a river, divided into two arms by a high bank beside the channel or mouth that entered from the sea.

The arm nearest us was the smaller. The other was more than twice as large and might have served as a harbor for ships. We had no time to discover whether it was a freshwater river or merely an inlet from the sea, since we had been commanded to remain away only two days.

We also saw two canoes there, one on each side of the river. We did not believe the nearer object was a canoe until we approached it. We then turned back, leaving further exploration until we could return in the shallop.

That night we returned to the freshwater pond and held our rendezvous there. We made a large fire, built a barricade on our windward side, and kept a careful watch with three sentinels throughout the night. Each man remained on duty for as long as five or six inches of match cord took to burn. It proved to be a very rainy night.

In the morning we took our kettle and sank it in the pond. We also prepared our muskets, since few of them would fire after becoming wet. Then we followed the edge of the woods toward home. We became badly confused and lost our way.

As we wandered, we came to a tree where a young sapling had been bent down over a branch, with acorns scattered underneath. Stephen Hopkins said it had been arranged to catch deer. While we were examining it, William Bradford, who had been at the rear, came and looked at it. As he walked around it, it suddenly sprang up and immediately caught him by the leg.

It was a very clever device, made with a rope of their own manufacture and a noose as skillfully formed as any rope maker in England could make. It was as much like ours as possible, and we brought it away with us.

At last we escaped from the woods and discovered that we had come out about a mile too far up the creek. There we saw three bucks, but we would rather have captured one of them. We also startled three pairs of partridges. As we followed the creek, we saw great flocks of wild geese and ducks, though the birds were very wary of us.

We traveled sometimes through the woods, sometimes along the sands, and at other times through water up to our knees. At last we came near the ship and fired our guns. The longboat came to fetch us. Master Jones and Master Carver, who were ashore with many of our people, came to meet us.

Thus we returned home weary but welcome and delivered the corn into the common store to be kept for seed. We did not know how else to obtain any, so we were very glad to have it. We intended, as soon as we could meet any of the inhabitants of that place, to compensate them generously.

This was our first exploration while the shallop was being repaired. Our people made things as ready as they could in the available time by searching for wood, fitting handles to tools, and sawing timber to build a new shallop.

The inconvenience of the harbor hindered us greatly. We could neither go to shore nor return from it except at high water. This caused us much difficulty and injury, since people often had to wade up to the middle of their thighs, and frequently to their knees, when going to and from the land. Some did so from necessity and others for their own pleasure, but it caused coughs and colds in most, if not all, of them. The weather suddenly became cold and stormy, and these illnesses later developed into scurvy, from which many died.

When our shallop was usable, though not yet completely fitted out, since two more days of work were later spent on it, about twenty-four armed men from our own company were appointed to explore the previously mentioned rivers more fully. Master Jones wanted to accompany us and selected those sailors whom he believed would be useful, so that we numbered about thirty-four in all. We made Master Jones our leader, thinking it best to acknowledge his kindness and eagerness in this way.

After we set out, the weather became rough and the winds contrary. Some of us were in the shallop and others in the longboat. We had to row to the nearest shore the wind allowed us to reach and then wade out through water above our knees.

The wind was so strong that the shallop could not keep afloat in the open water and had to take shelter there that night. The rest of us marched six or seven miles farther and instructed those in the shallop to come to us as soon as they could.

It blew and snowed throughout that day and night, and everything froze. Some of our people who later died first contracted the illnesses that caused their deaths here.

The next day, at about eleven o’clock, the shallop reached us. We embarked, and because the wind was favorable, we sailed to the river we had previously discovered and named Cold Harbor. When we arrived, we found that it was not navigable for ships, though we thought it might be a good harbor for boats, since the tide rises twelve feet there at high water.

We landed between the two creeks and marched four or five miles beside the larger one while the shallop followed us. At last night approached, and our men became tired from marching up and down steep hills and deep valleys covered with half a foot of snow.

Master Jones, weary from marching, wanted us to make camp, though some of us wished to continue farther. We therefore held our rendezvous that night beneath a few pine trees. As it happened, we obtained three fat geese and six ducks for supper, which we ate with soldiers’ appetites because we had eaten little all day.

We intended to go to the head of the river the next morning because we supposed it would prove to be fresh water. In the morning, however, we abandoned that decision. Many disliked the hilly land and the poor harbor.

