University of California Berkeley 
 
 
 
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PETER PARLEY'S LITTLE LIBRARY. 
 
 This series of entertaining and useful Books is designed for Children. 
 They will be elegantly printed, and handsomely illustrated by Engra 
 vings. They wifl consist either of Biographical Tales and Adventures, 
 of an authentic character, or lively and amusing descriptions and illus 
 trations of the Arts of Life. They will be by different writers, but the 
 selection of the works, and the general superintendence of their publica 
 tion, will be committed to the Author of Peter Parley's Tales. The 
 following are among the works which will belong to the series. 
 
 1. THE ADVENTURES OP CAPT. JAMES RILEY, IN 
 AFRICA. 
 
 2. THE STORY OP JOHN R. JEWETT, the Captive of Nootka 
 Sound. i 
 
 3. THE SHIP, or entertaining descriptions of the Structure and Use 
 of a Ship, with Stories of Sea Adventures, and a History of the art of 
 Navigation. 
 
 4. THE STORY OF LA PEROUSE, and an account of the voy 
 ages made to discover his fate. I 
 
 6. THE FARM, or a new account of rural scenes, with the toils, 
 pleasures, and pursuits of Farming. By J. Taylor. , 
 
 6. STORY OF ALEXANDER SELKIRK, who inhabited a soli- 
 tary island, alone, for several years. 
 
 7. THE MINE, an entertaining account of Mines and Minerals. 
 
 8. THE GARDEN, or the art of laying out and cultivating it. 
 
 fjj- These wofks are prepared with the view of rendering them at 
 tractive to children, and amusing to all classes of youthful readers ^ at 
 the same time they are calculated to impart knowledge of a useful kind. 
 
 THE PARENT'S PRESENT, edited by the author of Peter Par 
 ley's Tales. 
 
 fj^ This work is very neatly printed, and is designed as a Christmas 
 or New Year's present, for parents to their children. 
 
 PETER PARLEY'S PICTURE BOOK, with 38 beautiful Engra 
 vings. 
 
 PETER PARLEY'S SPELLING BOOK, with 175 Engravings. 
 
 PETER PARLEY'S BOOK OF FABLES, with fine Cuts. 
 
 PETER PARLEY'S EVERY DAY BOOK, 60 Engravings. 
 
JEWETT PLEADING FOR THOMPSON. 
 
THJL 
 
 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA . 
 
 OR THE 
 
 ADVENTURES OF JOHN R. JEWETT, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 HENRY F. ANNERS. 
 
 1841. 
 
Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1835, by 
 
 J. P. PEASLEE, 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of New York. 
 
 PRINTED BY T. K. & P. G. COLLINS, PHILA. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Nativity of Jewett his father's views John goes to school 
 his master his studies he gives up Latin is taken from 
 school is intended for a surgeon does not like the profes 
 sion concludes to be a blacksmith his father removes to 
 Hull he shows a taste for the sea resolves to be a 
 sailor. -------- page 13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 John ships as armorer the ship's cargo Mr. Jewett's advice 
 John sails is seasick gets well goes to work arrival and 
 stay at St. Catharine's sails again for Cape Horn passes it 
 music porpoises. ----- 23 
 
Tl CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Description of a shoal of porpoises albatrosses seen arrival 
 at Nootka Sound the natives came on board the Indian 
 king described intercourse with the safages their visits 
 Maquina breaks the gun Captain Salter offends him his 
 dignified deportment when angry. - - - \ - 34 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The natives induce some of the seamen to go on shore they 
 massacre the crew John's life spared the ship is run into 
 the cove, and stranded the savages welcome their king's 
 return to the village. .... 46 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 John goes to the king's house sees the women gets ac 
 quainted with the young prince, Sat-sat-sok-sis his supper 
 how he passes the night he learns that one of the men is 
 alive in the ship finds U is Thompson obtains permission 
 for him to live. 55 
 
CONTENTS. Vll 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The savages rob the ship of her contents, &c. John secures 
 the papers two ships are seen other tribes of natives come 
 to Nootka their reception their supper, and a dance by 
 Sat-sat Maquina makes presents to his guests their manner 
 of receiving them visitors continue to come and go. 67 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The ship is burnt many articles lost by the fire some valua 
 ble things saved Maquina discovers a tierce of rum among 
 his spoils invites company holds a carousal all get intox 
 icated John empties the rum-cask upon the ground anec 
 dote of a merchant John begins to work at his trade he 
 assists Thompson in getting food. 78 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 John's remarks about cooking Maquina throws away the ket 
 tle of salt John's head gets better Thompson's history 
 he strikes Sat-sat an affray, in which he is likely to be 
 slain John pleads till the king consents to his life being 
 spared strawberries appear John begins his journal. 89 
 
V11I CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 John's conduct towards the natives Thompson's his second 
 insult to a Tyee description of Nootka its buildings 
 Dexter's images. - - - - - - - 98 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 How they made boards at Nootka their furniture their 
 manner of eating their feasts how they made cloth their 
 dress. 109 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Description of the Nootkans their habit of painting orna 
 ments manner of fishing for Ife-maw continuation of re 
 marks on their personal decorations, &c. nose jewels. 120 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Of the religion the government certain offices the disposi 
 tion of the natives their oratory their diseases, cures, &c. 
 the climate. 130 
 
CONTENTS. ^ IX 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Population of Nootka making of canoes pursuit of sea-otters 
 description of one the Indian's fish-hook and fishing 
 Maquina's household instruments of music. - - 138 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Different tribes of natives some of their customs dressing 
 for a visit manner of making a bargain lodging of the 
 visitors their arms. - - - - - - 146 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Place of retirement for worship its scenery the Sabbath a 
 ship seen a thunder storm hard fare arts of other natives 
 a young girl tries to win John the Nootkans remove to 
 winter quarters the place. 155 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The scene of departure conveyance of their infants an anec 
 dote of St. John's Indians passage to Tashees arrival and 
 business there manner of taking roe fish, &c. how they 
 were cured and cooked John's condition. - - 165 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 -^ 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 John forbidden to write a new dress made for the king ha 
 accounts for having killed the crew the yama taking the 
 bear singular ceremony an annual thanksgiving. - 175 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Conclusion of the thanksgiving Christmas kept by the cap 
 tives removal to Cooptee visit to the Aitizzarts feast at 
 Cooptee false stories of ships return to Nootka death of 
 a boy insanity of a chief. - - - * * 187 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Maquina goes a whaling bringing in the whale death and 
 burial service of the crazy chief the king's jester^a mutiny 
 feared a conspiracy Thompson kills an Indian. - 198 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 John is ordered to make arms the king declares his intention 
 to go to war expedition to Ay charts attack and slaughter 
 of the inhabitants return to Tashees John is told he must 
 marry going to select a wife making choice of one. 210 
 
CONTENTS. ja. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Marriage ceremony return to Tashees John goes to house 
 keeping is told he must change his dress religious obser 
 vance -revenge of a husband towards his wife removal to 
 Cooptee taking wild geese return to Nootka John is sick 
 a slave dies. - ... <j|9 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 John continues sick he is divorced from his wife she goes 
 to her father John recovers an eclipse of the moon a 
 vessel arrives consultation about the captives- a letter 
 written to be carried by Maquina to the vessel. 228 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Maquina questions John He lakes the letter is detained in 
 irons on board the brig rage and grief of the natives - 
 Thompson is sent to the vessel John is also carried out 
 his arrival at the brig account of the brig how she came 
 there demand of the things belonging to the Boston. 238 
 
Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The things belonging to the Boston brought out Maquina 
 takes his leave of John death of a young Chief return of 
 the vessel to Nootka, from the northward Maquina visits 
 her with skins voyage to China John hears from home 
 by an Englishman comes to Boston finds a letter from his 
 mother concluding remarks. - 250 
 
OF NOOTKA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Nativity of Jewitt his father's views John goes to school 
 his master his studies he gives up Latin is taken from 
 school is intended for a surgeon does not like the profes 
 sion concludes to be a blacksmith his father removes to 
 Hull he shows a taste for the sea resolves to be a sailor. 
 
 JOHN R. JEWITT was born in Boston, England, 
 on the 21st of May, 1783. His father was an 
 industrious and respectable blacksmith, who, while 
 he was shaping and moulding the iron on the anvil, 
 did not forget that he had the minds of his children 
 to shape and prepare for still more important pur 
 poses. 
 
 He knew that the iron, when it had fulfilled the 
 end for which he was fitting it, must rust and crum- 
 
14 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 ble away. But he fel^that the immortal minds of 
 his offspring, however, they miaJ^J^suffered t( 
 rust here, must carry the'e$efl|HK^rlect intol 
 sternity. ; 
 
 His wife died when his children gere\ery young, 
 *nd the important part of bending the twig in a 
 right direction, so as to make it grow to a goodly 
 tree, devolved on his parental care, alone. 
 
 As a good and wise father, he sought to make 
 ^arly moral and religious impressions, while the 
 minds of his little charge were young and tender ; 
 and knowing that theory, to be of any use, must 
 be wedded to practice, he made his own example 
 an illustration of his teaching. 
 
 With his truly blacksmith motto, ' strike while 
 the iron is hot,' he felt that the most important bent 
 of the never-dying soul, for its happiness here, as 
 well as hereafter, must be made in an early state, 
 while it was soft and warm, and that, in doing this, 
 there was no time to be lost. 
 
 His eldest son he intended for his own profes 
 sion ; but our hero, John, not being of so robust a 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 15 
 
 constitution as his brother, to enable him to stand 
 before the furnace, and wield the hammer, was de 
 stined to the less laborious, though not less trying 
 and painful office of a surgeon. 
 
 John was, therefore, at the age of twelve years, 
 sent from home, for the advantage of better school 
 ing than could be obtained in his native town, and 
 placed under the care of a Mr. Moses, at Donning- 
 ton, about twenty miles from his own place of 
 residence. 
 
 Whether Mr. Moses was, or was not, a lineal 
 descendant of the Jewish lawgiver, whose name 
 lie bore, I am not able to say. 
 
 But he was a very good lawgiver in his own 
 dominions, and preserved excellent order in the 
 academy over which he was set as head, to ' teach 
 the young idea how to shoot.' 
 
 He taught John R. Jewitt's ideas to shoot into 
 arithmetic, surveying, navigation, English gram 
 mar, &c. ; but into Latin^ John did not much like 
 to have his master direct them. 
 
16 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 He had a natural impediment in his speech, thai 
 troubled and embarrassed him in scanning Latin ; 
 and concluding that his tongue was never made for 
 the purpose, he gave it up, altogether, when he had 
 obtained his father's consent to his so doing. 
 
 It is most probable, however, that John had in 
 his .mind, a greater impediment to learning the 
 dead language, than any in his articulation. He 
 did not love the Latin ; but he could amuse his 
 friends, whole evenings together, by singing to 
 them, and this he often did, having a fine, pleasant 
 voice, and a great taste for music. 
 
 Two years passed off very pleasantly with him, 
 at Donnington; for he loved his master, Moses; 
 and the master was attached to his pupil; his 
 father came often to see him he had many friends, 
 school-fellows, and relatives there; and, in short, 
 he has since declared the two years he spent at this 
 school, to be the happiest period of his life. | 
 
 At length, the time arrived, when his father, 
 thinking it proper for him to begin his apprentice- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 17 
 
 ship, and the study of the profession he was to pur 
 sue, took him from school, with the view of putting 
 him under the tuition of an eminent surgeon, fron 
 whom, he had reason to believe, that his youngest 
 son would acquire as much skill at the lancet and 
 the probe, as his elder one would, from himself, at 
 the bellows and the forge. 
 
 But, as a proof of what I have just said about 
 early impressions and inclinations being the stron 
 gest and most lasting, John's mind revolted at the 
 undertaking of a surgical profession, and his feel 
 ings all bore him, like a mighty current, towards 
 his father's anvil. 
 
 He had, from his infancy, been fond of going 
 into the shop and amusing himself, among tho 
 workmen, by imitating, as far as he was able, their 
 motions ; and he longed to accomplish such work 
 as he saw them do. 
 
 This taste and disposition now returned upon 
 him with such force, that he became unhappy at 
 the thought of not pursuing his father's business, 
 2 B 
 
18 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 and he said so much, and evinced such an aversion 
 to any other line of life, that he finally succeeded 
 in gaming permission to go to the work of a black 
 smith, in his father's shop. 
 
 But, it will hereafter appear, that, had he yield 
 ed implicitly to the first wish and design of his 
 good parent, and brought his own will and inclina 
 tion into subjection to his, who knew better than 
 he did, what was best for him, he would have es 
 caped the danger and sufferings, to which, making 
 choice of a profession for himself, paved the way. 
 
 His father had now married again, and his step 
 mother was an excellent woman, which, added to 
 the other charms of the paternal establishment, 
 made his life very happy. 
 
 About a year after his removal from school, his 
 father removed to Hull, which being one of the 
 best ports in England, and a place of much trade, 
 offered great advantages to one of his business. 
 
 At Hull, Mr. Jewitt had a great deal to do about 
 the iron- work of the shipping, which not only led 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 19 
 
 him often to the vessels, where John liked exceed- 
 ly well to accompany him, but, also, brought many 
 seamen to his shop and his house. 
 
 Among his customers at Hull, were many of the 
 Americans, who frequented the port, and whose 
 conversation and characters pleased Mr. Jewitt so 
 much, that he often sought and cultivated an ac 
 quaintance with them, which his business alone 
 would not have demanded. 
 
 John loved to listen to the stories of the sailors ; 
 and their merry-making accounts of the adventures 
 they had met with, kindled in his young mind a 
 strong desire to go to sea, and see the world too. 
 
 He read i Cook's Voyages,' and many other 
 voyages, till at last, he began to feel, that, to cir 
 cumnavigate the globe, were a thing far easier for 
 him, than to stay on it, and not do this ; and his 
 thoughts whirled round it, much faster than the 
 earth whirls upon her axis ; while he came, in his 
 own mind, to the conclusion, that, it was for this 
 very purpose, that his good master Moses had 
 
20 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 been turning his attention to the study of naviga 
 tion. 
 
 He had, like many other boys, who get on tiptoe 
 to see the world, a thousand gay dreams of other 
 nations and other realms ; and happy had it been 
 for him, as it would be for them, had all ended in 
 dreams. 
 
 But John R. Jewitt proved, as hundreds of others 
 have done, that, sailing from port to port, by the 
 help of a book, on one's pillow, or snugly lodged 
 in the window recess, or the rocking-chair, is a 
 very different affair, from climbing the shrouds in 
 the tempest or when the icicles jingle at his ears, 
 from the frozen rigging. 
 
 Well, John had lived four years with his father, 
 at Hull, when, in the summer of 1802, the Ameri 
 can ship Boston, of Boston, Massachusetts, arrived. 
 
 Her owners, Messrs. F. & T. Amory, had des 
 tined her to take in, at Hull, a cargo of such goods 
 as should be suitable for a trade with the Indians, 
 on the North-west coast of America, to which place 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 1 
 
 she was to proceed, to exchange her cargo for one 
 of furs and skins ; then she was to depart for 
 China, for another traffic, and thence for home. 
 
 At Hull, the ship needed repairs of so extensive 
 a kind, as to detain her long enough for Mr. Jewitt 
 and. his' family to -become well acquainted with 
 Captain Salter", her. commander, her officers, and 
 men. 
 
 Captain Salter and the mates used to pass many 
 evenings at Mr. Jewitt's house; and John, who 
 never lacked ears, when such visitors were present, 
 took it .upon himself to do much to entertain them, 
 and greatly won their favor. 
 
 Captain Salter asked him one. .day, in a jocose 
 manner, if he would like to go to sea with him. 
 
 The question was, to our young hero's imagina 
 tion, like the spark that falls from the flint into the 
 tinder-box, and he began to think that the time had 
 really come when he was to see the world. Cap 
 tain Salter saw that John was serious, and he began 
 to be serious himself, and spoke to Mr. Jewitt on 
 the subject. 
 
22 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 He really felt a deep interest in the young man, 
 and told Mr. Jewitt what a fine opportunity it 
 would be for his son, to make the voyage to China, 
 and then to return with him to the United States, 
 where he might do, probably, better for himself, 
 than he could by remaining in England, &c. &c. : 
 till it was finally agreed that John should ship as 
 armorer, on board the Boston, and thus take his 
 first voyage. 
 
23 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 John ships as armorer the ship's cargo Mr. Jewitt's advice 
 John sails zs seasick gets well goes to work arrival and 
 stay at St. Catharine's sails again for Cape Horn passes 
 it music porpoises . 
 
 JOHN was a very ingenious youth and he was 
 well skilled in his profession. He understood the 
 business he undertook as armorer, perfectly, and no 
 one could outdo him in giving polish and edge to 
 the steel blade, or make a smoother gun-barrel. 
 
 His locks snapped well ; and he fancied that all 
 his plans would go oif as readily and successfully 
 as his muskets. He thought the one now on foot, 
 was to hit the mark exactly ; and that he had not 
 been so long aiming in vain, at seeing other parts 
 of the world. 
 
 It was agreed that he should have for his wages, 
 thirty dollars a month; and his father put into the 
 
24 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 hands of Captain Salter, a certain sum of money, 
 which, added to what should be due for his service, 
 was to be laid out in furs, at the North-west coast, 
 and these exchanged, when the ship should arrire 
 at China, for such goods as would turn to profit 
 when she returned to America. 
 
 Such was the plan laid for John to begin the 
 world for himself. But, as many a tree will put 
 foith fair leaves and blossoms, and yet yield no 
 fruit, so it turned out with the promises of John's 
 making his fortune at a jump. 
 
 You have all, my young readers, heard the an 
 ecdote of the poultry-girl, who, with her basket of 
 eggs on her head, had her brain filled with the profit 
 she should make on them, when they should become 
 so many chickens; and anticipating the pleasure 
 she should take in wearing the green gown, that 
 was to be bought, when these chickens should be 
 full grown and carried to market, gave her head a 
 toss and her basket a fall. 
 
 You remember how all her hopes were then dashed 
 with the contents of the broken egg-shells, on the 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 25 
 
 pavement; which gives rise to the proverb of 
 1 counting the chickens before they are hatched.' 
 
 Thus it proved with John. His hopes were soon 
 crushed ! 
 
 He set out, however, with fair prospects, with 
 good advice, and in good company. Everything 
 that could conduce to his convenience and comfort, 
 was prepared by his excellent father ; who had an 
 iron forge erected for him, on the deck of the ship, 
 and a vice-bench put in one corner of the steerage, 
 so that, in bad weather, he might work below. 
 
 The ship's cargo consisted of English cloths, 
 Dutch blankets, looking-glasses, beads, knives, 
 razors, &c., with sugar, molasses, twenty hogs 
 heads of rum, a great quantity of ammunition, 
 pistols, cutlasses, and three thousand muskets and 
 fowling-pieces. 
 
 All was now ready for sea ; and when John had 
 taken leave of all his other friends, his father went 
 with him to the vessel, where, a moment before she 
 sailed, he took him aside, and gave him, with deep 
 emotion, the following excellent advice, which it 
 C 
 
26 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 may be well for many a youth, not so old as John, 
 to bear in mind, for he was now about nineteen. 
 
 ' We now, my son, are going to part, and He 
 only, to whom all things are known, knows if we 
 are ever to meet again in this world. But, in what 
 ever part of the world your lot may be cast, bear 
 it ever in mind, that on your own conduct alone, 
 depends your success in life and your peace in 
 death. 
 
 1 Be honest, industrious, frugal, and temperate. 
 Let the Bible be your guide ; and rely on its Author 
 as your first and best friend. Then, whatever may 
 befall you, you will have for your support in every 
 trial, the consoling thought, that your dependence 
 is on one who can bring good out of evil, and who 
 never deserts those who put their trust in him. 
 
 1 In short, my son, make it your determination to 
 lead an honest and a Christian life ; and remember 
 that when your place is found empty at our table, 
 it will not be so in our hearts ; and that our first 
 wish will be to hear from you. 
 
 ' And now may the blessing of Him, who " holds 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 27 
 
 the winds in his fists," and the "ocean in the hollow 
 of his hand," be upon you !' 
 
 It was on the 3d of September, 1802, that, in 
 company with several other American vessels, 
 bound to different ports, the Boston sailed from the 
 Downs, with a serene, blue sky above, a peaceful 
 sea below, and her white sails swelled with a frc-oh 
 and favorable breeze. 
 
 As the vessel went on her watery way, and the 
 billows gave her alternately a heave and a plunge, 
 the head of our- young hero, who had never been 
 out of sight of the land before, began to turn and 
 to swim, till he was fully convinced that the world 
 must be as round as a bullet, but without the leaden 
 propensity to lie still where it was placed. 
 
 He was visited with a sudden loss of appetite 
 his cheeks and his lips grew pale as the canvass 
 about him ; and his stomach sympathized in the 
 motion of the waves. He was, for several of the 
 first days, prostrated in the full enjoyment of the 
 unenviable and unpitied condition, into which sea 
 sickness brings its subject. 
 
BOSTON SAILS FROM THE DOWNS. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 29 
 
 But in a few days, John recovered from this 
 malady his appetite returned his color returned 
 his head became steady, and he stood up on his 
 feet again, like a man. 
 
 As he did this, he looked behind, but saw noth 
 ing of the shores of old England ; he looked before, 
 but the sky and the sea were all that met his eye ; 
 so he turned for occupation to his forge. 
 
 With good health and spirits, he went to work, 
 and employed himself in fair weather, making 
 knives, daggers, and small hatchets for the Indian 
 trade. When it stormed, he went below, and busi 
 ed himself in filing and polishing them. 
 
 He liked, however, to lend a hand now and then, 
 when the men were managing the rigging, so as to 
 get a little initiated into the business of a sailor. 
 And he loved, when his day's work was done, to 
 look round on the mighty scene of the heavens and 
 the deep, till his mind was lost in contemplating 
 the greatness and the power of their Creator and 
 Sustainer. 
 
 John found great comfort in reflecting that, 
 
30 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 though he was far from the house of his earthly 
 parent, the home of his heavenly Father was 
 everywhere ; and that his eye would keep watch 
 through the darkest night, and his hand be at the 
 helm, amid the most threatening seas. 
 
 A pleasant sail of twenty-nine days brought the 
 ship to the Island of St. Catharine, on the coast of 
 Brazil, where Captain Salter intended to stop, to 
 replenish his stock of wood and water, and obtain 
 fresh provisions. 
 
 The island belonged to the Portuguese, and on 
 entering the port, the ship was saluted by guns 
 from the fort, which compliment she returned, and 
 passed in. 
 