We turned toward the other creek so that we could cross it and search for the rest of the corn we had left behind during our previous visit. When we reached the creek, we saw the canoe lying on dry ground and a flock of geese in the river. One man fired at them and killed two. We launched the canoe and retrieved the birds. Afterward, the canoe carried us across, seven or eight at a time.

We then marched to the place where we had previously found the corn, which we called Corn Hill. We dug and found the rest of it, which made us very glad. We also dug at a place a little farther away and found a bottle of oil.

At another place we had seen before, we dug and found more corn, namely two or three baskets full of maize, a bag of beans, and many fine ears of corn. While some of us were digging these up, others found another heap of corn and dug that up as well. Altogether we obtained about ten bushels, enough to supply us with seed.

[Note:] Surely it was God’s good providence that we found this corn, for otherwise we did not know what we would have done. We did not know how we might find or meet any of the Native people unless they came to harm us. In all likelihood, we would never have seen a single grain if we had not made our first journey. The ground was now covered with snow and frozen so hard that we had to chop and carve a foot deep with our cutlasses and short swords, then pry it up with levers, because we had forgotten to bring other tools.

While we were engaged in this work, bad weather approached. Master Jones urgently wanted to return aboard, but several of us wished to explore farther and find the Native people’s dwellings. We therefore sent our weakest and sick people home with him, together with all the corn. Eighteen of us remained and lodged there that night. We asked that the shallop return the next day with mattocks and spades.

The next morning, we followed well-worn Native paths and tracks into the woods, supposing they would lead us to a town or houses. After we had gone some distance, we came upon a very broad, beaten path nearly two feet wide. We lit all our match cords and prepared ourselves, believing that we were near their dwellings.

In the end, we concluded that it was only a path used to drive deer during a hunt. After marching five or six miles into the woods without finding any sign of people, we returned by another route.

When we entered the level ground, we found a place resembling a grave, though much larger and longer than any we had yet seen. It was covered with boards, and we wondered what it might be. We decided to dig it up.

First we found a mat, and beneath it a fine bow. Then we found another mat and beneath that a carved and painted board about three-quarters in length, with three prongs or brooches at the top like a crown. Between the mats we also found bowls, trays, dishes, and similar small objects.

At last we reached a fine new mat. Beneath it were two bundles, one larger and the other smaller. We opened the larger bundle and found a great quantity of fine, perfect red powder containing the bones and skull of a man. Fine yellow hair remained on the skull, along with some unconsumed flesh. A knife, a packing needle, and two or three old iron objects had been bound with it.

The remains were wrapped in a sailor’s canvas jacket and a pair of cloth breeches. The red powder was a kind of embalming substance and gave off a strong but not offensive smell. It was as fine as flour.

We also opened the smaller bundle and found the same kind of powder, together with the bones and head of a small child. Strings and bracelets of fine white beads had been fastened around the legs and other parts. Beside it lay a small bow about three-quarters in length and several other small objects. We carried away several of the prettiest things and covered the bodies again.

After this, we dug into several similar places but found no more corn or anything else except graves.

We held various opinions about the embalmed person. Some thought he had been a Native lord and king. Others said that Native people all had black hair and that none had ever been seen with brown or yellow hair. Some thought he had been a notable Christian who died among them and whom they buried in this manner to honor him. Others thought they had killed him and buried him this way in triumph over him.

While we were ranging and searching, two sailors who had recently come ashore happened to see two houses that had been occupied not long before, though the people had left. The sailors had their guns, and after hearing no one, they entered the houses and took some things. They did not dare remain, but returned and told us.

Seven or eight of us went back with them and discovered that we had previously passed within a bowshot of the houses. They were made from long young saplings bent over, with both ends fixed in the ground. They were round like arbors and covered down to the ground with thick, well-made mats. The door was no more than a yard high and consisted of a mat that could be opened.

The chimney was a wide opening at the top, with a mat that could cover it closely when desired. A person could stand and walk upright inside. In the center stood four small trunks driven into the ground, with small sticks laid across them for hanging pots and whatever they wished to boil. Mats laid around the fire served as beds.

The houses had two layers of mats. As they were matted outside, so they were lined inside with newer and finer mats. We found wooden bowls, trays, and dishes, earthen pots, and handbaskets made from crab shells woven together. We also found an English pail or bucket. It lacked a handle but had two iron ears.