 The next day, she was honored with a visit from 
 his excellency, the governor of the island, and his 
 suite, and her crew treated by them with much re 
 spect and politeness. 
 
 At this island, the Boston remained four days ; 
 and the men found . it a very good stopping- 
 place, for a purpose like theirs, as it abounds with 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 31 
 
 springs of sweet, clear water, and with fine oranges, 
 plantains, bananas, &c. 
 
 They took in such supplies as to render it unne 
 cessary for them to stop at any of the Sandwich 
 Islands, and put to sea. 
 
 On the twenty-fifth of December, they passed 
 Cape Horn, which they had made thirty-six days 
 before, but had been repeatedly driven back by ad 
 verse winds ; the weather being extremely tempest 
 uous while they were doubling, or passing round 
 the cape. 
 
 When they had gained this point, all seemed 
 smooth again. The weather was fine ; and taking 
 advantage of the monsoon, or trade-wind, they 
 went on with the greatest ease, having, for the 
 space of a fortnight, hardly to make a tack, or reef 
 a top-sail. 
 
 Captain Salter was an old experienced India 
 ship-master, who knew how to keep good order 
 among his men, without their being constantly at 
 work ; and when their situation did not require this, 
 he loved to see them enjoy themselves, as they now 
 
32 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 had an opportunity of doing, till John began to 
 think a sailor's life was a pretty easy and merry 
 one. 
 
 There was a fine musical band on board, and 
 during the serene, pleasant evenings they had while 
 making their way on the Southern ocean, Captain 
 Salter used to order them to play for the entertain 
 ment of the crew. 
 
 This was a treat he was very fond of giving 
 them on Saturday nights, as a sort of a welcome to 
 the coming Sabbath. 
 
 Music at such an hour, and in such a scene, must 
 have sounded delightfully, while the waters gur 
 gled round the prow of the ship, and the ocean's 
 hoarse voice sang bass, in the distance. 
 
 Now and then a whale or a flying-fish would let 
 itself be seen above the surface of the water ; but 
 whether it was to listen to the music, or not, it has 
 not yet been ascertained the reader will be able 
 to judge of the probability of this. 
 
 They saw, also, frequent shoals of porpoises. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 33 
 
 corning towards the ship; the purpose or business 
 of which, I believe was not then, nor ever has been 
 clearly understood ; but of their appearance I will 
 speak in the next chapter. 
 3 
 
34 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Description of a shoal of porpoises albatrosses seen arri 
 val at Nootka Sound the natives came on board the 
 Indian king described intercourse with the savages 
 their visits Maquana breaks the gun Captain Salter 
 offends him his dignified deportment when angry. 
 
 A SHOAL of porpoises was to John R. Jewitt a 
 very novel and interesting sight. They looked at 
 a distance like a multitude of small black waves, 
 rolling one over the other, in great confusion and 
 very quick motion. 
 
 As they came gamboling along towards the ves 
 sel in this way, all on board was in a bustle. Eve 
 ry hand was busy to get the harpoons ready to 
 strike ; and those who were the most skilful, took 
 the most favorable stands, to make the deadly 
 thrust, as the unsuspecting porpoises sported beside 
 the ship. 
 
 The porpoise, or sea-hog, when struck and drawn 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 35 
 
 on board by the harpoon, utters most piteous cries, 
 resembling those of an infant, till it dies. It was 
 very shocking to John, to hear these sounds of dis 
 tress, when the first victim was taken. 
 
 The sailors afterwards told him that, if one of 
 these animals received a wound, without being 
 taken, all the others in the troop, attracted by his 
 blood, would leave the vessel and chase him till 
 they should overtake him, and then tear him to 
 pieces and devour him. 
 
 Our young mariner found the flesh of the por 
 poise a very palatable dish, after being so long as 
 he had 'been, without any thing fresh; and when 
 cut into steaks and broiled, he thought its taste re 
 sembled that of beef done in the same way. 
 
 He saw on his passage, a great number of alba 
 trosses, one of which Captain Salter shot, and 
 measuring his extended wings, from one extremity 
 to the other, found that they measured fifteen feet. 
 The albatross is a large bird of the goose tribe, 
 whose feathers are brown and white. 
 
 Pursuing a northward course, after passing Cape 
 
3(J CA11IVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 Horn, the nhip arrived, on the 12th of March, 1803, 
 at Woody Point, in Nt/otka Sound, on the North 
 west coast of America. 
 
 Captain Salter made up the sound towards Noot- 
 ka, a few miles north of the Indian town, on the 
 land bordering the sound, in order to get supplies 
 of wood and water, before he proceeded up the coast 
 for trade. 
 
 He wished to avoid being seen, so as to escape 
 molestation from the Indians of the village, which 
 was situated on Friendly rove. 
 
 When some of the men, who fook the boat and 
 went out to sound for a good anchoring place, re 
 turned, they said they had found one, near a small 
 island, which was well protected from the sea, and 
 had plenty of wood and water ; and which lay about 
 half a mile from the coast. 
 
 Accordingly, the ship drew up to this place, and 
 was anchored ; though not without being observed 
 by the natives. 
 
 The next morning an Indian canoe was seen 
 from the ship, gliding along towards it, manned 
 
ARRIVAL OF THE SHIP AT NOOTKA SOUND. 
 
38 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 with a number of savages, who paddled their way up 
 to the Boston, and came on board. 
 
 It was the king of the place, with his savage 
 retinue; and an odd king, indeed, did he seem to 
 John R. Jevvitt, who knew what splendor and pomp 
 surrounded his own king in England. 
 
 The name of the monarch of Nootka was 
 Maquina ; whose Indian majesty, as he stood up in 
 all his dignity, on the deck of the ship, might thus be 
 described : 
 
 His person, about six feet in height, was straight 
 and well formed ; his face of the copper complex 
 ion, with good features and expression, but marked 
 with what is not common among these people, a 
 fine Roman nose. But his face, arms, and legs 
 were, on this occasion, so disguised by paint, as 
 almost to prevent their natural color from being 
 seen. 
 
 Over each eyebrow was drawn a heavy black 
 line, lil^e a crescent, and his hair, long and black, 
 was drawn up and tied in a bunch on the top of his 
 head. It was oiled so as to shine, and then, strew- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 39 
 
 ed over with a fine white down, which gave it 
 the appearance of being half covered with snow- 
 flakes. 
 
 His dress was a cloak of black sea-otter skin, 
 which reached to his knees; and was fastened about 
 the waist with a girdle of the cloth of the country, 
 painted with various colors, and in a diversity of 
 figures. 
 
 This cloth is made of the bark of a tree, and 
 somewhat resembles straw-matting. 
 
 Maquina's attendants had their dresses made of 
 it. The cloak, or mantle which they wore, was a 
 square of this material, large enough to reach to the 
 knee, and with places cut in the top for the arms to 
 pass through. 
 
 The belt, being a strip of the same cloth, was 
 about four inches wide, and whimsically figured. 
 
 Maquina had frequently visited the American 
 and English vessels that came for trade on the 
 coast; and if they did not take his furs, or if he 
 had none to offer, the masters always treated him 
 well, and generally gave him some little presents, 
 
40 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 which proved a sufficient inducement for him to visit 
 the next vessel that came. 
 
 In this way he had learnt to understand a great 
 many English words and expressions ; and as it 
 afterwards proved, he knew much more than Cap 
 tain Salter dreamed of, till he found it out at the cost 
 of his life. 
 
 He took the copper-colored monarch into his ca 
 bin, gave him a glass of drink, and fed him with 
 biscuit and molasses, a treat that pleased him 
 highly. 
 
 Both the king and his people seemed much gra 
 tified with the manner and the hospitality of the 
 ship's crew ; and after leaving them the first day, 
 they returned the next, bringing with them more 
 of the natives, and a good supply of fine fresh sal 
 mon, for which they took some trifling articles by 
 way of pay. 
 
 It was not the intention of Captain Salter to 
 make his purchases at this place, as there were not 
 many furs to be obtained ; but he wanted to get his 
 stock of wood and water, so as not to be obliged "o 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 41 
 
 expose his men for these necessaries when they 
 should be farther north, and among, what he con 
 sidered, more barbarous tribes than the savages of 
 Nootka. 
 
 While the hands were employed in laying in 
 these provisions, John, the armorer, busied himself 
 in repairing muskets, making tomahawks, knives, 
 <fcc. and in doing such iron work as was needed on 
 the ship. 
 
 Meantime, Maquina and his people kept up their 
 visits, while Captain Salter, in order to prove that 
 they had no hostile purposes, insisted that each 
 should throw off his dress before he came on board, 
 to satisfy him by showing that they had no arms 
 concealed. 
 
 On the fifteenth, Maquina, attended by several 
 of his chiefs, came on board. He was arrayed in 
 his royal attire of otter-skin, and had his head 
 newly powdered with white down ; his face was 
 painted with more than ordinary care, and almost 
 covered with the ingredients he had used in beau 
 tifying it. 
 
42 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 His chiefs were clad in the cloth of their coun 
 try, of its original color, which is pale yellow. 
 Their girdles were similar to that of the king, only 
 not so wide. 
 
 Around the bottoms of their cloaks were painted 
 borders, representing, in various colors, the heads of 
 men and beasts, birds, and fishes. 
 
 The dress of the common people was like that 
 of the chiefs, only the cloth was coarser, and they 
 were not allowed to paint with more than one color, 
 this being red. 
 
 Captain Salter invited them to dine with him, and 
 his invitation was accepted. It was a great source 
 of amusement to John, to see his copper-colored 
 eminence, the king, and all the savage nobles, seat 
 themselves and eat their dinner. 
 
 Their manner of sitting was similar to that of 
 the Chinese. They crossed their legs and sat upon 
 them; while they made their meal on ship-bread 
 dipped in molasses, which was the only thing they 
 would eat, They manifested a great aversion to 
 every thing that tasted in the least of salt. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 43 
 
 They appeared to enjoy their entertainment, and 
 retired very pleasantly; the few following- days, 
 they kept up their trade ; bringing the fresh sal 
 mon, and seemed satisfied with what they received 
 in return for what was a great luxury to the seamen 
 after living on salt provisions, as they had done, for 
 some time. 
 
 About the nineteenth of the month, Maquina 
 came on board the ship, and dined again. He 
 talked a great deal with Captain Salter, and told 
 him there were a great many wild ducks and geese 
 near Friendly Cove. 
 
 Captain Salter gave him, upon this information, 
 a fine double-barreled fowling-piece, with which he 
 seemed greatly delighted, and went away. 
 
 The next day he came again on board, bringing 
 with him nine pair of wild ducks, as a present to the 
 Captain. 
 
 He also brought his new gun that he had receiv 
 ed the day before, with one of the locks broken, 
 which he showed to Captain Salter, telling him it 
 was peshak, (bad.) 
 
44 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 Captain Salter at this remark, which he thought 
 a token of his gift being undervalued, and feeling 
 irritated at seeing it so ill used too, showed signs 
 of anger, and not knowing the extent of Maquina's 
 understanding of the English, called him a liar, 
 and told John to see how that fellow had ruined the 
 beautiful fowling-piece. 'See,' said he, ' if you can 
 mend it. J 
 
 The scene that now appeared on the deck, when 
 described, speaks a loud moral. Captain Salter was 
 in anger, and showed it, little dreaming of the bitter 
 consequences that were to follow. 
 
 Maquina had understood him, and was in anger 
 too ; but he was silent and dignified his emotions 
 only appeared in the flashes of his keen black eye, 
 and by his hand being rubbed hard upon his throat, 
 and pressed on his bosom. 
 
 This, he afterwards told John, was to keep down 
 his heart, that kept rising up in his throat, and 
 nearly choked him. 
 
 The offended Indian monarch uttered not a word, 
 but soon retired with his men, with a haughty 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 45 
 
 air ; and probably feeling his breast burning with 
 stifled rage, and that unquenchable fire of revenge, 
 which in the bosom of a savage is one of its most 
 dearly loved principles, and never goes out but with 
 his vital spark. 
 
46 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The, natives induce some of the seamen to go on shore they 
 massacre the crew John's life spared the ship is rut> 
 into the cove, and stranded the savages welcome their 
 king's return to the village. 
 
 ON the twenty-second, many of the natives came 
 out in the morning, as usual, to the ship, with their 
 salmon, where they were joined, a few hours after, 
 by Maquina, with many of his chiefs and others. 
 
 The king seemed in uncommonly good humor. 
 He had over his face a hideous wooden mask, repre 
 senting the head of some wild beast. In his hand 
 he held a whistle, which he blew to a kind of tune to 
 regulate the motions of his people, as they jumped, 
 sang, and capered about on the deck, to the great 
 amusement of the crew. 
 
 Maquina asked Captain Salter when he was going 
 to sail. * To-morrow,' was the reply. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 47 
 
 'You love salmon plenty in Friendly Cove 
 why not go catch some ?' said he. The idea of 
 having some caught to carry away, struck Captain 
 Salter very pleasantly, and he concluded, after din 
 ner, to send out some men to fish. 
 
 The steward was already on shore, at the water 
 ing-place, washing the Captain's clothes, when nine 
 men, with the mate at their head, took the boats 
 and the seine, and went in quest of salmon. 
 
 The king and his men had remained on "board ; 
 and John had gone to work, cleaning muskets, at 
 his vice-bench, in the steerage. When he had been 
 below about an hour, he heard the seamen hoisting 
 in the long boat. 
 
 In a few minutes after, he heard the sound of 
 scuffling and great confusion on deck ; and at 
 tempting to go up to see what was doing, he was 
 seized, just as his head rose above board, by the 
 hair, which one of the natives caught hold of; but 
 the ribbon with which it was tied, slipping off in 
 the hand of the Indian, let him fall back into the 
 steerage. 
 
48 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 Before he fell, however, he received a blow on 
 the forehead by an axe in the hand of another 
 savage, which left a deep wound; and he had time 
 to see that the whole deck was one appalling scene 
 of human slaughter. 
 
 The blow and the fall stunned him ; and he pro 
 bably lay some length of time .senseless, for when 
 he came to himself, he was covered with his own 
 blood, and weak from its loss. 
 
 He felt as if arousing from some hideous dream 
 the hatch had been closed, and he was in dark 
 ness and gore while the horrid yells and shouts 
 of triumph sent from the savages over his head, 
 convinced him that they had possession of the ship, 
 and that they had done a great work of death, 
 while not a single voice of one of the seamen was 
 heard amid the wild sounds of barbarous exulta 
 tion. 
 
 When the noise of singing, shouting, and yelling 
 had a little subsided, Maquina ordered the hatch to 
 be opened, and called, * John, come up.' 
 
 John attempted to obey, but found himself almos* 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 49 
 
 unable to move, and the eye over which the gash 
 had been cut, was so swollen as to be nearly clos 
 ed ; while the other was half blinded by the blood 
 that had flowed and fastened upon it. 
 
 Maquina seeing his condition, ordered his people 
 not to injure him, but told them to help him up 
 and wash and dress his wound, saying, that he 
 knew how to make and mend their guns, and 
 would be of great use to them, if preserved alive 
 and unhurt. 
 
 This, John afterwards found, had been the cause 
 of Maquina' s ordering the hatch to be closed, dur 
 ing the dreadful scene that had taken place, so that 
 he might not be numbered among the victims to 
 the revenge of the Indians, as he intended his life 
 should turn to their account, by keeping him a pri 
 soner, to make arms, &c., for the tribe. 
 
 But, when Jewitt first came on deck, before his 
 wound was attended to, the little sight that was 
 left him, showed the blood of his murdered bre 
 thren, flowing over the boards, and the naked 
 4 E 
 
50 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 savages gathering round him in a circle, with their 
 knives and daggers up, ready to strike. 
 
 They all united their clamorous voices, to have 
 him despatched, so that there might be none left to 
 tell the tale, whenever another vessel should come 
 on their borders. 
 
 But the king would not consent to his death, till 
 he had first examined and questioned him respect 
 ing what he would do, if spared. 
 
 In this trying moment, John felt, as he has since 
 said, the value of having his Maker for a friend ; 
 and of having given up his life and all his interests 
 into his Almighty care. 
 
 Maquina, wishing by his broken expressions, to 
 make John understand that if he did not consent 
 to his terms, he would be put to death, said to him, 
 
 'John I speak you no say no you say no, 
 daggers come !' He then asked if he would be his 
 slave for life; if he would fight in his battles, 
 make daggers and knives, and mend muskets for 
 him ; and many other similar questions, to all of 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 51 
 
 which, John was careful to answer in such a way 
 as to turn aside the dreaded wrath, and obtain leave 
 to live. 
 
 When he had consented to all these proposals, 
 Maquina told him he must now kiss his hands cind 
 feet, in token of perfect submission to him, as his 
 future master and sovereign. 
 
 When John requested to have a tobacco leaf, of 
 which there was plenty on board, bound on his 
 wound, having long known its healing qualities, 
 Maquina gave directions to have it brought, and 
 taking the silk cravat from the neck of his patient, 
 bound on the leaf with it, and fastened it round his 
 head. 
 
 The air was very cold, and John was without 
 his coat, which, together with his bodily suffering, 
 and the awful spectacle before him, made him 
 tremble like a poplar leaf. 
 
 Maquina saw this, and going below, brought up 
 the Captain's great coat, and a bottle of rum, and 
 throwing the coat over his shoulders, and putting 
 
52 CAPTIVE OF tfOOTKA. 
 
 the bottle to his mouth, he told him to drink, and 
 he would not shiver so. 
 
 When John had followed this prescription, and 
 was able to walk, the king led him to the quarter 
 deck, where he beheld a sight that chilled with 
 horror, the blood that was left in his veins. 
 
 The trunkless heads of his unfortunate com 
 rades, to the number of twenty-five, lay with their 
 ghastly faces up, in a row before him ; and not 
 a sign of life appeared on board the ship, except 
 in the persons of these dreadful executioners, and 
 his own aching bosom. 
 
 One of the savages brought a head and asked 
 whose it was. John told him it was the Captain's. 
 Then another and another was shown, in the same 
 way, till the horrid inspection of the whole number 
 was gone through with, though some of the faces 
 were so disfigured, as to make it impossible for the 
 terrified survivor to tell to whom it had belonged. 
 
 The first cause of this dreadful sacrifice to re 
 venge the insult which Maquina felt he had 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 53 
 
 received from the Captain, has already appeared to 
 the reader; though the haughty red monarch did 
 not see fit to explain it to Jewitt, till long after it 
 took place. 
 
 The whole matter by which he justified himself 
 in the merciless act, will be made known by some ' 
 of the subsequent pages. 
 
 The slaughter, it seems, began while some of the 
 seamen were busy in hoisting in the long-boat, 
 when the savages on board, taking advantage of 
 their situation, seized them and cut their throats 
 with their own jack-knives. 
 
 Captain Salter was thrown overboard in the 
 affray, but taken up and beheaded by the Indians 
 in the canoes. 
 
 When the fatal work was over with those at the 
 ship, the natives broke open the rum chest and 
 magazine; and providing themselves with the 
 deadly engines, went on shore in quest of the men* 
 that were there. When they had taken their lives, 
 they severed their heads from their bodies, which 
 
54 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 were all cast into the sea, and brought the appall 
 ing trophies to place them with those on board. 
 
 When John got able to stand, Maquina told him 
 he must get the ship round to Friendly Cove. To 
 do this, he cut the cables, and directed some of the 
 savages to go aloft and loose the sails. 
 
 Had it not been for the melancholy circumstances 
 that surrounded our disconsolate young friend, 
 he would have been much amused by the awk 
 wardness of the Indians, at this new work of 
 handling the rigging of a vessel. 
 
 However, as the wind was exactly fair for the 
 purpose, they succeeded in running her into the 
 cove, and got her ashore on H sand beach, about 
 eight o'clock in the evening 
 
 The king was welcomed home to the village, by 
 every mark of savage hilarity at his return, and 
 joy at his success, which could be shown by men, 
 women, and children. 
 
 Some ran to meet him, singing, leaping, and 
 shouting ; while others made an almost insupporta- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 55 
 
 ble din, to a head in such a state as John's must 
 have been, by drumming with sticks on the sides 
 and roofs of their houses, which were illuminated 
 with blazing pine torches, stuck in the cracks, in 
 honor of their king's return. 
 
 A sad, sad night was this to John, who, no 
 doubt, while he now took his good father's advice, 
 and resigned himself to the will of God, wished he 
 had also taken it, and followed a better counsellor 
 than his own romantic desire to see th* world, be 
 fore it was too late to be profited by it. 
 
56 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 John goes to the king's house sees the women gets acquainted 
 with the young prince, Sat-sat-sok-sis his supper how he 
 passes the night he learns that one of the men is alive in the 
 ship finds it is Thompson obtains permission for him to 
 live. 
 
 MAQUINA'S house, of which more will be said 
 hereafter, was very large, and filled with people. 
 The king had no less than nine wives; one of 
 which was the mother of the young prince, the fu 
 ture heir to his honors. 
 
 This woman was very beautiful, and seemed to 
 be a sort of queen over the others. She was the 
 favorite of the king, and her son was his darling 
 child. 
 
 The boy was about eleven years old. His name 
 was Sat-sat-sok-sis ; but, this being rather an un 
 wieldy word to manage, and as it may often occur in 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 57 
 
 our narrative, we will abbreviate it, and in future 
 call the prince Sat-sat. 
 
 John was conducted by Maquina to his house. 
 The women came round the prisoner, and patting 
 him softly on the head and shoulders, seemed to 
 feel much pity for him in his sufferings, and mani 
 fested a great desire to do something to relieve the 
 anguish of his wound. 
 
 Maquina called for something to eat, and his 
 women brought him some dried clams and train- 
 oil. He seated John beside him, and telling him to 
 eat a good deal of oil, because it would make him 
 fat and strong, began in earnest to show that his 
 theory and practice agreed ; at least, so far as gor 
 mandizing was concerned. 
 
 Bu!, poor John ! little would he have relished 
 this disgusting repast, had there been no sorrow at 
 his heart, as there was, swelling it almost to 
 bursting. 
 
 Little, too, in his present state of feeling, could he 
 have enjoyed the most sumptuous board that good 
 old England ever offered him. But he made the 
 
58 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 best of his condition, knowing that to murmur 
 would be in vain; and to show dissatisfaction 
 might yet cost him his life. 
 
 During the time of supper, he heard the savages 
 importuning their king to have him put to death ; 
 urging as a reason, that he might prevent other 
 vessels from coming to trade with them, by in 
 forming, in some way, of what they had done. 
 
 But Maquina persisted in refusing to do this; 
 saying that he had promised John his life, and he 
 would not break his word. He again reminded 
 them of the use he might be to them, by working 
 at their arms, &c. 
 
 John had, also, to listen to their terrible boasting 
 of what they had each done, in the murder of his 
 companions ; while, with horrid mimicry, they went 
 through some of the most dreadful acts of the 
 tragedy. 
 
 Sat-sat, the royal boy, attracted by curiosity, .at 
 the novel appearance of a white person, and in the 
 dress that looked very odd to the little savage, came 
 up to John to examine him. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 59 
 
 John thought he might win the favor of the 
 father, by securing that of the child ; so he coaxed 
 Sat-sat to come near, and caressed him till he got 
 him willing to sit upon his knee. 
 
 He then cut the bright metal buttons from the 
 coat he had on, and having run them on a string, 
 fastened them round the neck of the child. 
 
 This greatly delighted his young majesty, who 
 run off jingling his buttons, and showing them to 
 the company with as much pride as a civilized lady 
 would take in a necklace of pearls or diamonds. 
 
 And why should they not be as precious to him, 
 as those more costly gems to their possessor ? No 
 body, it is true, had delved in the mine very deep 
 ly, or plunged into the ocean to obtain them. 
 
 Yet they were personal decorations, bright and 
 pleasing to the eye, and they satisfied in him, the 
 future monarch, that vain love for external show 
 and ornament, which seems alike implanted in the 
 bosom of the civilized and the savage, as well as 
 the more expensive brilliants do those who, too 
 often think more about them, than they do of 
 
60 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 obtaining the l pearl of great price,' which our 
 Savior recommends as the best of all treasures. 
 
 The thought of taking this method with Sat-sat, 
 to win him, was a fortunate one for John. His but 
 tons completely succeeded in purchasing the heart 
 of the young prince, for their giver. 
 
 From that moment, Sat-sat attached himself to 
 his new friend, acting out his human nature with 
 out reserve, upon the principle of those of whom 
 Sat-sat had never heard, but who of old showed 
 their self-interest, by seeking the 'loaves and 
 fishes.' 
 
 When the hour came for those in the Indian 
 palace to go to rest, the company stretched them 
 selves on the ground ; and John was made to lie 
 down between Maquina and his son. 
 
 This, the king, who was much pleased with the 
 attention he had shown to Sat-sat, told him, was to 
 prevent the Indians, who seemed bent on taking his 
 life, from coming to kill him in his sleep. 
 
 But the unfortunate youth, in his sadly new 
 and strange condition, felt little inclination to sleep, 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 6t 
 
 notwithstanding his being literally in the bosom of 
 the royal family. 
 
 About midnight, he heard one of the natives 
 come and tell Maquina that there was a white man 
 alive in the ship ; and that he had been knocked 
 down by him, in attempting to go on board. 
 
 When the Indian had retired, Maquina told John 
 of this information, and said the white man must 
 be slain in the morning. 
 
 John tried to dissuade him from his purpose ; but 
 he silenced his entreaties, and told him to lie down 
 and go to sleep. 
 
 As Jewitt lay revolving the question in his mind, 
 who this man might be, and by what means he 
 could prevail on the king to let him live, he thought 
 it was most probably Thompson, the sail-maker 
 of the ship, as he had not recognised his head 
 among those of the slain ; and he remembered his 
 having been below, at work on the sails, when the 
 attack was made. 
 
 Thompson was a man about forty years of age ; 
 but as he had always lived a sea-faring life, from 
 
62 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 his boyhood, he looked much older. So John 
 thought, that if it should prove to be he, who was 
 alive, he would make Maquina think it was his 
 father, and see if, on this account, he could not win 
 mercy for him. 
 
 He fell into a doze towards morning ; but at the 
 rising of the sun, Maquina waked him, telling him 
 he was going to the ship to kill the man, and that 
 he must get up and go with him. 
 
 He obeyed in silence, and taking Sat-sat by the 
 hand, led him out, following the father to the 
 beach. 
 
 Here all the men of the tribe were assembled, 
 waiting the approach of their king. When he 
 came nigh, they gathered round him, listening with 
 deep attention, while he informed them that there 
 was a white man in the ship; and asked their 
 general opinion whether he .had better let him live, 
 or have him put to death. 
 
 The natives expressed their united wishes that 
 he might be kept alive, upon which John ventured 
 to put in his plea. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 63 
 
 He pointed to the boy, whom he still held by the 
 hand, and asked Maquina if he loved his son ; and 
 being answered in the affirmative, he then asked 
 the child if he loved his father. l Yes,' was the 
 reply. ' So do I love mine,' said he. 
 
 He threw himself now on his knees, at the feet 
 of the king, entreating him to spare the life of 
 his father, if it should prove to be he, who was in 
 the vessel. 
 
 The heart of the savage was touched, at this 
 pathetic appeal he told John to rise and go on 
 board the ship to tell the man to come out ; and 
 promised that if it was his father, he might live. 
 
 John went into the ship, and found to his great 
 joy, that it was indeed Thompson, who 'was there 
 alive and unhurt. 
 
 He was below when the massacre commenced, 
 and finding that he had been unobserved by the 
 natives, he hid himself in the hold, till all was 
 over. 
 
 When the Indian came on board for plunder, in 
 the night, thinking he was in quest of him. he 
 
JEWETT PLEADING FOR. THOMPSON. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 65 
 
 determined to sell his life as dearly as possible, so 
 he made a thrust at the savage and knocked him 
 down ; but he recovered himself in a moment, and 
 springing up, ran off to tell the king. 
 
 John told Thompson, in as few words as possi 
 ble, the plan he had laid to save his life, and the 
 new relationship of father that he must assume 
 reminding him how careful he must be not to let 
 the secret that he was not his father, be discovered 
 by the sagacious Indians. 
 
 He then led him forth to Maquina, presenting 
 him as his father, and promising to do every thing 
 in his power to serve the natives, if they would 
 spare his life. 
 
 But he assured them that, if they put his father 
 to death, they would lose his services, however 
 useful they might be in the way of his art of arms- 
 making, &c., for he would certainly kill himself, as 
 he could not bear this loss and live. 
 
 This was a powerful argument ; and when Ma 
 quina recognised Thompson, and knew him to be 
 the sail-maker, he thought his life, too, would be 
 5 F 
 
66 CAPTIVE OF KOOTKA. 
 
 of service to them, in his employment, as he could 
 make sails for their canoes ; and reminding his peo 
 ple of this, at the same time, telling them that, by 
 destroying him, they should lose the services of 
 both ; for he took John to be in earnest in his in 
 tention to kill himself, if Thompson was killed. 
 
 Thus, self-interest effected what humanity could 
 not have done, with these barbarians ; and it was 
 agreed that the sail-maker's life should be spared. 
 
 Maquina then took both his prisoners to his 
 house, and ordered something to be brought for 
 them to eat ; and John had the pleasure of seeing 
 another entertainment of clams and train-oil set ' 
 before him 
 
67 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The savages rob the ship of her contents, <SfC. John secures the 
 papers two ships are seen ether tribes of natives come to 
 Nootka their reception their supper, and a dance by Sat-sat 
 Maquina makes presents to his guests their manner of re 
 ceiving them visitor* continue to come and go. 
 
 THE two following days, the savages busied 
 themselves in taking away the cargo of the ship, 
 her sails, rigging, and what ever pleased their fan 
 cies, or promised to be in any way useful to them. 
 
 They even cut away her spars and masts, and 
 turned her to a complete wreck. 
 
 The greatest part of the cargo, and all the most 
 valuable articles, were carried to the king's house. 
 
 As John and his new father were obliged to as 
 sist in this work of depredation, they thought it a 
 good opportunity to secure the ship's papers, &c., 
 not knowing what way might offer for them to be 
 of use ; and as the natives set no value on such 
 
68 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 things, they met with little difficulty in taking them 
 into their own possession. 
 
 John's chest had been broken open and plunder 
 ed, but he still had the key ; so he put into it the 
 papers, with the Captain's writing-desk, a blank 
 account-book that he found, and which he thought 
 might serve him, as he knew not how long he 
 should remain in captivity, for to keep some little 
 accounts of what he might meet with. 
 
 In the desk were some writing materials, which 
 he hoped to be allowed to use ; and he also found 
 a Bible and Prayer Book, from which he expected 
 great consolation. 
 
 These articles, with a few small tools, he found 
 no difficulty in securing in his chest, in which he 
 also put a journal that had been kept by the mate, 
 and some drawings owned by him, which he re 
 served for his friends, in case of there ever being 
 an opportunity to convey them to the places of 
 their abode. 
 
 On the twenty-sixth, two ships hove in sight; 
 and, while their appearance filled the bosoms of 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 69 
 
 the captives with hope and joy, at least, for a short 
 time, it threw the natives into great consternation, 
 for they thought they were coming to punish them 
 for the work of destruction they had been doing. 
 
 They had immediate recourse to their newly- 
 acquired arms and ammunition, and kept up a 
 brisk firing, till the ships, not disposed to be pep 
 pered with hot shot, returned a few rounds, that 
 did no harm, and stood out to sea again; thus 
 drowning the hopes of poor John and his fellow- 
 captive, in the wide- spread ocean, over whose 
 surface they cut their watery way, till out of sight. 
 
 These ships, as was afterwards ascertained, 
 were the Mary, and the Juno, of Boston, Massa 
 chusetts. 
 
 When the ships were out of sight, Maquina be 
 gan to express great regret that he had let his peo 
 ple fire at them, as he feared that others, hearing 
 of this hostile treatment, would be prevented from 
 coming to trade with them. 
 
 Not many days after the capture of the ship, the 
 
70 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 news having spread round among the different 
 tribes of natives on the coast, brought them in 
 hosts to Nootka. 
 
 There came canoes filled with savages, of at 
 least twenty tribes, from the north and south, who 
 hastened to pay Maquina a visit of gratulation 
 for his success, and expecting, at the same time, to 
 better themselves by the presents it is the custom 
 of these people to bestow on their guests on such 
 an occasion. 
 
 Among these visitors, many belonged to the tribes 
 of the north, that were tributary to the Nootka. 
 
 But those who were the best dressed, and sailed 
 in the most neatly-finished canoes, belonged to 
 the Wickanninish, a large and powerful tribe of 
 the south. 
 
 These had come the distance of two hundred 
 miles, which, with sails to their canoes, and a 
 good breeze, they performed in twenty-four hours. 
 
 An odd and ludicrous scene was presented on 
 the beach as the canoes of the visitors approached 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 71 
 
 it ; for, Maquina, proud of his new acquisition, set 
 out to welcome his guests in what he thought real 
 European gentility of style. 
 
 And a motley group did the natives of Nootka 
 form as they assembled on the beach, clad in their 
 new arid ill-gotten gear, which had been taken from 
 the ship. 
 
 Some had on kutsacks, or cloaks, made of broad 
 cloths of blue, red, and yellow; with stockings 
 drawn over their heads, while, about their necks 
 were hung powder-horns, shot-bags, and cartouch 
 boxes ; and many had eight or ten muskets apiece 
 on their shoulders, and half a dozen daggers fasten 
 ed in one girdle. 
 
 Many articles of clothing they did not know 
 how to wear, and they put them on in a manner 
 to make most grotesque figures of themselves. 
 
 Equipped in this way, they all squatted upon 
 the beach, holding their muskets perpendicularly, 
 with the butts resting on the sand, waiting orders 
 to fire the salute. 
 
 The cannon had been taken from the ship to the 
 
72 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 beach, and laid upon two sticks of timber ; and at 
 these, Thompson was stationed ; while Maquina 
 had taken a stick and a trumpet, and gone up on 
 the roof of his house, where he set up such a 
 drumming on the roof, with his stick, i+ was 
 enough to stun any but a savage head. 
 
 When the canoes drew up to the shore, he spoke 
 through his trumpet, telling his subjects to fire. 
 
 At the word of command, they obeyed, but 
 fearfully and awkwardly, keeping in their squat 
 position, and pressing the butt of the gun, as before, 
 hard upon the ground. 
 
 At the same moment, Thompson fired the can 
 non, upon which the natives threw themselves 
 back, and tumbled and rolled about as if they had 
 been shot. 
 
 Then they sprang up, and ran and danced about 
 upon the beach, singing a song of triumph, and 
 boasting of their exploits ; while the strange, wild 
 sounds of their voices were accompanied by such 
 savage gesticulations as were sometimes laughable, 
 and sometimes frightful. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 73 
 
 When this ceremony was over, the king came 
 down from his perch, to meet his guests, and invite 
 them in, to partake of the royal entertainment that 
 had been prepared for them in his house. 
 
 This was a large quantity of whale blubber, 
 smoked herring-spawn, and dried fish with train- 
 oil, that were set before the company in large trays, 
 placed upon the ground, the floor of the red mo 
 narch's palace. 
 
 When the feast was over, and the trays removed, 
 preparations were made for the dance, which was 
 to close the entertainment. 
 
 Three of the principal chiefs, clad in otter-skin 
 mantles, a dress which they only assumed on great 
 occasions, and having their heads newly powdered 
 with white down, came forward into the room, 
 bearing each a bag of white down, similar to that 
 upon their heads, and began to scatter it round, so 
 as to represent a fall^f snow. 
 
 This, I think a pretty idea, and quite a delicate 
 one too, as it was strewing the way, with this soft 
 G 
 
74 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 and beautiful material, for the young prince to step 
 upon. 
 
 It is a thought of a more refined nature than that 
 which, a short time before, had occasioned the blub 
 ber and the sperm to be placed in trays upon the 
 same spot. 
 
 Behind these chiefs, who came paving the way 
 in so gentle and soft a manner, followed Sat-sat, 
 with a long piece of yellow cloth, wrapped loosely 
 about him ; and tricked out with small bells, a cap, 
 and a mask in the form of a wolf's head. 
 
 Behind him came the king himself, in a robe of 
 sea-otter skin, and having in his mouth a smajl 
 whistle, while in his hand he held a rattle, which 
 he shook to keep time to a wild, fantastic tune that 
 he played upon his whistle. 
 
 When they had passed, with great gravity and 
 order, round the apartment, each was seated, 
 except Sat-sat, who immediately commenced his 
 dance. 
 
 This dance he performed chiefly by taking a 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 75 
 
 squat position, and thus, springing up as far as he 
 had power to go; and incessantly turning round 
 upon his heels in a very small circle, and with great 
 swiftness in his motion. 
 
 The dance, with only a few intervals for him to 
 take breath, Sat-sat kept up for two hours, to the 
 doleful music which the chiefs made, by drumming 
 with short sticks, on pieces of plank, the under side 
 of which had been scooped out into a hollow, so as 
 to sound the louder, and the more like a hollow in 
 strument. 
 
 During the dance, Maquina and his chiefs con 
 tinued singing; and the women uttered their 
 plaudits at every extraordinary jump of the young 
 performer, crying out, at the top of their voices, 
 k Wocash ! Wocash ! Tyee /' (good ! very good ! 
 prince. ) 
 
 When the dance was ended, Maquina began to 
 deal out gifts to the strangers, in the name of his 
 son Sat-sat. 
 
 These presents consisted of pieces of cloth, about 
 
76 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 two yards long, that had been taken from the ship, 
 muskets, powder, shot, &c. 
 
 Maquina, on this occasion, gave away four hun 
 dred yards of cloth, one hundred muskets, as many 
 looking-glasses, and twenty casks of powder, be 
 sides many other articles. 
 
 The manner in which these people received the 
 gifts, was very odd, and such as seemed very unci 
 vil and ungracious. 
 
 When the king held out the gift, the receiver 
 snatched it from him rudely, and with as stern a 
 look as could be put on, saying at the same time, 
 'Wocash, Tyeer 
 
 John thought by their looks, that all were dissa 
 tisfied with their presents ; but he afterwards learnt 
 that this sterri expression was considered among 
 the savages a mark of respect ; and it was viewed 
 as a great indignity to have it omitted on the re 
 ception of a thing bestowed; especially, if the 
 giver was a person in authority. 
 
 After the presents were distributed, Maquina 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 77 
 
 insisted on all the strangers, but the chiefs, going 
 on board their canoes to sleep, to prevent their pil 
 laging during the night; and he set John and 
 Thompson, armed with cutlasses and pistols, to 
 watch them. The chiefs were accommodated with 
 a place in the houses. 
 
 The natives of the diiferent tribes along the 
 coast continued to come in this way, to Nootka, for 
 several days, bringing with them such sorts of pro 
 visions as would be acceptable, and receiving in 
 return, presents from Maquina ; after which, they 
 went directly back to their homes. 
 
78 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The ship is burnt many articles lost by the fire some valuable 
 things saved Maquina discovers a tierce of rum among his 
 spoils invites company holds a carousal all get intoxicated 
 John empties the rum-cask upon the ground anecdote of a 
 merchant John begins to work at his trade he assists 
 Thompson in getting food. 
 
 ON the morning of the eighteenth, John and his 
 companion in bondage witnessed a spectacle which 
 was to them a sad sight, while it shone brightly 
 before them. 
 
 As they arose, early in the morning, and went 
 out, on looking towards the ship, they saw her 
 wrapped in flames. She had taken fire by 
 means of some sparks that some of the natives 
 who went on board in the night, for plunder, had 
 let fall into the hold, among the light combustibles, 
 which soon broke out into a blaze, and entirely 
 completed the destruction of the only trace of a 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 79 
 
 civilized country, except the articles carried on 
 shore, which appeared to their sight. 
 
 Besides, there were a great many provisions still 
 on board, which they had hoped to take out for 
 their own use and comfort, as the natives would 
 not touch a thing that had any flavor of salt, and 
 there were many other articles that would have 
 been left to their enjoyment, as they were as offen 
 sive to the savage taste, as the whale blubber and 
 train-oil were to theirs. 
 
 But it was a splendid, though melancholy sight 
 to them, to see the Boston, as she lay upon the 
 edge of the great waters, that spread themselves 
 out so far on one side, and the border of a savage 
 land, that stretched off on the other, ~ beyond the 
 power of their imaginations to follow. It was, I 
 say, a melancholy sight to see her thus standing 
 between these two elements, for a third, and more 
 terrible one to devour her. 
 
 As the flames towered high above the water, they 
 waved and sported on the surrounding air, as the 
 
THE SHIP BOSTON IN FLAMES. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 81 
 
 plumes of a group of soldiers are tossed and played 
 with by the winds that pass. 
 
 The captives breathed out their farewell to the 
 unfortunate ship as she became a mass of living 
 coals , and then crumbled to pieces before their 
 eyes. 
 
 The natives, too, seemed very sorry for the loss, 
 as there were many things still about her, which 
 they had intended to save. 
 
 John lost his anvil and bellows, which had not 
 been removed to the beach ; though nearly all the 
 other things with which he worked, were saved. 
 
 Among the things that had been carried on shore, 
 he was glad to find a nautical almanac, which one 
 of the natives gave him ; and a case of port wine, 
 and a box of chocolate, both of which, as the 
 Indians did not like their taste, fell to the disposal 
 of John and Thompson. 
 
 The almanac, John expected, would be of great 
 
 use to him in determining on points of time ; and 
 
 the natives, in their turn, were highly delighted, 
 
 when examining their booty, about two days after 
 
 6 
 
82 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 the burning of the ship, they found among a varie 
 ty of things, a cask of rum, and a case of gin. 
 
 Since their intercourse with the whites, who first 
 introduced ardent spirits among the American In 
 dians, they have become very fond of the ' fire 
 water, as they used to call rum, when they first 
 began to use it. 
 
 It was nearly night when Maquina discovered 
 that he had such a prize in his possession, and 
 much elated with the anticipated enjoyment of his 
 intoxicating draught, he invited all the men to a 
 feast at his house, or, to use a more fashionable 
 term, to an evening party, to enjoy with him the 
 fire-water. 
 
 The native Indians of Virginia, when they ob 
 tained a bag of gunpowder from some of the early 
 settlers, never having seen any thing of the kind 
 before, but finding it a thing of great power, as 
 well as pretty and curious in its effects, put it aside, 
 to plant with their corn, as they said they wanted 
 to become acquainted with < that kind of seed.' 
 
 But, Maquina knew better than to pour his 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 83 
 
 treasure into the ground, to see if it would produce 
 little rivulets or fountains of that kind of water; 
 so when the company had assembled and partaken 
 of the feast and the beverage, they soon grew so 
 intoxicated and wild, that John and Thompson 
 fled to the woods for safety, and the women made 
 their escape to other houses for the night. 
 
 The men only were engaged in this drinking 
 frolic, the women of Nootka being perfectly tempe 
 rate, and never using anything but water, by way 
 of drink. 
 
 About midnight, when the wild shouts and 
 frightful sounds of the savage mirth had died 
 away, the captives, feeling desirous of knowing 
 what was going on at the palace, returned to look 
 into the state of affairs in and about the premises. 
 
 The Indians, after their carousal, overcome by 
 the effects of the strong draughts they had taken, 
 were all stretched out on the ground, in profound 
 sleep, or stupefaction, such as follows excessive 
 drinking. 
 
 It had now been an easy thing for the captives 
 
84 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 to destroy their lives, or bind them down, had there 
 been any vessel to which they might flee for re 
 fuge. 
 
 But to kill the poor untutored savages, was a thing 
 that was not to be thought of; and to make any oth 
 er attempt upon them, would have been useless, as 
 there was no possible way of escape by water, and 
 to go back into the woods would only be exposing 
 themselves to the hostilities of other natives; so they 
 thought the best thing they could do, would be to 
 prevent the danger of another fire-water jubilee. 
 
 John went to the rum-cask, and, finding it had 
 still enough in it to make its effects dreaded, he 
 took a small gimblet, and bored in the under side 
 of the cask, a hole large enough to let the spirit 
 take its own way and its own time to sink into the 
 earth, before morning. 
 
 He had the satisfaction to find, that in a few 
 hours, the soil had drunk up, what the children of 
 the soil had left ; and that there remained no more 
 an opportunity for the natives to have another frolic 
 of this sort. 
 
CAPTIVE OP NOOTKA. 85 
 
 And he now saw that the burning of the ship, 
 which he had before regretted so much, was a wise 
 direction of Providence ; as there was on board a 
 large quantity of rum, which, had it been secured 
 by the natives, would have been a source of great 
 trouble to him and Thompson, if it did not cause 
 their death. 
 
 John's act in the tempwance cause reminds me of 
 an anecdote, which, as I was knowing to the^facts 
 at the time, I will digress from our story, to relate. 
 
 In the summer of 1832, a merchant of Newbury- 
 port, Massachusetts, having long been convinced of 
 the evil of furnishing the seamen who went out in 
 his vessels, with a supply of spirituous liquor, for 
 their voyage, began to consider seriously on the 
 easiest and best way to dispose of a couple of 
 hogsheads of rum that had been a great while in 
 his store. 
 
 To sell it to others, he felt, would not be de 
 stroying the evil, but only passing it off on his 
 neighbors he had too much conscience for this. 
 
86 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 To ship the rum to some other port, would only 
 be removing from his sight the bad consequences 
 which he felt certain would follow the use of it. 
 
 So he called a truckman, and directed him to 
 take the hogsheads of rum on his trucks, and carry 
 them to the head of the wharf. He then bored a 
 hole in the head of each, and let them empty their 
 contents into the Merrimac river. 
 
 Had he sold the rum, it would have brought him 
 much money ; but in this act, he gave a proof that 
 a man of sound principle will be ready to make 
 a personal sacrifice of worldly gain, to the cause 
 of general good ; and that he will not countenance 
 or assist others in doing what he would deem it 
 wrong for himself to do. 
 
 We will now resume our story. John had so far 
 recovered from the hurt on his head, and the shock 
 he had sustained in the loss of his friends, as to be 
 able to begin to work a little. 
 
 He found a large flat stone, which he converted 
 into an anvil ; and heating the metal on which he 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 87 
 
 worked, in a common fire, for a furnace, he com 
 menced his business, much to the satisfaction of the 
 king and his wives. 
 
 For the women he made bracelets and other or 
 naments of copper and steel, which pleased them 
 highly; and for the men, he mended their arms, 
 &c., which won for him their favor, also; and they 
 began to think they had a valuable prize in their 
 young captive. 
 
 The neighboring tribes of Indians still kept flock 
 ing to Nootka, with their stores of provisions, to 
 exchange for a share of the spoils of the ship ; and 
 John was allowed to make, on his own hook, some 
 small ornamental articles which he sold to them, 
 for either victuals for himself and Thompson, or 
 pieces of European cloth, and wearing apparel, 
 which they had just received from his master. 
 
 I speak of John's procuring food in this way, 
 because it is the habit of the Nootka Indians to 
 make the most of to-day, and let to-morrow take 
 care of itself; and they would often destroy, at one 
 of their feasts, what would have kept them com- 
 
88 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 fortable for several days, though they afterwards 
 had to take a very short allowance, in consequence 
 of their careless waste. 
 
 John generally fared as well as his master's 
 family ; but Thompson, who could not bring his 
 spirit into subjection to his new lords, being of an 
 irritable temper, often manifested a state of feeling 
 towards the Indians, that made him no favorite 
 with them, and greatly displeased them. 
 
 He would frequently have., had ta go -hiiingry, 
 had not his adopted son procured food for . him, 
 either by selling his work, or by begging for him 
 of others, who did not belong to the king's family. 
 
 John was so highly esteemed in the village, "that 
 when he did not find enough of such disgtisting 
 fare as he had to live on, at home, he could go into 
 any hut where he saw a smoke, (the sign that they 
 were cooking,) and get something, which was 
 readily given him for himself and his friend ; thus 
 getting hunger satisfied with what -did not do much 
 towards delighting the taste. 
 
89 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 John's remarks about cooking Maquina throws away the kettle 
 of salt John's head gets better Thompson's history he 
 strikes Sat-sat an affray, in which he is likely to be slain 
 John pleads till the king consents to his life being spared 
 strawberries appear John begins his journal. 
 
 IT would have been a cause of great pleasure to 
 the captives, could they have had permission to 
 cook their salmon, halibut, and other food in their 
 own way, which they might easily have done with 
 the pot and other cooking utensils, that had been 
 saved from the ship, had not Maquina forbidden it. 
 
 He and all the rest of the tribe were so proud 
 and tenacious of their own manner of cooking, that 
 whenever John procured a fish, he was obliged to 
 give it up to the women, and let them make what 
 sort of a mess they pleased with it, and it generally 
 came out a pretty unpalatable dish. 
 H 
 
90 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 Once, when the prisoners went away by them 
 selves, into a retired place, in order to boil down 
 some sea- water, to make salt for their food, Maqui- 
 *na, discovering what they were about, was so of 
 fended, that he spilt their brine, and threw the 
 kettle into the sea. 
 
 This act was not because Maquina wished to 
 treat John unkindly on the contrary, he seemed 
 disposed to show him much kindness, in his barba 
 rous way but he was so proud, he could not bear 
 anything like innovation, or like dissatisfaction with 
 their mode of living. 
 
 Once, as a great favor, he permitted John to cook 
 a salmon ; and he and his favorite wife condescend 
 ed to taste of it ; but they did not like it, and turn 
 ed to that which was done according to their own 
 fashion. 
 
 The wound on John's head was now getting 
 well fast. The tobacco having been brought on 
 shore, allowed him a fresh leaf every day, which 
 was the only thing applied to the cut, besides the 
 water with which it was washed, and some loaf- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 91 
 
 sugar that the king gave him once, to take out the 
 proud flesh that had formed. 
 
 Sat-sat's mother would often point to John's fore 
 head, and giving a piteous look, express a wish to 
 have it well ; while Maquina seemed also to feel 
 much compassion for him, and spared him what 
 labor he could, asking frequently if his head pained 
 him. 
 
 But Thompson, who could not help showing by 
 his rude manner and unbending spirit, that he could 
 not well brook his captivity and subjection to his 
 red masters, was not much in favor with any of 
 the natives. 
 
 To account a little for the rough outside and 
 the stubborn spirit of Thompson, it may be well to 
 say a few words about his origin and life. 
 
 He was born in Philadelphia ; but he ran away 
 from his friends when a very small boy, and en 
 tered as cabin-boy in a ship bound to London. 
 When he arrived at London, not knowing what to 
 do with himself, which is often, I suspect, the case 
 
92 * CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 with boys as disobedient and wayward as he, he 
 went and engaged himself as an apprentice to a 
 collier. 
 
 He was afterwards impressed on board an Eng 
 lish man-of-war, and remained about twenty-seven 
 years in the service of the British navy. 
 
 During this time, he had encountered many pe 
 rils, and engaged in some hot battles. He was a 
 strong, muscular man, and an expert boxer. He 
 had been so familiar with danger, it had lost its 
 dread to him ; and whenever his temper was raised, 
 he was wholly regardless of his own life. 
 
 This daring spirit he could not, or would not, 
 overcome ; and it came very near proving fatal to 
 him, in his new situation. 
 
 The Indians, it seems, had taken the lamps from 
 the ship, and placed them in the king's room, in 
 stead of the pine torches with which it was before 
 lighted; and it fell to Thompson's lot to fill and 
 light them. 
 
 One evening, when John was at the house of 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 93 
 
 one of the chiefs, about some work he was doing 
 for him, word was brought him, that Maquina was 
 going to kill Thompson. 
 
 He dropped his work, and running to see what 
 was the matter, he found Maquina holding a load 
 ed musket, while he foamed at the mouth with 
 rage, at Thompson, who stood before him with his 
 bosom bare, telling him to fire. 
 
 He stepped between them, and addressing the 
 king in the most soothing words and tones, entreat 
 ed him to spare his father, and at length prevail 
 ed on him to let him take the musket, and to sit 
 down. 
 
 When the incensed monarch grew a little cool, 
 John learned the cause of the offence. 
 
 Thompson was about filling the lamps, when a 
 throng of Indian boys, eager to see how it was 
 done, gathered round him, pulling his clothes and 
 annoying him in various ways, till they made him 
 spill the oil. 
 
 Upon this, he flew into a passion, and gave the 
 
94 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 first boy that he could lay his hand on, a blow in 
 the face that knocked him down. 
 
 This happened to be Sat-sat, and the act of strik 
 ing him the savages regarded as the highest indig 
 nity, as the persons of the royal family are held 
 sacred ; and the sensation produced among them, 
 at seeing their little prince's majesty thus profan 
 ed, cannot be conceived of by one who did not 
 witness it. 
 
 When Maquina saw his son's face covered with 
 blood, he had resolved at once on taking the life 
 of the offender ; and with this intent he had seized 
 the musket, which, had not John arrived at that 
 moment, would have laid Thompson breathless 
 before him. 
 
 It was a long time before Maquina could be ap 
 peased ; and for a great while after this affray, he 
 would say, now and then, ' John, you die Thomp 
 son kill.' 
 
 But the king was not all who was to be pacified 
 the whole tribe felt themselves ill-treated in the 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 95 
 
 person of their young prince. They held a coun 
 cil, and it was resolved upon, that Thompson 
 should be put to death in the most cruel manner. 
 
 But John assuring the king that, if he delivered 
 his father over to be tormented and slain by his 
 people, he would certainly not survive him, but 
 would destroy his own life ; thus prevailed on him 
 to forbid their injuring him, in the least, which, he 
 took good care to inform John, was on his account, 
 not on his father's. 
 
 Sat-sat also assured him of this, afterwards ; for 
 he said, if that blow had come on him from any 
 one of the natives, it would have caused him who 
 gave it, to be put to death at once. 
 
 Yet, strange as it may seem, the difficulty thus 
 brought on Thompson, by giving way to anger, did 
 not teach him much prudence. 
 
 He detested the Indians, and he did not try to 
 conceal his feelings towards them. This often 
 brought him into a squabble with some one of 
 them, and gave great anxiety to his fellow-captive. 
 
 He used to say sometimes that he abhorred the 
 
96 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 natives so much, he would rather die, than live a 
 slave among them, after being the brave soldier 
 that he had been, and fighting the French and the 
 Spaniards as he had done. 
 
 This irritable disposition of Thompson's kept 
 John in constant fear, lest he should, by some vio 
 lence or insulting act, forfeit his life, and cause him 
 to be left to bear the horrors of his bondage alone. 
 
 It was now about the middle of May. The cli 
 mate was so mild, asfid the season so fine, that the 
 strawberries, with which the coast abounded, were 
 fully ripe. 
 
 It was a great luxury to the captives to gather 
 these, and eat them fresh from the spot where they 
 grew ; but the natives would not use them without 
 a dressing of the nauseous train-oil. 
 
 About this time, Thompson, who could not write 
 himself, importuned John, frequently, to begin his 
 journal ; and told him, as he had no ink, he would 
 cut his own finger and let him have blood from it 
 to write with, whenever he wished to set anything 
 down. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 97 
 
 But John was spared the painful acceptance of so 
 strange an offer ; as he found a kind of wild berry, 
 the juice of which, being boiled with powdered 
 charcoal, and filtered through a cloth, made very 
 good ink. 
 
 He prepared a bottle or two of this, and gather 
 ing up some of the raven and crow-quills, that 
 were scattered about the shore, he furnished him 
 self with a clam-shell for an inkstand, and thus 
 provided, he began his regular diary, about the first 
 
 of June. 
 
 7 I 
 
98 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 John's conduct towards the natives Thompson's his secona 
 insult to a Tyee description of Nootka its buildings Dex* 
 ter's images. 
 
 JOHN had, from the first of his bondage, resolved 
 on using a mild, conciliatory deportment towards 
 the natives ; and to set about learning their lan 
 guage as fast as possible, so as to understand them, 
 and express himself in the safest terms, as this he 
 considered the surest way to win their favor, and 
 lessen the pains of captivity. 
 
 But it was far otherwise with Thompson. He 
 insisted that he did not want to know the language 
 of so detestable a race, and declared that he would 
 not defile his mouth with their lingo. 
 
 It was not long after his thrust at Sat-sat, that 
 he got himself and his friend into a similar affair 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 99 
 
 of danger by striking the son of a chief, for calling 
 him a white slave. 
 
 The Indian lad was eighteen years old ; an age, 
 which, by the custom of the tribe, endowed him 
 with the honors and the dignity of a Tyee, (chief.) 
 
 But John, making use of all his address, suc 
 ceeded a second time in extricating the white offen 
 der from the entanglement into which his own 
 folly and rashness had brought him, and which 
 made all the tribe clamorous for his death. 
 
 It seemed to be Thompson's determination not to 
 learn wisdom by experience, but rather to l cat of 
 the fruit of his own ways, and be filled with his 
 own devices.' 
 
 It may now be well, as we may not find a more 
 convenient stopping-place in our narrative, to pause 
 here a little while, and suspend the thread of the 
 story, to give a short description of the place with 
 which it is connected, and an account of the cus 
 toms of the people who inhabited it. 
 
 The village of Nootka was situated in between 
 
iOO CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 forty-nine and fifty degrees of north latitude, at the 
 bottom of Friendly Cove, on the north-west side. 
 
 The houses, or huts, of which it consisted when 
 John was a prisoner there, were about twenty in 
 number, and stood upon the slope of a small hill 
 that rose gradually up from the border of the 
 beach. 
 
 Friendly Cove, formed between the line of coast 
 on the one side, and a point of land that extends 
 three leagues into the sound, on the other, is be 
 tween a quarter and a half of a mile wide, and 
 from a half to three quarters of a mile long. It is 
 a small harbor, and affords a good anchorage for 
 ships coming close to the shore. 
 
 The eastern and western shores of this harbor 
 are abrupt and rugged, with trees growing close to 
 the water's edge ; but at the bottom of the cove, to 
 the north-west, there is a fine sandy beach, the 
 same on which I have described the natives as 
 sitting with their guns up, to hail their visitors 
 with a salute. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 101 
 
 From the village there stretches off to the north 
 and north-east, a strip of plain, the soil of which 
 is soft and rich ; but it soon terminates at the sea- 
 coast, that is lined with reefs of rocks that make it 
 impossible for vessels to approach the shore. The 
 coast in the neighborhood of Nootka is rather low, 
 and not much diversified with hills and dales. It 
 abounds with fine clear streams of sweet water, 
 and the soil is good, and overspread with noble 
 forests of pine, spruce, beech, and other trees. 
 
 A few years previous to the time of our story, 
 the Spaniards, thinking the hill where the village 
 of Nootka stood, would afford them a fine situation 
 for a garrison, took possession of it, driving the 
 Indians back several miles into the woods, and 
 demolishing their houses. 
 
 But when the Spanish garrison was expelled by 
 the English, the Indians returned with great joy to 
 their favorite spot, and rebuilt their town. 
 
 When John was there, the foundation of the 
 Spanish governor's house was still visible, and 
 there were several kinds of European plants, such 
 
102 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 as peas, turnips, and onions, that had scattered 
 themselves about in the soil and were growing, 
 though in a stinted manner, without cultivation. 
 
 The houses at Nootka, which I have already 
 said, were about twenty in number, were of vari 
 ous sizes, according to the rank of the Tyees who 
 lived in them, as each house contained several 
 families, over whom the chief who occupied it with 
 them, was considered the rightful lord. 
 
 Each family held their little allotment in the 
 house, separate from the other parts; and each 
 house was large enough to accommodate a great 
 many people none being too small for two fami 
 lies. 
 
 These buildings, of which Maquina's was the 
 largest, stood nearly in a direct line, thus forming 
 by one range, the little village on the hill's side. 
 
 The manner in which the Nootkans built, was 
 as follows : and it does not seem quite so difficult 
 as getting the materials ready for use, which must in 
 their way, and with their means, have been a very 
 laborious process. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 103 
 
 When a building was to oe erected, and the pre 
 parations were made, the first step was to set two 
 large posts so far into the ground as to make them 
 sure to stand, and at such a distance from each 
 other, as to comprise the length of the house the 
 top of each post being hollowed out, so as to let the 
 end of a spar fit in and remain secure. 
 
 An immensely large and long spar was then laid 
 upon them to form the ridgepole of the house ; but 
 if the length of the house required it, two addition 
 al posts were set up, so as to admit of the ridgepole 
 being formed of two spars, which was not un- 
 frequently the case, as the houses were some of 
 them very long. 
 
 The king's house was one hundred feet long, and 
 the single spar that passed from end to end of it, 
 measured eight feet four inches in circumference. 
 
 The corner posts were to be set up next, mark 
 ing the width of the house ; but they were shorter 
 than those on which the ridgepole rested, so as to 
 have another spar placed on each side of the first, 
 
104 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 and a little lower, to give a slant to the roof of the 
 house. 
 
 The spars that were to come under the eaves of 
 the building, were made flat on the upper side, with 
 a little rising edge left on the outer part, to prevent 
 the planks, of which the covering of the house was 
 to be made, from sliding off. 
 
 When these side spars were laid on the posts, the 
 builders proceeded to laying on the roof. The 
 planks of which this was formed, were heavy, with 
 a broad feather-edge so as to lap ; and placed one 
 end on the ridgepole, the other on the side beam, 
 closely lapped along, till one coat of the roof was 
 formed. 
 
 Another coat of planks was laid on so as to jut 
 over the eaves, or, beyond the ends of the first lay 
 ing, in a way to exclude the rain entirely. 
 
 These were only fastened on by large rocks that 
 were laid upon them ; but they were often so inse 
 cure as to oblige the men to go out and sit upon the 
 roofs of their houses, in a violent storm, to keep 
 them from being blown away. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 105 
 
 It seems to be reversing the common order of 
 things, to be sure, for a man to have to shelter, or 
 protect his house, instead of receiving protection 
 from it in a storm ; but so it was with these poor, 
 uncivilized, untutored savages, who knew no bet 
 ter way of fastening their buildings together. 
 
 A missionary among the Sandwich Islands, in 
 forms us that some of the natives set so high a 
 value on common nails, that when they have ob 
 tained a few from some vessel, they have been 
 known to plant them, in order to have a tree come 
 up and bear nails, not knowing how else they could 
 be produced. 
 
 But the Nootkans had no nails to spring up from 
 their grounds, and if, in any other way, they had 
 been furnished with enough for their buildings, it is 
 doubtful whether they would have condescended 
 to use them, so proud and tenacious were they of 
 their own way in everything. 
 
 To form the side of the house, a double row of 
 stancheons was set up, as high as the eaves, the 
 distance of each pair from the other, about as long 
 
106 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 as the planks to be used, and the stakes of each 
 couple, just far enough apart to admit the width of 
 the plank. 
 
 The planks were then slidden in between them, 
 resting one upon the edge of the other, till the side 
 of the building was sealed up. 
 
 There was but one entrance to the house, and 
 this commonly at the end ; though that of Maqui- 
 na's house was in the middle of the side. 
 
 They had no chimneys, or fire-places, but a few 
 stones put together to build the fire on, and a board 
 in the roof above it, so fixed as to be shoved aside, 
 whenever they made a fire, and wanted to let the 
 smoke out. 
 
 Through the middle of the building, there runs 
 along from end to end, a passage about eight feet 
 wide, on each side of which lived numerous fami 
 lies, without any partition to mark their limits, 
 but all having their separate fire-places, furni 
 ture, &c. 
 
 The earth formed the only floor of these odd 
 habitations, and the only bed of their occupants, 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 107 
 
 except a piece of bark matting which they spread 
 down, and upon which they laid themselves to rest, 
 with only their clothing thrown over them for a co 
 vering. 
 
 The ridgepole of the king's house was painted 
 in alternate red and black rings, and the tops of 
 the posts were rudely carved and painted so as to 
 represent the heads of men of an enormous size. 
 
 This was done by way of embellishment to the 
 palace, and to distinguish the royal abode from 
 that of a subject. 
 
 A taste and a whim similar to that of the Indian 
 monarch, seems to have actuated the late noted 
 Timothy, (alias Lord,) Dextef, who, some thirty 
 years ago, or thereabouts, caused to be placed over 
 the arched door- way, and in the front yard of his 
 spacious house in Newburyport, Massachusetts, 
 numerous carved and painted images, clothed in 
 military, or other professional attire, that stood up 
 as large as life, on double rows of high pillars, each 
 labeled with a name, such as ' Washington^ i Han 
 cock,' 'Adams,' &c. 
 
108 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 A few of these images remain to this day, the 
 ridiculous and weather-beaten monuments of the 
 folly of him whose mortal form has crumbled, long 
 before them, into dust. 
 
109 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 How they made boards at Nootka their furniture their man- 
 ner of eating their feasts how they made cloth their dress. 
 
 THE manner in which the Nootkans prepared 
 their planks for building, was by splitting them out 
 from large pine logs, which they did with hard 
 wooden wedges, and then reducing them to a proper 
 thickness by working on them with their chisels. 
 
 This was a labor that required much time and 
 patience, and the Indians must have obtained, not 
 only their food, but also their dwellings, by c the 
 sweat of the brow.' 
 
 Their houses were, none of them, more than ten 
 feet high, at the ridgepole, but, broad and long as 
 they were, they must have cost many a hard day's 
 work, with their boards procured by so slow and 
 toilsome a process. 
 
 John found that the furniture of one of these 
 
110 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 houses consisted neither in pieces of porcelain, ala 
 baster, marble, polished mahogany, or gilt- work; 
 and that the royal establishment did not differ from 
 the others in its household gear. 
 
 All that these people seemed to want was just 
 enough for use ; and for this, very little sufficed. 
 
 They had boxes in which to keep their clothes, 
 furs, and other articles which they wished to preserve 
 most carefully, formed of pine, and very smooth, 
 with covers to shut closely over and fastened on by 
 flexile twigs, instead of hinges and locks. 
 
 Sometimes these boxes were ornamented with 
 rows of small white shells, that were brought up 
 from the sea in so curious a way, that I shall here 
 after describe it. 
 
 With baskets for their dried fish, and other pur 
 poses, and bags of the bark matting, of which they 
 also had a patch to sleep upon, the Indians had 
 tubs of an oblong square, and of various sizes, 
 from six feet by four, down to a very small mea 
 sure. 
 
 These tubs they used, too, for keeping their soft 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. Ill 
 
 provisions, for cooking, and many other uses. 
 They were formed by the chisel from square 
 blocks. 
 
 Their dishes were only large trays, formed in a 
 similar manner, and about three feet long, one 
 wide, and eight inches deep. 
 
 Around one of these trays, filled with whatever 
 their meal happened to consist of, whether of stew 
 ed salmon, whale-blubber, herring-spawn, or some 
 thing else as inviting, from four to six persons 
 generally seated themselves, on the ground, with 
 their legs crossed and bent under them, to partake 
 of the repast. 
 
 They used nothing but their hands in eating, 
 unless the dish chanced to be a soup, or swimming 
 with oil ; in which case, each resorted to a clam 
 shell as a vehicle to convey to his mouth, the ali 
 ment that might otherwise have slipped through 
 his fingers. 
 
 Their food consisted chiefly of fish of various 
 kinds, clams, muscles, and a variety of wild ber 
 ries, all of which, even to the delicate strawberries 
 
112 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 and raspberries, had to take a dressing of train-oil, 
 before they were eaten. 
 
 One way which the Nootkans had to cook a fish 
 was this: They put into the largest tub, water 
 enough to make their broth, and heating stones 
 very hot, put them into the water till it boiled. 
 
 Then they cut oif the head, tail, and fins of a 
 salmon, and laid the fish in the water which was 
 kept boiling by the stones from the fire, till the 
 whole become thickened by the decomposed sal 
 mon and then it was taken out to be eaten, in a 
 sort of unseasoned soup. This was with them a 
 favorite mess. 
 
 Another mode of their cooking was by steam. 
 This was done by building a large fire, upon which 
 a layer of stones was placed, which becoming well 
 heated through, were overspread with green leaves 
 and pine boughs. Upon these the fish, muscles, 
 clams. &c., were put and covered closely with a 
 mat, to confine the steam, till the cooking was 
 done. 
 
 In this way, the prisoners found the clams and 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 113 
 
 muscles were well done and tasted very good, and 
 the salmon was better than that done after the 
 other fashion. 
 
 They seldom cooked their food at Nootka in any 
 other than these two ways, though they sometimes 
 roasted herring and sprats, by spitting them on a 
 stick which they stuck into the ground, and built a 
 fire round it. The roe of salmon they supported 
 over the fire between the ends of two split pieces 
 of pine, till it was roasted. 
 
 At their meals, the king and chiefs had separate 
 trays, from which no one except the queen, or prin 
 cipal wife of the chief, was allowed to eat. 
 
 But whenever the king or one of the chiefs wish 
 ed to confer a great mark of favor on one of the 
 people, he would call him to him and give him 
 some choice morsel from his tray. 
 
 The slaves, of which there were many, in the 
 village that had been captured from other tribes, in 
 time of war, fared as well as their masters, eating 
 at the same time, and of the same food, but only 
 feeding froni separate trays. 
 8 K 
 
114 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 Whenever a feast, or a party, was given by a 
 king or a chief, a master of ceremonies was chosen, 
 who conducted the whole with great decorum and 
 style. 
 
 He received the guests as they entered the house, 
 and pointed out to each his place with much exact 
 ness and perfect order, as rank and standing were 
 strictly attended to on such occasions, and no one 
 was allowed to take a seat without regard to these. 
 
 This etiquette, as well as many other usages of 
 these people concerning their dress and entertain 
 ments, one might almost view as a prophetical bur 
 lesque upon the refined ways of civilized life at a 
 more modern date. 
 
 Invitations to these feasts were often given to all 
 the people of the village ; and in making prepara 
 tions for it, a great quantity of food was cooked up 
 to waste. Excessive eating was a condition to be 
 complied with at one of these parties. 
 
 He who gormandized the most was considered 
 as enjoying the entertainment most highly, while 
 the host felt that the height of his felicity depended 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 115 
 
 on the height of the heaps of stewed fish, herring- 
 spawn, blubber, clams, &c., that he should set be 
 fore his guests. 
 
 It was the custom, when one of these entertain 
 ments was over, for each one of the company to 
 convey to his own house, all the food that remained 
 in his tray, after he had eaten what he could. The 
 king and the chiefs gave the contents of their trays 
 to their slaves, to be carried home for them ; but the 
 others took each his portion of the remains of the 
 feast, and managed to get home with it as well as 
 he could. 
 
 John and his companion made pretty awkward 
 work at first, in this kind of business ; and they 
 felt very oddly carrying home, at arms-length, the 
 boiled fish and other food that they had received 
 where they visited. 
 
 But they soon became accustomed to it, and 
 were very glad of what they could get in this way. 
 
 The manner in which these Indians prepared the 
 bark of trees, of which they made their cloth, 
 mats, baskets, &c., was to soak it first, a fortnight, 
 
116 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 and then beat it between a block fixed for the pur 
 pose, and an instrument of bone, or hard wood, till 
 all the brittle, crumbly part was separated from the 
 fine fibrous parts, and left it soft and flexible, in 
 fine, long threads, quite even and delicate. 
 
 These threads they parceled out, rolling each 
 bunch under the hand till it became closely com 
 bined in a little cord, and when a sufficient number 
 of these cords were made, they were laid close to 
 gether, and a thread strong enough to hold them 
 fast to each other, interwoven among them, some 
 what in the way that our rush and cane window- 
 shades are made. 
 
 This web formed the cloth of which the common 
 people at Nootka made their dresses, and many 
 other articles. 
 
 If they wished to have their cloth variegated, 
 they stained the threads with the juice of berries, 
 or something else, before they were woven. 
 
 Some of the dresses were painted with red ochre, 
 the better to keep out the rain. 
 
 One garment generally constituted the dress, and 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 117 
 
 this was a sort of cloak or mantle, which they call 
 ed kutsack the form I have before described. 
 
 The bottoms of some of these dresses were 
 painted, and some ornamented with a border of 
 sea-otter skin, or a kind of gray cloth made of the 
 hair of some animal which was obtained from the 
 tribes farther at the south. 
 
 In the winter, they wore an additional garment, 
 when they went out. This was a sort of hood, 
 with a place so formed as to admit the head ; and 
 large enough to come down behind over the shoul 
 ders ; and before, over the breast. It was trimmed 
 all round with a border of fur. 
 
 The chiefs had kutsacks of sea-otter skin ; but 
 these were only worn on great occasions. They 
 had also cloaks of the skin of a large animal, which 
 was brought to them by the Wickanninish tribe. 
 
 This skin was so dressed as to be left in its per 
 fect form, but with all the hair taken off in a way 
 that showed the skin white and soft as deer-skin, 
 but twice as thick. 
 
 When the skin was dressed, they painted it with 
 
118 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 figures of various kinds, representing human heads, 
 moons, fishes, canoes, and many other devices. 
 
 They called the name of this skin Metamelth. 
 It was apparently from an animal of the moose 
 kind. 
 
 The Indians prized it, or a dress of it, very highly, 
 and considered it too precious to be put on, except 
 when they wanted to make the greatest display ; it 
 was, therefore, considered as the war-dress of a 
 king or chief. 
 
 Strips of this skin were cut and painted for gir 
 dles, borders for their cloaks, and bracelets for their 
 wrists and ankles. 
 
 The dress of the females differed very little from 
 that of the men. The chief dissimilarity between 
 them was, that the kutsack of the female was so 
 long as to reach the feet, and fastened close under 
 the chin ; while that of the men was tied loosely 
 on one shoulder, and reached only below the knee. 
 
 When they went out on any excursion, particu 
 larly when whaling was the object, they wore a 
 sort of cap, made of their cloth, in the form of a 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 119 
 
 sugar-loaf, with the point taken off, so as to make 
 the top flat. 
 
 A strip of the metamelth skin, ornamented with 
 rows of small white shells, was attached to it as a 
 tassel. 
 
 The caps of the common people were painted 
 red ; but those of the chiefs were diversified with 
 various colors. The one worn by the king, the 
 crown imperial, was larger than the others, and on 
 the top, had an ornament in form of an urn, to 
 finish it off. 
 
 In the front was painted a canoe, with a har- 
 pooner, in the prow, aiming, and ready to strike at 
 a whale. The other parts of the cap were laid in 
 plaits of alternate black and white. They called 
 this cap, Seeya-pocks. 
 
120 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Description of the Nootkans their habit of painting ornaments 
 manner of fishing for Ife-maw continuation of remarks on 
 their personal decorations 6fc. nose jewels. 
 
 THE personal appearance of the Indians of Noot- 
 ka was found by our young hero more agreeable to 
 the eye than that of any other tribes that he saw. 
 
 They were well formed, straight, robust and 
 strong. The greatest defect in their proportions, 
 was in their legs and feet, and this seemed rather the 
 work of habit than of nature ; as it arose probably 
 from their mode of sitting upon the feet, with the 
 legs bent under them, which gave them a heavy, 
 clumsy look. 
 
 When not disguised by paint, their faces, of a 
 coppery hue, and an oval form, were fine and in 
 telligent. 
 
 Their eyes, bright and black, were rather small ; 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA 121 
 
 the nose neither flat nor too prominent ; their lips 
 thin and the teeth very sound and white. Their 
 hair was long, black and coarse. Their beards 
 were all plucked out by the roots, bearing no sign 
 of one, but making the faces smooth, among all the 
 men but the king, who had let his grow uncut, 
 upon the upper lip, in a mustachio, as a mark of 
 royal dignity and distinction. 
 
 The stature of the men was generally about five 
 feet, and from six to eight inches in height. But 
 one man of dwarfish growth, being the only in 
 stance of the kind that John saw, was thirty years 
 old, and only three feet, three inches high. He 
 was, however, well proportioned, and in good health. 
 
 The women were much lighter in their complex 
 ions than the men ; many of them not being darker 
 than the women in some parts of the South of Eu 
 rope. They were very modest in their deportment, 
 and many of them quite beautiful. Their hair 
 was much finer than that of the men, and they 
 took great pride in it. 
 
 Maquina's favorite wife, the mother of Sat-sat, 
 L 
 
122 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 was a Wickanninish princess, and a woman whom 
 John thought, would have been called handsome in 
 any country. She was tall and majestic in her 
 1 figure, of quite a light complexion ; her features were 
 finely formed, and her eyes soft and languishing. 
 
 The women were much neater in their habits 
 and about their persons than the men ; and one 
 way in which their dress differs, which I forgot to 
 mention before, is, that the former had sleeves to 
 their kutsacks, that were large and loose, and 
 reached to the elbows. 
 
 The men were very fond of painting their faces 
 and limbs, and they would often spend much time 
 in performing this favorite business of the toilette. 
 And, after great patience in laying on the paint, in 
 such colors and figures as they had chosen, if the 
 face thus coated did not happen to suit its posses 
 sor, he would wash it all clean, and begin his daub 
 ing anew. 
 
 The women used very little paint, only drawing 
 a black, curved line over each eyebrow, and a 
 bright red streak from each corner of the mouth, 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 123 
 
 towards the ear ; but they were very fond of orna 
 ments, such as ear rings, finger rings, necklaces, 
 bracelets, nose jewels, &c. 
 
 Many of these ornaments were made of brass 
 and copper ; but the wives of the king and chiefs 
 had their nose jewels and necklaces of a small 
 white shell, that formed a kind of bead, and when 
 strung in rows, it looked very beautiful. 
 
 This shell which they called Ife-maw, they valued 
 very highly. It was about as large round as a 
 goose quill ; and three inches long ; of a cylindrical 
 form, a little curved, and tapering gradually to a 
 point at the ends, which were broken off by the na 
 tives, so as to admit of its being run on a string. 
 It was of a polished smoothness and white as snow, 
 and formed a very handsome ornament. 
 
 The ife-maw formed a sort of money among the 
 natives ; and five fathoms of it, strung on threads 
 of bark, was the price of a slave, which they held 
 as very valuable property. 
 
 It was brought to Nootka principally, by other 
 tribes, as very little of it could be found there ; but 
 
124 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 it was taken in great abundance, though with much 
 labor and difficulty, from among the reefs of rocks 
 on the coast about forty miles beyond. 
 
 The ife-maw fisher went to his work in the follow 
 ing way : A number of sharp pine pegs being fas 
 tened in the end of a piece of plank, so as to form 
 a set of teeth, he fastened on the plank, a stone or 
 some other weighty matter, so as to carry it down 
 in the water. Then he fastened the plank to one 
 end of a pole, to the other end of which he tied a 
 line of such a length that he could let it down, or 
 take it up at will. 
 
 Provided with this odd sort of a machine the 
 Indian went out in his canoe, skimming round the 
 reefs where he thought the shells grew. 
 
 He let down his plank, as if sounding, till it touch 
 ed the bottom, and then lifting it and letting it fall 
 several times, would at length, bring it up with the 
 shells fastened on the ends of the pegs. 
 
 But the ife-maw fisher earned his treasures by 
 much toil, for he would often work a great while 
 to bring up a few shells, as there would frequent- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 125 
 
 ly come up, not more than two or three at a 
 time. 
 
 In addition to painting their faces, sometimes, 
 one half red, and the other black, and sometimes 
 all over in small checks, the men of Nootka had 
 another way of dressing them, that was certainly 
 very showy, to say the least ; but the privilege of 
 doing this was not allowed to any but the chiefs. 
 
 After spreading the face all over with bear's oil, 
 they strewed it with a fine, black, shining powder, 
 till it quite covered it, and sticking to the oil, spar 
 kled in the sun, and glittered like silver. 
 
 When people are insincere, or unequal in their 
 spirits, or behavior, we often hear it figuratively 
 said of them, that they have two faces. But these 
 whimsical Indians had, literally, many faces, or 
 rather, many dresses for the face, and they changed 
 them, as capriciously as a fashionable belle will 
 change her ball-dress. 
 
 This shining powder, which the Nootkans va 
 lued very highly, they called pelpelth. It was 
 brought to them in bags, by one of the tribes at the 
 
126 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 North, who gathered it among the rocks, and sold 
 it at a high price. 
 
 From this tribe which bear the name of Newche- 
 mass, they obtained also their finest paints. 
 
 Though the natives employed so much paint 
 about their persons, as it was put on with oil, their 
 habit of going into the sea water every day, to 
 bathe, did not injure it much, if any ; and when 
 ever they wanted to remove the paint, they would 
 go to a place where there was fresh water, and 
 scrub themselves with sand and rushes. 
 
 When going to a festival, or on any great occa 
 sion, the Indians spent much time, not only in pre 
 paring their faces, but also in dressing the head, 
 which was done in the following way : 
 
 The hair, being liberally oiled, was drawn up, 
 smooth and carefully, on the top of the head, and 
 fastened in a tuft, with a large green branch of 
 spruce or pine, with all the leaves on, confined in it, 
 and touched with turpentine or gum, so as to make 
 the white down with which it was to be powdered, 
 adhere. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 127 
 
 Then, the head and branch were carefully orna 
 mented by a semi-covering of the said white down, 
 which was obtained from the eagles that inhabited 
 the coast in great numbers. 
 
 This must have been a fanciful, and somewhat 
 tasteful head-dress ; if not as costly as a whole bird 
 of Paradise, worn by a fashionable lady, it was cer 
 tainly not a more odd or strange imagination for 
 head gear; and if a beautiful, fair face had been 
 beneath it, it might have had quite an effect. 
 
 The white down of the eagle, and the fresh, green 
 branch from the forest, seemed to be quite tastefully 
 chosen, and they might have set well above the 
 precty face of a white lady, who in giving up her 
 bird, with its sweeping trail, to perch upon the 
 head of the Indian, above his painted or shining, 
 plaistered face, would have made no bad exchange, 
 and put things more in keeping. 
 
 Or, if a lady would even set out the tree first in 
 her head, and then let the bird light upon it, it 
 would seem more like nature ; and nature appears 
 to be the object when one carries an entire fowl 
 
128 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 about upon the uppermost part of the person, how 
 ever much art may be employed in placing and 
 displaying the beautiful specimen of the workman 
 ship of its Maker. 
 
 The men as well as the women of Nootka, wore 
 bracelets of painted leather and copper, and nose 
 jewels of various materials, arid formed in divers 
 shapes ; such as hearts, diamonds, &c. 
 
 The chiefs, beside the brass and copper orna 
 ments for the nose, had also a bright bluish-col 
 ored shell, of a twisted, conical form, and about 
 half an inch long, which they wore suspended by a 
 wire, or a thread, that went through the gristle of 
 the nose, in a hole that, made in infancy for the 
 purpose, was kept open by means of a wooden pin, 
 and enlarged till it became of the size of the pipe 
 stem, in diameter. 
 
 The common people, who could not afford to 
 wear a more expensive ornament, had, many of 
 them, smooth sticks of wood, polished for the pur 
 pose, which, passing through the perforated place, 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 129 
 
 came out on each side, several inches beyond the 
 face. 
 
 Thompson used to call the wearers of these 
 strange ornaments, * Sprit-sail-yard fellows ;' and 
 as he saw one of them coming towards him, with 
 an air of importance which seemed to him propor 
 tionate to the length of the stick, he would hold up 
 his hand so that the stick should come violently 
 against it in passing, to the no small discomfort of 
 its wearer's nose. This, he said, he did, < in order 
 to brace them up a little to the breeze. ' 
 
 9 
 
130 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Of the religion the government certain offices the disposi 
 tion of the natives their oratory their diseases, cures, c$rc. 
 the climate. 
 
 BEFORE our narrative is resumed, it may be well 
 to say something concerning the religion, govern 
 ment, &c. of the people whom it concerns. 
 
 John found that the Nootka Indians had a belief 
 in a Supreme Being, whom they called Quahootze ; 
 and who, they said, was one great Tyee, the great 
 est of all kings. 
 
 They said he lived in the sky; that he gave 
 them all their fish, and could withhold it or take it 
 from them when he pleased. 
 
 They usually went alone into a retired place in 
 the woods, or into the water, to worship, and offer 
 up their prayers. Whenever they bathed, they 
 addressed a prayer, in a few words, to God, entreat 
 ing him to preserve their health and to bless their 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 131 
 
 labors while fishing, to give them success in whal 
 ing, war, and other enterprises. 
 
 Whenever they were going to war, or a whaling, 
 their prayers always seemed to be offered with 
 more fervor and energy, than at any other time. 
 
 When they went into the woods for devotional 
 purposes, they often retired to the distance of a 
 mile or two; and this secrecy, . T .)hn sometiires sus 
 pected, arose from their wi :i to address God on 
 account of some family or private quarrel, in such 
 a way, or with such requests, as they wanted to 
 keep from all human ears. 
 
 He once found a woman in the forest, two miles 
 from the village, kneeling, with her eyes closed 
 and her face turned upward, towards heaven, utter 
 ing in a lamentable tone, a prayer, in which she re 
 peated with great fervor, Wocash Ah- Welth ? (good 
 Lord.) He came close to her, but she seemed wrap 
 ped in her devotions, and insensible to every thing 
 around her. 
 
 The women frequently retired in this way ; and 
 when they returned to the village, their silence and 
 
132 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 melancholy looks told on what their minds had 
 been employed. 
 
 When the Nootkans were going to war with 
 another tribe, they passed much time in the water, 
 where they scrubbed themselves from head to foot, 
 with bushes and briers till they were covered with 
 blood, while all the time they repeated a prayer, 
 that may be translated thus : 
 
 ' Great God ! let me live not be sick find the 
 enemy not fear him find him asleep, and kill a 
 great many many of him.' 
 
 Independent of this scratching ceremony, which 
 was done by way of hardening them for war, the 
 idea of their going into the sea to worship God, 
 had a good deal of beauty and sublimity in it. It 
 was certainly a noble temple that they chose, in 
 this, as well as in the forest, which was also a 
 grand sanctuary with many firm pillars, beautiful 
 curtains, and filled with the sounds of music from 
 the voices of the birds and the sweeping of the 
 winds. 
 
 The parents of twin children, the natives consid- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 133 
 
 ered as being favored with some peculiar notice 
 and with special communication from Q,uahootze, 
 and their persons were held as too sacred to mingle 
 with others at their festivals, or to do any labor 
 for two years. 
 
 During this time, they lived secluded lives, being 
 provided with food by the others ; and wearing no 
 ornaments, they kept away from all amusements, 
 and became recluse in everything. 
 
 The father wore around his head a red fillet as a 
 sign of solemnity, and always appeared serious and 
 thoughtful. He became a kind of priest, and went 
 daily to the mountain with a chief's rattle in his 
 hand, to pray Quahootze to bring fish into their 
 waters, and to sing and make music to him with 
 the rattle. 
 
 He never went out, except on such an errand as 
 this, and to sing and perform religious rites and 
 ceremonies over the sick. 
 
 The government of the Nootka Indians was 
 vested in a hereditary king, and descended to his 
 
134 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 eldest male heir. But in case of his dying without 
 a son, it went to his brother. 
 
 The king had no legal right over the property of 
 his subjects, nor did it appear that he expected 
 them to contribute to his support any more than to 
 that of each other. 
 
 But he was the head of their councils, and their 
 leader in war, in the management of which, his 
 power was absolute. 
 
 The right of holding slaves was shared between 
 him and the chiefs, but the subject did not possess 
 this privilege. The slaves were people taken in 
 war, from other tribes, and considered the king's 
 property, which he divided, according to his own 
 judgment, among the chiefs, and with due regard 
 to their rank and merits. 
 
 At the age of seventeen, the eldest son of a chief 
 was considered a chief himself; and whenever a 
 father, who was a chief, made a present, it was 
 always done in the name of his eldest son. 
 
 The chiefs frequently purchased their wives 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 135 
 
 when they were not more than eight or nine years 
 old, to prevent their being engaged to others ; but 
 they remained with their parents till sixteen, or 
 thereabouts. 
 
 Among themselves, the Nootkans seemed pacific 
 and inoffensive, and manifested naturally good 
 tempers. Quarrels seldom occurred between any 
 of them. 
 
 But if they happened to get a little oifended, they 
 had a way of seeming terribly enraged, which ap 
 peared to be rather a matter of fashion than of 
 feeling. 
 
 This they did by kicking, spitting, foaming at 
 the mouth, and stamping with great fury. 
 
 An exhibition of this sort was made more by 
 custom, and for effect, than for any feelings of 
 malignity ; and the same show of conduct was 
 carried on in their assemblages for public speeches, 
 where, he who raved and stamped with the most 
 violence, and went through the greatest variety of 
 contortions, was considered the greatest orator. 
 
 The people of Nootka were very healthy, and 
 
136 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 seldom had any disease among them, but the cholic, 
 which they commonly cured by rubbing the bowels 
 of the patient, till the pain was allayed. 
 
 They cured the rheumatism by scarifying the 
 part aifected ; and their only remedy for a wound 
 was, to wash it in salt water, and bind it up with 
 a piece of bark, or cloth. 
 
 They were very skilful in the management of 
 dislocated or fractured limbs, and when they were 
 set and properly dressed, they took great care to 
 have them supported by blocks, in a right position, 
 and they had generally perfect success in perform 
 ing the cure. 
 
 In cases of sickness, while those who performed 
 the office of physician and nurse, were busy in 
 their respective ways, the holy man, or conjuror, 
 was employed in going through certain strange 
 gestures, repeating his words of wisdom, singing 
 and blowing, to blow off the evil spirit. If it was 
 a case of cholic, the patient, after going through the 
 rubbing, was wrapped in a bear skin, to produce 
 perspiration. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 137 
 
 With such treatment the sick generally recover 
 ed, and a death among them, where the population 
 was about fifteen hundred, was a thing of rare 
 occurrence. The natives commonly lived to be 
 very old. 
 
 The climate at Nootka, and the neighboring re 
 gion, was found by our adventurers, to be very 
 mild. The spring, summer and autumn were un 
 commonly delightful; and the winter, which did 
 not set in till the last of December, was short, and 
 not at all severe. Water seldom froze to a depth of 
 more than three inches, and the snow, in its great 
 est fall, was not more than four inches deep. 
 
 But what did not fall in snow, did in rain ; for it 
 frequently rained during the winter months, five or 
 ?ix days in succession. 
 
 M 
 
138 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. \ 
 
 Population of Nootka making of canoes pursuit of sea-otters 
 description of one the Indian's fish-hook and fishing 
 Maquina's household instruments of music. 
 
 I HAVE stated that the inhabitants of Nootka 
 were about fifteen hundred, and the buildings were 
 about twenty in number. 
 
 But. besides the Nootka tribe, there was a 
 small tribe whom they had conquered and made 
 subject to them, and who inhabited a cluster 
 of small houses, that stood near the other twenty 
 of the village. 
 
 This tribe was called Klahars. They lived 
 by themselves, but had no chiefs of their own, 
 being wholly under Maquina's government. 
 
 I dare say, my young reader, that you are 
 now growing impatient to have me resume the 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 139 
 
 thread of my story, and that you think 1 have 
 made a very long digression from it. 
 
 And so I have, but it has enabled you to 
 understand the better, what sort of a place John 
 was in, what kind of people he was among, and 
 how many odd ways and whims he had to 
 conform to, in his new condition, where he had 
 literally ' new lords and new laws.' 
 
 You can now imagine just how one of the 
 Indians looked when dressed for an excursion, or 
 decked out for a feast. 
 
 You now want to be told how they made their 
 canoes; for they were things of so much impor 
 tance that we shall often make mention of them. 
 
 The first step towards this work, was to fell a 
 tree, by working round it with the chisel, which 
 was a very slow and laborious business, especially 
 when they wanted a canoe of the largest kind, 
 for they made them of all sizes, from that which 
 would contain only one man, up to one that would 
 hold forty. 
 
 The largest were the war canoes. It took three 
 
140 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 Indians about a day, to fell a tree, which being 
 done, they took of the trunk, the length they 
 wanted, and then dug it out with their chisels 
 inside, and fashioned it to their minds on the out 
 side. 
 ^ 
 
 They then put light combustibles round, and 
 in it, and made a blaze, which took off all the 
 loose splinters, and left it quite black. The next 
 step was to rub it hard all over, with a piece of 
 matting, till it became quite smooth and polished. 
 
 The inside was then painted red, with red ochre, 
 and the figure of a bird, such as a duck or some 
 other water-fowl formed of separate pieces of 
 wood and painted, and then divided and fastened 
 on, the head part on the prow, and the tail, on the 
 stern of the canoe. 
 
 The war-canoes were painted on the outside, 
 with white chalk, in figures representing men's 
 heads, moons, eagles, whales, &c. 
 
 The others were ornamented with double rows of 
 white shells, that formed a kind of bead- work all 
 round them, and had a very pretty effect as they 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 141 
 
 were skimming along over the surface of the wa 
 ters, looking like things half bird, half fish. 
 
 The Indians used the paddle with great dex 
 terity, and gliding swiftly over the waves, kept 
 time to its stroke by some wild musical strains. 
 They always had a song for every occasion, which 
 varied according to the nature of the business of 
 the excursion. 
 
 John used frequently to go out with them in 
 these light skimmers of the sea; and we will now 
 imagine him with a company of natives dressed 
 as they have been described, and topped off with 
 their sugar-loaf caps, going out in pursuit of the 
 sea-otter. 
 
 This animal was to John a very beautiful sight 
 as it sported round the canoes, and would dive 
 suddenly under water, and come out some where at 
 a distance, as if playing at bo-peep. 
 
 He found the length of the otter to be about 
 six feet from the head to the tip of the tail. It was 
 of a beautiful glossy black all over except a white 
 stripe on the top of the head, and a little tip of it 
 
142 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 on the end of the tail, which tapered off to a point; 
 but it was thick and bushy near the body. 
 
 As the otter swam along, with its head entire 
 ly above water, having between its sharp, upright 
 ears a tuft of long hair that stood erect, and made 
 its head look as if it had three short hori -s, John 
 thought he had never seen a more beautiful object. 
 
 The skin of this creature was con.-idered very 
 valuable by the natives. The young sea-otters 
 were so exceedingly small, that when John first 
 saw them he was puzzled to make out what they 
 could be. 
 
 A tror>p of them came swimming beside or 
 round the old one, and were not larger than rats, 
 and our hero, after some time, discovered it to 
 be a mother with her family of baby otters, iiiat 
 followed her through the waves as the chickens fol 
 low the hen over the field. 
 
 The fish-hook used by the natives when John 
 w^nt among them, was formed by a sharp-bearded 
 piece of bone inserted in a piece of wood, and 
 bound in by a string of whale-sinew; but when 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 143 
 
 they found how much faster they could take the 
 fish with the iron hooks that he made, they were, 
 for once, willing to give up their own old way, and 
 use the new-fashioned hook. 
 
 In fishing for salmon, they baited the hook with a 
 sprat, and fastening the line to the end of the pad 
 dle with which they sped their canoe, let it down, 
 and kept it in motion-as if alive, under the water, 
 till the salmon snapped at it and was caught by 
 the -hook. 
 
 In taking the whale they were very dexterous. 
 To kill him, they struck at him with a kind of 
 javelin or harpoon of their own invention, and made 
 of wood, bone, shell, and whale sinew. 
 
 The whale was considered by them as the r^yal 
 mark, and no person, however near he might be, 
 was permitted to strike at him, till the king's har 
 poon had first drawn blood. It was held as a 
 sacrilegious deed for a common person to strike the 
 king's fish before his majesty and the chiefs had 
 killed him. 
 
 I do not know exactly how large a number of 
 
144 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 people comprised the family in which our friends 
 John and Thompson had to live; but the slaves 
 alone, of Maquina's household, were about fifty, 
 including male and female, some of which were 
 purchased from other tribes, and some were taken 
 in war. 
 
 I have alluded to the music of the Nootkans, 
 but not particularly. Their tunes were soft and 
 plaintive, and very harmonious. 
 
 When they sang, their voices were accompanied 
 by some rude kind of instrument. Their drum, I 
 think, I have described. The noise it made was 
 similar to that of the empty cask when the head is 
 drummed on, and very loud. 
 
 The rattle and pipe, or whistle, were the king's 
 instruments, and only used by him and the chiefs, 
 or some honorable personage. 
 
 The rattle was formed of a piece of seal-skin, in 
 the shape of a fish, and painted red. The inside 
 contained small pebbles enough to make the music, 
 and it had a handle by which it was held and 
 shaken. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 145 
 
 I suspect it was as noisy a fish as ever had a 
 being, and that it was longer in motion than any 
 other ' fish out of water.' 
 
 The whistle was made of a short piece of the 
 leg-bone of a deer; and sent forth a sprightly, 
 shrill sound. Thus, a part of the animal's leg kept 
 going, when the rest of him had long been, as the 
 chemist would say, ' decomposed ; ' and, like the 
 farmer's boy that the poet describes, it ' whistled as 
 it went, for want of thought.' 
 
 The Nootkans were, on the whole, a queer set of 
 people; and they might truly be said to have 
 ' sought out many inventions,' though some of 
 these were not the wisest in the world. 
 
 Another sort of instrument that they used, was a 
 sort of Castanet, formed of cockle-shells, tied toge 
 ther and shaken to a tune which the musician sung. 
 
 This, I think, was quite a pretty fancy ; and I 
 suspect it originated in the head of some poetical 
 
 savage, 
 
 10 N 
 
146 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Different tribes of natives some of their customs dressing for 
 a visit manner of making a bargain lodging of the visit' 
 ers their arms. 
 
 So many different tribes of natives came to visit 
 those of Nootka, that our captives had an oppor 
 tunity of observing a great variety of manners and 
 looks, some of which were disgusting, some terrific, 
 and others very amusing. 
 
 The Wickanninish was the tribe to which ~Y-ya- 
 tinhla-no, the mother of Sat-sat, and Maquina's 
 favorite Arcomah, or queen, belonged. She was 
 the daughter of their king. 
 
 They lived at the north, about two hundred 
 miles from Nootka, and had among them, from six 
 to seven hundred warriors. In their persons,, they 
 were robust, and in their spirit, very courageous. 
 They had broad faces, but heads that, from their 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 147 
 
 manner of pressing and binding them when young, 
 rose high, somewhat in the sugar-loaf form. They 
 often visited Nootka, and a close friendship sub- 
 sisted between the two nations. 
 
 The Kla-iz-zarts belonged about three hun 
 dred miles to the south, and were a numerous 
 and powerful tribe, having nearly a thousand war 
 riors. 
 
 They were more neatly dressed, were more 
 pleasing and mild in their manners, and appeared 
 more civilized than any other tribe. They were 
 sprightly, and affable, and much celebrated for 
 their singing and dancing. 
 
 Their canoes were more finely finished and 
 ornamented, and all their workmanship manifested 
 greater skill than appeared in any other tribe. 
 
 Their complexions were fairer than those of 
 Nootka, their noses not so prominent, and their 
 eyes smaller. Their heads were flattened on the 
 top, as if pressed by a weight; and their stature 
 was rather shorter than that of the Nootkans. 
 
 They had one practice not followed by any 
 
148 CAPTIVE OF^ NOOTKA. 
 
 other tribe ; it was that of plucking out, not only 
 their beards, but their eyebrows also, so as not to 
 leave a sign of it remaining. 
 
 They manifested more taste and skill, than any 
 others, in decorating and painting their persons, 
 and some of them would have a dozen holes in 
 their ears, through which they passed little strings 
 of beads about two inches long, and of various 
 colors. 
 
 These people were great whalers, and very ex 
 pert in taking the sea-otter, the metamelth, and the 
 beaver. Of the hair of the latter, and that of the 
 tiger-cat, they manufactured a handsome kind of 
 gray cloth. 
 
 The Eskquates were a tribe about as large as 
 the Wickanninish, and were tributary to Maquina. 
 
 The Aitizzarts were a smaller tribe, who were 
 also tributary to Nootka, and greatly resembled its 
 inhabitants in their appearance and practices. 
 They lived about forty miles up the sound. 
 
 Farther to the northward were the Cayuquets, a 
 more numerous tribe than the Nootkans, by whom 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 149 
 
 they were considered such bad warriors, and so de 
 ficient in courage, that they said they had little 
 hearts, like those of birds. 
 
 John saw a great many tribes of which I shall 
 not make particular mention; but of all that he 
 saw, the most ugly and frightful looking, were the ' 
 Newchemass, who lived at a great distance in 
 land. 
 
 Their complexions were darker, their hair coarser, 
 and their stature shorter than those of any others ; 
 and they were extremely squalid about their per 
 sons. 
 
 Their beards grew long like a Jew's : their dress 
 was a kutsack of wolf skin, with tails hanging 
 from top to bottom of the garment. Sometimes, 
 they wore a mantle of cloth. Their hair was left 
 to hang down loose behind ; but that on the other 
 parts of the head was brought round the forehead 
 like a fillet, and confined by a strip of cloth, or 
 namented with rows of shells. 
 
 Their weapons were the Cheetoolth, or war club, 
 
150 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 formed of whale bone, daggers, and bows and ar 
 rows, and a bone or copper spear. 
 
 The merchandise they brought to trade with, 
 was the shining black mineral which I have 
 spoken of by the name of pelpelth, which sparkled 
 on the Indian faces: some wolfskins, dried salmon, 
 the roe of fish, red paint, clams, and a coarse 
 matting. 
 
 As they had to come a great distance, and a part 
 of it by land, they used to make longer visits at 
 Nootka, than any other tribe, in order to recover 
 from their fatigue. On these occasions, they 
 joined in the amusements and taught their own 
 songs, &x:. to the Nootkians. 
 
 The things which other tribes brought for sale, 
 or for presents, were principally train-oil, whale or 
 seal blubber, fish of various kinds, clams, muscles, 
 a kind of fruit called yama, that was pressed and 
 dried, cloth, otter skins and slaves. 
 
 They also brought the Ife-maw, wild ducks, and 
 a very pleasant kind of root, called Quanoose. 
 This root seemed to take the place of the potato. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 151 
 
 It was pear-shaped, and about as large as a small 
 onion. It was brought in baskets, all ready cooked 
 by steam, and fit for eating, and was sweet, mealy, 
 and pleasant to the taste. 
 
 But the depraved taste of the natives would riot 
 be satisfied, even with this delicious root, without 
 the dressing of train-oil to make it go down well. 
 
 Many of these things were offered to Maquina 
 as tributary gifts in token of his superiority; but 
 the cunning ones who brought them usually took 
 good care to get full their worth, and sometimes 
 more, in presents from the king and his people. 
 
 When a company of visitors came, there was al 
 ways a great feast made for them, and tub after 
 tub was filled with blubber, roe, salmon, &c. of 
 which all the men, women and children of the vil 
 lage were invited to partake. 
 
 As they had no intoxicating liquors, and knew 
 no way of making any, their intemperance on these 
 occasions was shown by inordinate eating, their 
 drink being only water. 
 
 The visitors, when they got within a few miles 
 
152 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 of the village, used to stop under the lee of some 
 high rock, and attend to the toilette. Here they 
 dressed themselves for the party, in all their best 
 attire, and put on their best faces, by painting, 
 oiling, powdering, &c. 
 
 They did as many others do, when going to a 
 party ; they put on all their ornaments, took great 
 pains to dress their heads, and to make a dazzling 
 appearance ; an attempt not always confined to 
 those only, who are going to the king's festi 
 val. 
 
 On arriving at the shore, they were met by the 
 king, who first invited them to eat; when they 
 brought him such goods as they supposed he wish 
 ed to receive. After this, other natives were al 
 lowed to purchase, the strangers taking good care 
 to keep their merchandise under guard in their 
 canoes, till sold, to avoid their being stolen by the 
 light-fingers among the natives, who considered 
 pilfering no sin if it was not discovered. 
 
 But when some particular purchase was the ob 
 ject of the new comer, he would keep his canoe a 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 153 
 
 little off from the shore, and send forward an am 
 bassador, tricked out in his best, and with his 
 head touched off with the white down, to stand 
 in the prow and display his goods, making known 
 the purpose of their owner and the price that he 
 was willing to give in such articles as were shown, 
 for the purchase he wished to make. 
 
 If the bargain was agreed on, the exchange was 
 made at once. 
 
 On visits either of friendship or trade, none of 
 the strangers, except the kings and chiefs, were 
 alloAved to sleep on shore ; and they lodged at the 
 king's house. The others passed the night in their 
 canoes. This was partly for the preservation of 
 their own goods from the inhabitants, and partly 
 an arrangement of theirs, to prevent danger to 
 themselves and their property from their crafty and 
 thievish visitors. 
 
 These people were always armed; the com 
 moners, with a dagger, slung at the neck, and 
 hanging behind by a strip of metamelth, and some 
 times \vith a bow and arrows: but the latter had 
 
154 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 almost grown out of use, in consequence of the 
 introduction of fire arms among them. 
 
 The chiefs, in addition to the dagger, wore the 
 cheetoolth, or war club, of which I have spoken. 
 This weapon, made of the bone of a whale, with 
 a blade eighteen inches long, three broad, and very 
 heavy, was a powerful thing in the hand of a strong 
 man. The blade was thick in the middle, but thin 
 ned off to an edge on each side, and expanded in 
 width towards the end, to increase the force of 
 the blow. 
 
 It was covered with figures, such as, the sun, 
 moon, men's heads, and other devices of curious 
 inventions ; and the hilt wrought in the form of a 
 human head, was fancifully inlaid with shells, and 
 had a strip of metamelth fastened to it, by which to 
 sling it over the shoulder. 
 
 They had, also, a sort of spear, headed with cop 
 per, or the bone of the sting-ray, which was a 
 weapon of great destruction when wielded by one 
 of a firm hand and bold spirit. 
 
155 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Place of retirement for worship its scenery the Sabbath a 
 ship seen a thunder storm hard fare arts of other natives 
 a young girl tries to win John the Nootkans m;K.n? to 
 winter quarters the place. 
 
 DURING all this exhibition of new faces, new 
 modes, and new things, John and his companion 
 fared better than they could have expected at the 
 beginning of their sorrows. 
 
 But day after day did their longing eyes stretch 
 out their sight in vain over the great waters, to 
 catch a glimpse of some sail that might give them 
 a gleaming hope of deliverance. 
 
 About a mile from the village there was a beauti 
 ful fresh-water pond, of a quarter of a mile in 
 breadth, and surrounded by a forest of evergreen 
 trees. The pond was smooth and clear as crystal, 
 
156 CAPTIVE OP NOOTKA. 
 
 and the forest free of all annoyance from under 
 wood or bramble. 
 
 It was filled with the music of a thousand birds, 
 and beautiful with their gay and diversified plu 
 mage. The bright little humming-birds came to it, 
 as a favorite resort ; and they were seen hovering 
 round the low flowers, or pending from the green 
 boughs, like jewels kept in motion by some power 
 of the airy element. 
 
 This pond was seldom visited by the natives, 
 except for the purpose of taking off a coat of paint. 
 It furnished, therefore, a calm and delightful retreat 
 to our captives, who used to retire to it every Sun 
 day, and after bathing freely in its waters, and 
 exchanging their garments for the clean ones that 
 they had before washed in it, and left on its margin 
 to dry, they spent the rest of the day in devotion to 
 Him, whom it was their chief consolation to find 
 was the God of the wilderness, as well as of the 
 garden and the city. 
 
 They took their Bible and Prayer Book with 
 them, and, seated under a noble, umbrageous pine, 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 157 
 
 John read aloud, while Thompson listened, and the 
 feathered multitude performed the part of choir, in 
 singing praises to their Maker. 
 
 This scene of worship and supplication, in such 
 a solitude, presents a sublime and beautiful picture 
 to the imagination. The speaker and his single 
 auditor just made up one of the numbers to whom 
 our Savior has promised his presence and his bless 
 ing, when they meet together in his name. 
 
 And here in this lonely wild, trodden only by the 
 feet of the savage, and the beast of the forest were 
 these unfortunate men thrown, to learn, in the 
 bosom of nature, the value of the Bible and the 
 consolations of the Christian religion. 
 
 John felt the parting advice of his good father 
 written on his heart; and the promises of Him, 
 who used to go himself into the forest, and on the 
 mountains, to pray, were kept in his bosom, whis 
 pering peace to his soul, amid all the horrors of 
 captivity, and the hopelessness of the outward cir 
 cumstances that surrounded him. 
 
 God, who declares that the hearts of kings are in 
 
JLAVETT AND THOMPSON KEEPING THE SABBATH. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 159 
 
 his hands, here showed, that civilized royalty was 
 not alone comprehended in the declaration. His 
 power was manifested on the heart of the red 
 monarch of the wood. Maquina, when he learnt 
 that the purpose for which his prisoners retired on 
 the Sabbath was to worship their God, felt too great 
 a reverence for the object to have their devotions 
 interrupted, or to forbid them the privilege of going 
 by themselves, for the purpose of communing with 
 the great Being whom they adored. 
 
 Some time in July, hope suddenly flashed into 
 the heart of John and his new father, from a distant 
 sail that appeared for a few minutes ; but it passed 
 on without coming near the land, and all was 
 gloom again, as it respected the prospect of seeing a 
 Christian face. 
 
 A few days after this, there came up a violent 
 thunder storm. The pepple of the village all fled 
 from their own houses, and hurried to that of their 
 king, where, instead of going within for shelter, 
 they got on the roof of the house, seating them- 
 
160 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 selves as thick as they could, and have room to 
 drum. 
 
 The king commenced drumming and singing, and 
 looking up to the sky, and all the people joined in, 
 making a most tremendous noise with their sticks 
 on the boards, and their loud vociferations, while 
 they entreated Quahootze not to kill them. 
 
 This religious ceremony, expressive of fear and 
 supplication, was kept up till the storm had sub 
 sided. 
 
 Things went on in rather a monotonous manner, 
 till towards the decline of summer, when the king 
 and his men, going out for whaling on the coast, 
 left the prisoners at home, for fear that they might 
 escape to some other tribe on the coast, if per 
 mitted to go with them. 
 
 Meantime, as the women seldom cooked much 
 when the king and the men were gone, the prison 
 ers often found themselves brought to a scanty fare, 
 and felt the cravings of hunger. 
 
 Sometimes they were fortunate enough to procure 
 a good piece of salmon, which they would boil in 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 161 
 
 salt water, with a few nettles for greens, and some 
 scattering turnips and onions, which they gleaned 
 from the remains of the Spanish garden, and with 
 these, in secret, make up quite a comfortable meal. 
 
 They often heard from the tribes of the north and 
 south, who came to Nootka, stories of vessels that 
 were seen coming to land, along their coast, and 
 were advised to go with them, with the promise 
 that they would protect and see them safe on board 
 one that might carry them to their country. 
 
 But these accounts they found were all false, and 
 only a lure held out by these crafty savages, to get 
 them out of Maquina's hands into their own, for 
 slaves. Yet, preferring to remain with present 
 evils, to going where their situation might be ren 
 dered worse, they turned a deaf ear to these persua 
 sions. 
 
 Among other inducements offered to John, to 
 make his escape from Nootka, a young lady of the 
 forest took it into her head to fall greatly in love 
 with him ; and this young lady was a princess too, 
 belonging to a powerful tribe. 
 
162 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 She was a daughter of the Wickanninish king, 
 and younger sister of Maquina's queen. She was 
 a beautiful Indian girl, quite fair, and of fine fea 
 tures ; but she had received an injury in one of her 
 eyes, that had impaired the sight. This, Maquina 
 told John, would forever prevent her being mar 
 ried ; as a defect of this kind was an insuperable 
 objection to a female, in the view of an Indian who 
 was choosing a wife. 
 
 But the young one-eyed beauty thought she 
 would outwit the fastidious beaux of her own color, 
 by securing to herself a white companion. 
 
 She therefore flattered and coaxed John to go 
 with her to her father's people, telling him he would 
 there have better food and clothing, and kinder 
 treatment ; and that if he wished it, they would 
 put him into a vessel and let him go home. 
 
 She asked him about his friends, in his own coun 
 try ; and if he had not a mother and sister who 
 would mourn for him till he returned. 
 
 But, as John had no idea of ingrafting himself 
 as a branch into the royal family of the wood, he 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 163 
 
 decidedly declined all the splendor of such an alli 
 ance, and rejected the offer with the firmness of a 
 true philosopher; and the Wickanninish fair was 
 left to bemoan . v .?r disappointed hopes. The name 
 of this princess was Yuqua. 
 
 Early in September, the Nootkans made prepa 
 rations to depart from this, their summer residence, 
 to plant themselves for the autumn and winter on 
 a less exposed and more agreeable spot, according 
 to their usual custom their village being located 
 where the winds were cold, and brought the storms 
 from the sea in upon them. 
 
 The places to which they resorted at these sea 
 sons, were Tashees and Cooptee. The latter place 
 was about thirty miles up the sound, and lay in a 
 deep bay ; but it was very difficult of access by 
 canoes, on account of the reefs of dangerous rock 
 that lay in the way. 
 
 Tashees was not far from it, and situated in a 
 small hollow at the foot of a mountain, on the south 
 shore. 
 
 This place afforded a beautiful view of romantic 
 
164 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 scenery, that was very pleasant to the eye ; and 
 the noise of the rivulets and cascades, that rippled 
 and sparkled on the sides of the mountains, ad 
 dressed the ear with a native and inimitable music. 
 
 The spot on which the town stood, with its 
 houses in a string like these of Nootka, was level, 
 the soil good ; and a noble river, about twenty rods 
 vide, rolled by it. 
 
 The buildings here were not so large as those at 
 Nootka, and the people had to accommodate each 
 other as well as they could by stowing closely to 
 gether. One great object in the choice of this spot, 
 was the facility it afforded the natives for procuring 
 their winter provisions. 
 
 A lofty range of high hills ran along on each 
 side of Tashees, covered with beautiful forest trees, 
 and extending inland to a great distance. 
 
165 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. - 
 
 The scene of departure conveyance of their infants an anec 
 dote of St. John's Indians passage to Tashees arrival and 
 business there manner of taking roe fish, <$c. how they were 
 cured and cooked John's condition. 
 
 THE time of preparation for leaving Nootka pre 
 sented a busy, bustling scene, and one that would 
 have greatly amused the captives, had they beheld 
 it for the first time, under happier circumstances 
 than now attended them. 
 
 If it was not, literally, plucking up stakes, it 
 was plucking off boards ; for, even the coverings of 
 their houses were stripped away, to load the canoes, 
 and be carried with them, to lay on the roofs and 
 inclose the sides of the habitations they were going 
 to occupy. 
 
 Thus, they removed and changed the outside of 
 their buildings as they did their own garments, 
 
166 CAPTIVE OF AOOTKA. 
 
 to suit their convenience, leaving only the posts 
 standing in the place they were about to desert till 
 they returned to it in another season. 
 
 Boxes, baskets, tubs, men, women and pappooses 
 were all huddled together into the canoes and the 
 long-boat of the ship, which, having been repaired 
 and furnished with a sail by Thompson, was loaded 
 as deep* as she could swim, and put under the ma 
 nagement of the prisoners, the natives finding them 
 selves rather green hands at steering the boat. 
 
 Having got all their worldly goods afloat, they 
 pushed off from shore, turning their backs on the 
 naked posts of their town, that stood looking like 
 desolation. 
 
 The infant children, for transportation in a remo 
 val of this sort, were laid into little bark cradles, or 
 hammocks, about six inches deep, and just long 
 and wide enough to contain them. They were 
 then laced in, by a string passing through the edges 
 of their vehicle, arid slung at the backs of their 
 mothers. 
 
 I believe it is a general practice among all our 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 167 
 
 Indians, to lace their young infants flat upon their 
 backs, in a straight position, to a piece of board or 
 in a cradle of this sort, in order to have their forms 
 erect, when they grow up. This is thought to be 
 the reason why the savages are generally so well 
 shaped and erect. 
 
 I once saw, among a company of St. John's In 
 dians, an infant only a few days old, laced down in 
 this way to a small piece of board, as closely as a 
 little fish, pegged down to dry. 
 
 I went with several friends to visit the encamp 
 ment, which was in an extensive cleared ground, 
 about an eighth of a mile from the road. As we left 
 our carriages by the road-side to enter the field, 
 we perceived near the wall, a little savage about 
 four years old, who had strayed away from the 
 wigwams, and was peeping at us through the cre 
 vices between the stones. 
 
 One of our company smacked his whip suddenly 
 at him to startle him ; at which he was so affright 
 ed, that he took to his little red heels, and went 
 full speed, and screaming, to the wigwams; and 
 
168 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 we lost sight of him among the others at the en 
 campment, which we did not reach till some time 
 after he had got safe home. 
 
 The Indians treated us very civilly, as we went 
 round from one habitation to another; showing 
 us their basket-stuff, &c. and letting us creep, one 
 at a time, as well as we could, into their huts, that 
 were made of bark, and resembled a thicket of hay 
 cocks, more than anything else, when viewed at a 
 distanced 
 
 We were asked if we did not want to see a little 
 infant that was in one of these huts, which we had 
 not entered, and told that we might see it laced to 
 its board, for six cents apiece. 
 
 So we drew near the entrance, throwing in our 
 toll one at a time, when the mother, after she had 
 made sure of the fee, would lift the blanket that 
 was thrown over the child, and give the spectator 
 one peep, and then let it fall. 
 
 The gentleman who had smacked the whip, but 
 who had entirely forgotten the act, and myself, 
 happened to be the two last. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 169 
 
 He threw in a nine-penny piece, saying that was 
 for both of us. The mother took the money, and 
 beckoned to me to come first. When I had had 
 my peep, and passed out, the gentleman went for 
 ward for his. 
 
 But the cunning and handsome young mother 
 shrouded her child in another fold of the blanket, 
 and throwing her arms over to hide it, looked up, 
 and with an arch smile, said, 'No, no, you scare 
 my little boy you no see no, no /' and with an 
 expression of playful triumph and satisfaction, at 
 having so soon avenged herself for the rudeness 
 offered to her boy, she hugged her baby tight till 
 the disappointed spectator went away. 
 
 The child was folded in a little blanket, over 
 which the lacing passed. It is the custom of these 
 Indian mothers, when they are out in the forests, 
 to hang their little bark cradles, with their infants 
 confined in them, on the boughs of trees, for the 
 birds to sing their lullaby, and the breezes to rock 
 them to sleep. 
 
 We will now return to our fleet of canoes, and 
 P 
 
170 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 imagine them, as they went, with all the wealth of 
 Nootka piled up within their sides ; while the loud 
 songs of the people poured over the waters and 
 rang along the shore amid the rocks and the trees, 
 as they glided up the sound towards Cooptee, arid 
 then passed it, on the way to Tashees. 
 
 On arriving at this place, the first business of 
 the people was, to set about covering the skeletons 
 of their houses that were found standing to receive 
 their coat of boards, and to be repeopled by their 
 former lords and masters. 
 
 Their habitations prepared, their next work 
 was to provide for themselves the creature comforts 
 that were to be brought up from under the waters, 
 in the form of herring roe, salmon, and other kinds 
 of fish. 
 
 In order to take the roe of the herring, which, 
 one would suppose, would be no easy thing to 
 effect, they laid a very curious and successful plan. 
 
 They cut immense quantities of broad pine 
 branches, and sunk them where the water was 
 about ten feet deep, fastening them to the bottom 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 171 
 
 by means of heavy stones, that kept them down, till 
 the herring swam up and deposited their roe upon 
 them. 
 
 The branches were then taken up, and the roe 
 stripped off by the women, who washed it and 
 cleared it from the pine leaves, and then dried it 
 and put up in baskets for future use. 
 
 To take salmon and other fish at this place, they 
 wove a sort of a trap or ware, with flexile twigs ; 
 the form of which was somewhat like a pot, or 
 bee-hive. 
 
 Its mouth was made by turning the sharpened 
 ends of the twigs in, after the manner of a wire 
 mouse-trap, and sloping to quite a narrow passage, 
 so as to let the fish slip in ; and then to cry (if he 
 could,} like Sterne's starling, 'I can't get out!' 
 
 The prisoners in these water-cages were obliged 
 to come out at length, as the proverb would say, 
 ' at the little end of the horn ;' for at the end where 
 the ware tapered off to a point, a place, like a sort 
 of door, was made so as to be opened for rernov- 
 
172 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 ing the finny dupe, and then closed for the purpose 
 of entrapping another. 
 
 These fish-traps were set immediately below 
 some rapid, above which the natives went with 
 their canoes, and drove the fish down, till, fleeing 
 from one evil, they slipped, unsuspectingly, into 
 another, and went to sure destruction. 
 
 John saw more than seven hundred salmon taken 
 by- this method in the course of fifteen minutes. 
 Some bass were taken in the same way. 
 
 The cod and halibut were cut up into small 
 pieces, and dried in the sun, for preservation ; but 
 the salmon that was to be cured for winter food, 
 was split open, the head andjback bone were re 
 moved, and then it was hung up in the house to 
 dry. 
 
 This season was a time of great feasting and 
 hilarity among the Indians. They cooked im 
 mense quantities of fish, and lived not upon the fat 
 of the land, but of the waters. 
 
 They cooked at Maquina's house, one hundred 
 salmon at once, in a tub of enormous size, and ate 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 173 
 
 with the appetite of a people who were not accus 
 tomed to make two bites at a cherry. 
 
 Tashees was at this time a place of great busi 
 ness, and all hands were engaged, either in catch 
 ing, curing, or cooking fish, or in conveying it to 
 the mouths of the feasters. 
 
 John used frequently to go out with Maquina 
 after salmon; and -the king would always allow 
 him a part, to be considered as his share of the 
 spoil. 
 
 He used, also, to shoot wild ducks and teal, 
 which the women skinned, and boiled them in the 
 same way that they did their other food. 
 
 The prisoners found their condition at this place 
 less comfortable -than at Nootka, in some respects, 
 as the weather began to grow cold, and they were 
 obliged to be more within doors ; and the houses 
 being smaller, did not accommodate them so well 
 as those they had before occupied. 
 
 But they did not neglect to go off alone on the 
 Sabbath to bathe in some stream, and to pass the 
 rest of the day in retirement, by its side, offer- 
 
 tiremen 
 
 * 
 
174 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 ing up supplications to God for their deliverance, 
 and thanks for the preservation of their lives, until 
 the winter came on so cold as to cut them short of 
 this privilege, by obliging them to stay near a 
 shelter and a fire. 
 
175 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 John forbidden to write a new dress made for the king he 
 accounts for having killed the crew the yama taking the 
 bear singular ceremony an annual thanksgiving. 
 
 JOHN had not been long at Tashees, when he 
 began to feel serious alarm for the fate of his 
 journal. Maquina, who saw him writing in it 
 from day to day, told him that if he saw him en 
 gaged at it again, he would certainly destroy it. 
 
 John told him he was keeping accounts of the 
 weather; but the sagacious king said he knew 
 better, and that he was speaking bad about him and 
 his people for destroying the crew, so as to inform 
 his countrymen against them, if he could meet 
 with any who came upon the coast. After this, 
 John had to be very secret about his writing. 
 
 He finished about this time, some liigiily-polish 
 
 
176 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 ed daggers, and made a cheetoolth after the king's 
 directions, that pleased his majesty highly. 
 
 Thompson began to grow into the king's favor, 
 also, for having made a fine sail for his canoe, and 
 a kutsack for him by stitching European vest pat 
 terns together till he formed a mantle a fathom 
 square. 
 
 This garment, comprised of various pieces and 
 figures, and variegated with all the colors of the 
 rainbow, must certainly have exceeded Joseph's 
 coat, in its ornaments, if not in the many hues it ex 
 hibited ; for to finish it off in style, Thompson had 
 put on its edge a border of otter-skin, and above 
 this, six rows of gilt buttons, as thick as they 
 could be set together. 
 
 The arm-holes were bordered in the same way 
 and the king put it on, and strutted about with 
 all the pride of a peacock, while the buttons tinkled 
 as he went, and his people looked at him as at a 
 shining idol. 
 
 He rewarded Thompson for his skill, and gave 
 John a piece of European cloth large enough to 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 177 
 
 make him a good suit of clothes for the winter, as 
 a token of gratification for his having finished the 
 daggers and the cheetoolth so well. 
 
 Not long after this, he showed John a book in 
 which were seven names of persons who had he- 
 longed to the ship Manchester of Philadelphia, 
 commanded by Captain Brian. These were Daniel 
 Smith, Louis Gillon, James Tom, Clark, Ben, John 
 son, and Jack. 
 
 These men, Maquina said, deserted the ship and 
 came to him ; and that six of them ran away after 
 wards, in order to go to the Wickanninish. But 
 being stopped on the way by another tribe, they 
 were sent back to him, and put to a cruel death. 
 
 One of the natives told John that the way in 
 which these men were killed was this : Four In 
 dians took a man at a time, and held him down, 
 while others crowded stones down his throat : thus 
 one after the other was despatched. 
 
 Jack, the boy who did not attempt to escape, 
 was sold to the Wickanninish king ; but, according 
 to the account of Vuqua, the princess, he had to 
 12 
 
178 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 work so hard that his health failed ; and when he 
 heard of the murder of his friends, it affected him 
 so much, that he fell sick and died. 
 
 Maquina, finding that John had a great desire to 
 learn their language, took much pleasure in con 
 versing and in trying to teach him. In one of 
 his conversations, he fully explained the cause of 
 his having destroyed the crew of the Boston. 
 
 He said he bore no ill-will towards white men in 
 general; but that he had been several times so 
 "badly treated by them, that he had resolved on 
 revenge for the injury they had done him, in repeat 
 ed instances. 
 
 He said the first outrage was committed by a 
 Captain Tawnington, who had passed the winter 
 with his vessel at Friendly Cove, and received 
 kind treatment from the natives. 
 
 But when he was gone for his wife, to the Wick- 
 aiminish. the captain and his men had entered 
 their houses in the absence of the men, terrified the 
 women, and robbed their boxes of all that was 
 valuable. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 179 
 
 He said they stole from his store no less than 
 forty fine skins, and made off with their booty. 
 
 The next grievance was from a Spanish captain, 
 who barbarously murdered four of the natives. 
 The third was very soon after, from a captain 
 Hanna, of the Sea-Otter, who, because one of the 
 natives stole a chisel from the carpenter, fired upon 
 them, and killed more than twenty, among whom 
 were several Tyees. 
 
 Maquina said he was himself on board the vessel 
 at the time, and came near being killed, saving his 
 life only, by leaping from the quarter-deck, and 
 swimming a great distance with his head under 
 water. 
 
 He said he had, from that time, determined to 
 avenge the blood of his people, when a fair oppor 
 tunity presented itself; and that, when Captain 
 Salter insulted him, the feeling of injury and 
 the desire of revenge were roused in his bosom, 
 and he resolved to wait no longer for vengeance on 
 the race of men who had wronged him and slain 
 his brethren. 
 
180 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 This tale revealed some sad secrets respecting 
 the conduct of those who had been at Nootka for 
 trade, and received kind treatment from the na 
 tives ; and it is much to be lamented that civilized 
 men, and those who took the name of Christians, 
 should not have acted more according to the rules 
 of justice and humanity. 
 
 One kind of provision which the natives made it 
 
 serious business to lay in for the winter, while 
 at Tashees, was the Yama, a kind of fruit that 
 grew in the woods in great profusion ; and which 
 the women went out in companies to gather, with 
 guards of men to protect them from wild beasts. 
 
 A yama party would stay several days at a time, 
 in the forest, making for themselves a covert of 
 leafy boughs for the night, and busying themselves 
 during the day in filling their baskets with fruit. 
 
 This fruit was a berry, that grew in clusters, 
 upon bushes about three feet high, with large, 
 round and polished leaves. The berry was black, 
 of an oblong round , and about as large as grape- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 181 
 
 shot. Its taste was sweet, with a little flavor of 
 acid. 
 
 The women would sometimes bring in a dozen 
 bushels of these berries at once, and spread them 
 on blankets : they then laid others over them, to 
 press them, and left them to dry till they were fit 
 to put up in baskets. 
 
 Though fish and fruit were the main articles of 
 food among these people, they sometimes used to 
 eat the flesh of the bear, deer, and other animals. 
 
 But they had an odd superstition that obliged 
 them, whenever they had eaten of the bear, to ab 
 stain from eating fish for two months afterwards ; 
 for they believed that, if they ate fish immediately 
 after having fed on the bear, the fish would know 
 it all around, and be so offended as not to come 
 within their waters or suffer themselves to be taken. 
 
 Most of the natives were, therefore, unwilling to 
 suffer the penalty of indulging the appetite by a 
 taste of this animal ; and when one was taken and 
 dressed, scarcely a dozen of the tribe could be in 
 duced to eat of it. 
 
182 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 To take the bear, they constructed a trap by the 
 side of some stream, where his black and shaggy 
 honor was in the habit of promenading. This trap 
 was built with post and planks, one of which was 
 so placed, as to let down a heavy load of stones 
 that were laid upon it, when the animal pulled 
 upon a salmon that was suspended to it, by way of 
 bait, within the trap. The head of the beast was, 
 by this means, either crushed, or so forcibly struck 
 as to cause his death at once. 
 
 A trap, formed in this manner, was covered witli 
 sods, so as to have the appearance of a mound of 
 earth. 
 
 Dressing the bear, as the natives called a strange 
 ceremony which they went through, soon after 
 they were established at Tashees. was to John and 
 his companion a very amusing farce, the cause of 
 which was never explained to them. 
 
 The animal was taken dead from the trap^ 
 cleansed of all the blood and dirt that had ga 
 thered on him in his hour of distress, and then car 
 ried to the king's house. 
 
TAKING THE BEAR. 
 
184 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 Here, a chief's cap was put upon his head, his 
 body powdered all over with white down, which, 
 contrasted with his black fur, made quite a show. 
 He was then set, in an upright position, opposite 
 the king, and a tray of food put before him, when 
 the Indians urged him, by a variety of words and 
 gestures, to eat. 
 
 But Sir Bruin, not showing much inclination 
 to accept the invitations, was soon taken away, 
 skinned, cut up and boiled. 
 
 This ceremony was an occasion of great merry 
 making throughout the village. The king made a 
 great entertainment, and all the people flocked to 
 gether at the festival, which was generally con 
 cluded with a dance by Sat-sat, performed in the 
 way I have already described. 
 
 On the morning of December 13th, another 
 strange ceremony began, by the king's firing a 
 pistol, apparently, without a moment's warning, 
 close to the ear of Sat-sat, who dropped down 
 instantly, as if shot dead upon the spot. 
 
 Upon this, all the women set up a most terrible 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 185 
 
 yelling, tearing out their hair by handfuls, and 
 crying out that the prince was dead ; when the 
 men rushed in, armed with guns and daggers, 
 inquiring into the cause of the alarm, followed by 
 two of the natives covered with Wolf-skins, with 
 masks representing the wolf's head. 
 
 These two came in on all-fours, and taking up 
 the prince on their back, carried him out, retiring 
 as they had entered. 
 
 Maquina then came to John and Thompson, 
 with a supply of provisions, that he said they must 
 take, and depart with it into the woods, and there 
 remain six days, assuring them that if they return 
 ed before that time had expired, he should have 
 them killed^ 
 
 The .liberty of going out by themselves for a 
 week would, at a milder season of the year, have 
 been a matter of rejoicing to them ; but as it was, 
 they obeyed without delay, and taking their pro 
 visions, retired into the forest, among the hills and 
 dells, where they passed the time reading, rambling 
 about, &c. during the day time ; and at night, 
 Q 
 
186 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 they crept under a little covert of boughs woven 
 and made into a small cabin, where they laid 
 themselves down on a bed of Ieaves 3 and spread 
 over them the garments that they had taken thither 
 in a bundle, to keep off the cold night air. 
 
 On the seventh day after their banishment, they 
 returned to the village, where they found the king, 
 chiefs, and many of the people of another tribe, 
 who had been invited by Maquina to come and 
 keep the week with him, and join in the ceremo 
 nies. 
 
 It was afterwards ascertained that this grand 
 celebration was an annual thanksgiving, held in 
 honor of Quahootze, to thank him for the favors 
 he had bestowed on them during the year that 
 had elapsed, and to invoke his smile on them for 
 the one now to come. 
 
187 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Conclusion of the thanksgiving Christmas kept by the captives 
 removal to Cooptee visit to the Aitizzarts -feast at Cooptee 
 false stories of ships return to Nootka death of a Icy 
 insanity of a chief. 
 
 WHAT happened at the village while they were 
 absent, the prisoners never knew ; but the celebra 
 tion did not end till after their return, and then it 
 terminated with a shocking and distressing show 
 of deliberate self-torment. 
 
 Three men, each with two bayonets run through 
 their sides, between the ribs, walked up and down 
 in the room, singing war-songs, and exulting in 
 their firmness and triumph over pain. 
 
 When the 25th of the month came round, bring 
 ing with it a sad sense of the contrast between the 
 way in which it was celebrated in their native 
 land, and that in which it must be kept by them, 
 
188 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 the captives requested to have the day to them 
 selves, and retiring into the woods, they passed it 
 in reading and other religious exercises, singing the 
 Hymn of the Nativity, and returning thanks for 
 the birth of the Savior. 
 
 In the evening, wishing to conform to the cus 
 toms of good old England, as far as circumstances 
 would permit, they set themselves about getting a 
 better meal than usual, for their Christmas supper. 
 
 They bought some of the best dainties among 
 the natives, such as, dried clams, &c. and a root 
 which they called keltsup, which being cooked by 
 steam, was a very pleasant kind of food ; and hav 
 ing made ready their repast, they sat down to make 
 the best of their condition over it, and partook of it 
 with truly grateful hearts, that life, health, and 
 even this homely meal was granted to them in this 
 inhospitable wild. 
 
 On the last day of the month, the tribe removed 
 to Cooptee, about fifteen miles from Tashees, which, 
 though not so pleasant as that place, on some ac 
 counts, was. from its being nearer to Nootka, beyond 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 189 
 
 which no vessel could come, a more agreeable situ 
 ation to the prisoners, as they hoped it would allow 
 them a better opportunity of hearing of people of 
 their own nation arriving on the coast. 
 
 The first business of the natives at Cooptee, was 
 to cover their houses with their portable roofs and 
 sides. 
 
 The next day, January 1st, 1804, the first fall of 
 snow for that winter, came. 
 
 About a week afterwards, Maquina took John 
 in his canoe to visit the king of the Aitizzarts, who, 
 with his chiefs, had been to keep the thanksgiving 
 at Tashees, and who had invited Maquina to 
 come to see him at this time, to attend a similar 
 celebration. 
 
 This king, whose name was Upquesta, had his 
 town about twenty miles from Cooptee, up the 
 sound, and in an extensive valley, on the bank of 
 a noble river. 
 
 During the sail to this place, Maquina had told 
 John not to speak, after their arrival, till he made 
 a sign to him. 
 
190 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 When they arrived, the king's messenger, who 
 was master of the ceremonies, came out to meet 
 them, dressed in his best, with his head bestrewed 
 with down, and holding in his hand a cheetoolth, 
 the badge of his office. 
 
 He saluted them, and conducted them to the 
 presence of the king, with due gravity, pointing 
 out to each, the seat that it belonged to him to 
 take. 
 
 Visitors, on these occasions, wore then* caps, and 
 took them off as they entered the house. Maquina 
 as he entered, not only doifed his cap, but threw off 
 some of his outer garments, of which he had put on 
 several, one over another. 
 
 But very few of the people at this place, who I 
 should have before remarked, welcomed the visitors 
 with loud shouts and the firing of guns, had ever 
 seen a white man, or a European dress ; and John 
 was to them an object of no small curiosity. 
 
 They flocked about him, feeling of his clothes, 
 his hands, his head, and face, and patting him on 
 the arms and shoulders, as if he had been some 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 191 
 
 animal they had caught, and were glad to find 
 so tame. 
 
 As he obeyed the injunction of silence all the 
 time this examination was going on, they even 
 opened his mouth to see if he had a tongue. 
 
 At length, Maquina gave the sign, and John 
 spoke out, to the great surprise and delight of 
 the spectators, addressing them in their own lan 
 guage. 
 
 They made a great burst of applause at this, 
 saying that he was a man, like themselves, only 
 he was white, and looked like a seal, alluding to 
 his blue jacket and trowsers. They did not like 
 this dress, and tried to persuade him to take it off, 
 and put on one like their own. 
 
 The celebration here was similar, as far as John 
 had had an opportunity of observing it, to the one 
 held at Tashees. 
 
 During the visit, Maquina gave a particular 
 detail of the manner in which he had obtained 
 his prisoners, and related all that had happened 
 concerning the ship and her crew, stating at the 
 
192 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 same time, the motives that had prompted him to 
 the barbarous act. 
 
 The religious ceremonies were concluded by 
 twenty men who entered the house, with arrows 
 run through their sides and arms, having strings 
 fastened to them, by which the spectators twitched, 
 or pulled them back, as the men walked round the 
 room, singing and boasting of their power to endure 
 suffering. 
 
 Returning to Cooptee after this visit, the men in 
 the canoe kept time to the stroke of the paddles, 
 with their songs; and they reached home about 
 midnight. 
 
 The time went off, employed in fishing, &c. at 
 Cooptee, till the beginning of February, when an 
 annual feast was to be given by Maquina, to which 
 the whole of the Aitizzarts, and many of another 
 tribe, were invited. 
 
 It was a scene of great gluttony, and so was 
 almost the whole of the life at Cooptee ; immense 
 quantities of provisions being cooked, and destroyed 
 with I rutal lavishness. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 193 
 
 On the 25th of February, the tribe returned to 
 Nootka, which, notwithstanding the melancholy 
 scene it brought to mind, was a matter of rejoicing 
 to the unhappy captives, as it gave them the hope 
 of seeing some vessel that might come to their 
 relief. 
 
 Not long after the return to this place, a story 
 was told to Maquina, by the Cayuquats, of twenty 
 ships that were on the coast, coming to destroy him 
 and his people for what they had done with the 
 Boston and her crew. 
 
 This threw him into great alarm, and thus the 
 objects of the false Indians, who had fabricated the 
 report, was obtained. 
 
 Though John assuited him that there was not 
 the least truth in it, he would not believe him, but 
 kept a strict eye on him and Thompson, regarding 
 them with great jealousy, and would not let them 
 go out of his sight, for fear of their going some 
 where, to meet their countrymen from the vessels, 
 to inform against him. 
 
 Soon after this, a death took place in the family 
 13 R 
 
194 CAI 1'IVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 of the king. A son of his eister, about eleven years 
 old, and who was considered as a Tyee, died in the 
 night, after having languished a long time in a kind 
 of consumption or decay. 
 
 As soon as the breath left his body, all the men 
 and women in the house set up such a yelling and 
 howling, as waked the prisoners, and obliged them 
 to leave the house to escape the noise, which was 
 kept up till morning. 
 
 A great fire was then kindled, and in it Maquina 
 burnt ten fathoms of cloth, in honor of the dead 
 child, with whom he afterwards buried ten fathoms 
 more, eight of the Ife-maw shells, and two small 
 trunks, containing Captain Salter's watch and his 
 clothing. 
 
 It was the custom of these people, whenever a 
 chief died, to bury with him some of their most 
 valuable articles. 
 
 Tootoosh, the husband of Maquina' s sister, and 
 the father of the deceased boy, had been one of the 
 chief actors in the dreadful tragedy on board the 
 

 
 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. Jj ] 95 
 
 Boston; he had killed two of the men with bis 
 own hand. 
 
 This man, Tootoosh, had, a short time previous 
 to the removal to Tashees, been suddenly attacked, 
 while in perfect health, by a violent fit of insanity, 
 during which he raved continually about the men, 
 Hall and Wood, whom he had killed, and said 
 their ghosts were by him all the time, to torment 
 him. 
 
 He would swallow no food except what he was 
 forced by his friends, to take into his mouth ; and 
 whenever he attempted to take any into his hand, 
 he would withdraw it, saying he should be glad to 
 eat, but the dead men would not let him. 
 
 No instance of insanity had occurred among these 
 people within the memory of their oldest man ; and 
 the only way in which they could account for 
 this was, by a superstitious belief, that the ghosts 
 of the murdered men had been called back by the 
 prisoners, to torment the murderer. 
 
 Maquina, when first made acquainted, by his 
 sister, with the strange symptoms of her husband, 
 
196 :^ CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 took- John and Thompson with him to the house, 
 and, pointing at each, asked Tootoosh if they tor 
 mented him. He said, 'No John good Thomp 
 son good Hall and Wood pesha/c,' (bad.) 
 
 Maquina placed food before him ; but he said Hall 
 and Wood would not let him eat, and continued in 
 this state till a short time after the death of his son, 
 when, after the most dreadful ravings, he grew 
 sxhausted and died. 
 
 Maquina became convinced that John and Thomp 
 son had no agency in causing the delirium, and the 
 prisoners found that it was viewed by the natives, 
 as a punishment sent by Quahootze, for the murder 
 of the men, and to this they thought they owed 
 their lives : as in several instances, when councils 
 had been held, respecting putting them to death, 
 the natives would not consent to it, and many of 
 them talked about Tootoosh, in a way that showed 
 they feared being visited themselves ; arid the king, 
 said he was glad his hands did not dip in the blood 
 of the white men. 
 
 The madness of Tootoosh was terrible ; he 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. L97 
 
 would rave, kick, bite and spit at all who 
 near 1 dm, but the prisoners ; but he wowld pat John 
 on the shoulder, and call him good ; and none 
 could manage him but Thompson and he, who 
 were, on this account, set over him as attendants. 
 
 It was a question with them, whether the insan 
 ity was occasioned by the death of a daughter, 
 about fifteen years old, not long before, or sent im 
 mediately from the hand of God to make the 
 natives tremble at their own crimes, and fear to 
 do any thing against their lives, lest their pums'i- 
 should be of the like kind. 
 
198 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Maquina goes a whaling bringing in the whale death and 
 burial service of the crazy chief- the king's jester a mutiny 
 feared a conspiracy Thompson kills an Indian. 
 
 SOON after the death of the boy, whose mother 
 had been obliged to bring him to Maquina' s house, 
 to avoid the violence of his crazy father, the king 
 commenced his whaling excursions ; but with so^ 
 little success that he returned day after day out of 
 humor, and once with a broken harpoon, and 
 nothing to pay for it, or for his toil. 
 
 John went to work and made him a good steel 
 one, which pleased him highly, and the first time 
 that he went out with it, he struck, with a death- 
 thrust, a noble whale ; upon which, a signal was 
 given, and all the canoes were out to help tow 
 him in. 
 
 While the poor dying whale was dragged ashore 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 19V 
 
 Iho women were on the roofs of the houses, drum 
 ming with great violence, and mingling their 
 shouts of exultation with the cry of, t Woocash! 
 woocash, Tyee ! ' and the men in the canoes were 
 singing a song of triumph, to a slow -tune, as the 
 victim was brought to the land. 
 
 When he was cut up to be boiled, John had a 
 handsome present of blubber, for making so suc 
 cessful a harpoon. 
 
 It should have been remarked that, previous to 
 one of these whaling excursions, the king had a 
 habit of .going alone to the mountains, to pass a 
 day or two in prayer for success in his business ; 
 and when he returned, wearing the red fillet and 
 the spruce branch on his head, in token of humilia 
 tion, his manner was serious and gloomy. 
 
 Tootoosh died early in June, and his death occa 
 sioned another scene of mad sorrow, that was loud 
 er than his own crazy ravings had been. 
 
 The wailing and yelling was kept up, for about 
 three hours ; then the corpse was brought out of 
 the house, and laid on a board before it. A red ft 1 * 
 
MAQUINA'S RETURN FROM WHALING. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 201 
 
 let was bound round the head, and a mantle of sea- 
 otter skin wrapped about the form. 
 
 It was then put into a box or coffin, with several 
 strings of the Ife-maw about the neck, and all the 
 most valuable articles possessed by the departed 
 chief, were laid into the coffin. Among these, were 
 several fine otter skins. 
 
 At night, the time of their burials, ropes were 
 passed round the coffin, and poles run through 
 them, by which the coffin was taken up, and borne 
 by eight men, followed by the widow and family, 
 with their heads shaved as a sign of mourning, to 
 the place of interment. 
 
 The grave was a small cavern in the side of a 
 hill. Here they deposited the coffin, and closing 
 up the cavern securely, returned to the house. 
 
 The next ceremony was performed by building 
 a large fire, and burning every thing owned by the 
 deceased, that had not been buried with him. 
 These were blankets, pieces of cloth, &c. 
 
 They were laid one by one, on the fire, b> n 
 person appointed by the king, to the office wuo 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 was dressed out in his finest gear, with his head 
 bestrewed with down, and who, as each article 
 was laid on the fire, would pour on oil to increase 
 the flame, and while it was burning, make a 
 speech, or show off some feat of buffoonery, to the 
 bystanders. 
 
 The funeral solemnities, if so we may call them, 
 were finished by Sat-sat, who performed one of 
 his best dances on the occasion, in honor of his 
 dead uncle. 
 
 The name of the man who had officiated as * 
 priest in making the sacrifice, was Kinneclimmetsjqf- 
 He stood with Maquina in the relation of king's jes 
 ter, on account of his tricks of mimicry and other 
 monkey traits, that raised him high in his majesty's 
 estimation. 
 
 He not only performed the part of buffoon, but 
 he had also the office of master of ceremonies at all 
 the feasts, and that of public orator. He harangued 
 the people, showed all to their places, and amused 
 them mightily with his antic gestures, his low wit, 
 and savage merriment. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 20% 
 
 In short, they seemed to think that all their 
 enjoyment of a public occasion depended on the 
 pranks of this speaking ape. Such a character 
 was attached to the train of each tribe among the 
 natives, and the title he bore was that of Climmer- 
 Nabbee, which must have been a very comprehen 
 sive word, since it meant so much, enbodied in one 
 great personage. 
 
 One feat that this man undertook, for the amuse 
 ment of the company, on some feast day, was to 
 eat to excess. 
 
 He first drank three pints of oil, and then engag 
 ed to eat four dried salmon, and five quarts of her 
 ring roe, mixed in a gallon of train-oil. But he 
 failed in this ; for, before he got through with his 
 meal, the salmon proved that they were not quite 
 so securely imprisoned in his stomach as they had 
 been in the waves, and that they could ' get out' 
 by the same mouth by which they had entered. 
 
 On one merry-making occasion, when a chief 
 had brought home his new wife, the jester under 
 took to entertain the revellers, by passing three 
 
204 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 times through a large fire ; but, happening not to be 
 made of asbestos, he got so severely burnt, as to 
 come very near dying for his folly. 
 
 Maquina was always delighted with any of this 
 man's extraordinary performances, and sure to re 
 ward him with some present. 
 
 The frenzy and death of Tootoosh caused great 
 alarm among the natives, lest a similar fate should 
 await them ; for John told the king it was, no doubt, 
 a punishment sent by Quahootze, for the murder of 
 the men. 
 
 This intimation, while they believed it, only^ 
 soured them towards the prisoners, and when the 
 king was out of sight, they would insult them, by 
 -calling them miserable slaves, asking them where 
 their Tyee was ; when they would answer by their 
 own gestures, showing that his head was cut off, 
 and that theirs should be also. 
 
 But they took good care, at these times, to keep 
 out of the reach of Thompson's hand, the weight 
 of which they had sometimes severely felt. 
 
 As the summer advanced, there was a great 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 205 
 
 scarcity of fish in their waters, and they were re 
 duced to a state of great want, so as to be obliged to 
 go sometimes without food, except what they got 
 by gleaning for muscles and cockles among the 
 rocks. 
 
 The natives not only showed, on this account, 
 great ill-humor towards the prisoners, whom they 
 suspected of using some conjuration, or some in 
 fluence with Quahootze, but with true savage 
 inconsistency, they reproached their king with hav 
 ing driven away the fish, by mingling the waters 
 with the blood of the murdered white men. 
 
 But Maquina was usually kind to the captives, 
 and always gave them a part of the best he had to 
 eat. Sometimes he would make them presents, 
 and when he feared a mutiny from his people, he 
 would assure them that if a vessel came within a 
 hundred miles of the village, he would let them 
 send letters for their countrymen to come to their 
 relief, and take them home. 
 
 Once he so far feared a general revolt from his 
 people, that he would suffer none but John and 
 
206 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 Thompson to keep guard over his person, in gut and 
 day, and they had to go armed for the purpose. 
 
 He had, at this time, discovered a conspiracy be 
 tween three of his chiefs, one of whom was his 
 brother, against his life ; and he suspected them to 
 be linked in the plot, to another neighboring tribe. 
 He, at this time, not only kept his white body 
 guard close to him on all occasions, but he made 
 his men fire the cannon every morning, to let the 
 other tribe know what they would have to meet 
 if they came upon him. 
 
 In these hours of intimacy with the king, and of 
 his dependence on them, John and Thompson 
 complained of the insults and unkind treatment 
 they had of late received from the natives. 
 
 Maquina told them, that it should not be so, and 
 that they must let him know if ever any thing of 
 the kind was, shown them by any of the Nootkans ; 
 but if any of the strangers among them offered to 
 abuse them, he said they might punish the offender 
 by immediate death j telling them, at the same 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 207 
 
 time, that they must take care always to go well 
 armed. 
 
 The mutinous spirit of the people gradually sub 
 sided ; but it was not long before Thompson availed 
 himself of the liberty the king had given him. 
 
 He was at the pond washing clothes for himself 
 and John, and a blanket for Maquina. Several of 
 the Wickanninish came by, and seeing him, began 
 to insult him, and to trouble him about his work, 
 He warned them to desist ; but not heeding him, 
 one Indian, more bold than the rest, stepped on the 
 blanket that was spread on the grass to dry, arid 
 trampled it under his feet. 
 
 Upon this, Thompson drew his cutlass and se 
 vered the Indian's head from his body. The others, 
 affrighted at the deed, took to their heels and went 
 ofT in a moment. Thompson then gathered up the 
 blanket, with the marks of the Indian's feet and 
 the stains of his blood on it, and the head wrapped 
 in it, and carried it to the king, telling him the 
 whole story. 
 
 He commended Thompson's chivalry, and gave 
 
THOMPSON KILLING AN INDIAN. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 209 
 
 him a present in token of his approbation ; and the 
 other natives, learning what it was in the power of 
 the white slave to do, treated him and his com 
 panion with more respect and deference ever af 
 terwards. 
 
 This deed of Thompson's was a terrible one, 
 and it is sad to think that necessity compelled him 
 to take the life of a fellow-creature. But it was an 
 act of self-defence, as much as any warfare is : 
 for though his life did not, at that moment, seem 
 threatened, there was no telling to what a dreadful 
 death these barbarians might have brought, him, 
 had he not made them fear him. 
 
 14 S 
 
210 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 John is ordered to make arms the king declares his intention 
 to go to war expedition to Aycharts attack and slaughter 
 of the inhabitants return to Tashees John is told he must 
 marry going to select a wife making choice of one. 
 
 SOME time in July, Maquina told John that he 
 must set about making daggers for the men, Chee- 
 toolths for the chiefs, and a weapon for him that 
 should strike the enemy on the head, whilb asleep, 
 and kill him at a blow, for he was going to war, 
 he said, with the Aycharts^ a tribe about fifty mile& 
 to the south ; who had quarrelled with him during 
 the last summer. 
 
 John must have feit very badly on receiving 
 these commands, and knowing for what immediate 
 purpose his work was designed. He was, however, 
 obliged to obey orders, and following Maquina' s 
 'directions, he made his weapon \u a different man 
 ner from any of the others 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 211 
 
 It was a kind of dagger, or spike, with a long 
 iron handle, with a crook at the end where the 
 steel spike went in, and at the other, a large knob, 
 to resemble a man's head, for the eyes of which, 
 he fastened in a couple of black beads, with sealing- 
 wax. 
 
 The bend in the handle was to keep it from 
 being wrenched away ; and the weapon, being 
 altogether a formidable one, and highly polished, 
 pleased the king mightily. He would not allow 
 any of the chiefs to have one like it, reserving its 
 use exclusively for his own royal hand. 
 
 When all preparations were made, the natives 
 manned about forty canoes, well armed with their 
 dreadful instruments of destruction, among which 
 were a few bows and arrows. 
 
 The bows, about four feet long, were drawn by 
 a string of whale sinew ; the arrows, of a yard in 
 length, were pointed with copper, shell, or bone. 
 
 The expedition, of which John and Thompson 
 were obliged to make two, set off in the night, to 
 come upon and slay their sleeping foes. 
 
212 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA 
 
 They sailed during the silence of the night, and in 
 tent upon their dreadful purpose, about thirty miles 
 up a broad river, the banks of which were covered 
 with deep forests, till they came opposite the village 
 they were about to depopulate ; here they landed / 
 and remained in perfect stillness till the moment 
 of attack. 
 
 The town of Aycharts was situated on a hill, 
 which being of difficult access, was a kind of for 
 tress. The houses were about sixteen in number. 
 
 Maquina said he should not make the attack 
 till towards the dawn of morning, that being the 
 hour when the Indians slept the soundest. 
 
 At length, the awful moment arrived. The In 
 dians left their canoes, and, crawling on their hands 
 and knees, up a winding pass, they entered the 
 dwellings of their slumbering enemies, while John 
 and Thompson were stationed without, to stop 
 such as might try to escape. 
 
 Maquina seized the head of the chief, and as he 
 stiuck the death blow, he gave a terrible war-whoop, 
 the signal for all hands to ' fall to, and spare not.' 
 
OAlTiVE OF XOOTKA. 
 
 A few of the surprised Aycharts fled into the 
 forests, and escaped death; the others were all 
 slain, or taken prisoners, to become slaves to Ma- 
 quina. 
 
 The hand of Thompson was not slack in this 
 terrible work. He slew so many of the unarmed 
 enemy, that the Nootkans gave him the name of 
 Checkeil-sunarhar> a chief who in fotmer years 
 had been a great warrior among them. 
 
 But John was very glad it did not fall to his lot 
 to shed the blood of any. He 'only took four 
 captives, whom Maquina, as a peculiar favor, al 
 lowed him to call his slaves, and who were to 
 work exclusively for him. 
 
 All the old and infirm Aycharts having been 
 put to death, Maquina set fire to the town, and 
 laid every thing waste; after which, he and his 
 men took their captives, and returned to their 
 canoes to set sail for home, with their trophies of 
 victory. 
 
 They were received at the village with great 
 applause from the women, who drummed on the 
 
214 uAPriVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 houses, sang and shouted at their bravery and con 
 quest ; and Sat-sat performed one of his graceful 
 jump-dances in honor of their valor. 
 
 Soon after this, Maquina was strongly impor 
 tuned to dispose of John. The Wickanninish king 
 sent his messenger, who, in their usual, formal 
 way, sat rigged for the occasion, in the canoe, 
 with his head powdered with down, and making a 
 display of the offerings his monarch would give for 
 the white slave whom he wanted to make arms for 
 him. 
 
 He had sent four slaves, two fine canoes, a large 
 quantity of rnetamelth and other things of great 
 value, as the price he was willing to give. But 
 Maquina rejected these splendid offers ; for he priz 
 ed John higher than all of them. 
 
 Towards the close of the summer, Velatilla, chief 
 of the Klaizzarts, came on a visit to Nootka ; and 
 he also urged the king to sell John to him. 
 
 This chief was a fine-look dig Indian, of a com 
 plexion almost as light as that of a European. He 
 was well formed, very neat about his person, and 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 215 
 
 seldom wore paint, except on the place where, 
 according to the custom of his tribe, the eyebrows 
 had been plucked out. 
 
 His aspect was mild, and his manners pleasant ; 
 he usually had a smile on his face, and could speak 
 English a little. He took great interest in John, 
 and loved to converse with him in each of their 
 languages ; asking questions about his country, his 
 friends and their modes of living. 
 
 He said that if he could prevail on Maquina to 
 sell him, he would procure a passage for him to 
 return home on board the first vessel he should 
 discover on the coast. 
 
 This promise, John afterwards had reason to 
 believe, would have been fulfilled, could Yelatilla 
 have prevailed on Maquina to part with him. Foi 
 it was to this man's fidelity in delivering a letter in 
 person to the master of a vessel, that the captives 
 ultimately owed their deliverance; and this letter 
 was the only one of sixteen which John wrote, that 
 ever was delivered. 
 
 When he lp f * Nootka, John made him a present 
 
216 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 of a highly-polished cheetoolth, which he received 
 with much pleasure and many signs of gratitude, 
 and a promise to deliver the letter at the first vessel. 
 
 In September, the tribe returned to Tashees, and 
 went over again the same business and mode of 
 living that has been already described. But 
 shortly after this removal, John was thunderstruck, 
 if I may so speak, by a piece of information that 
 was announced to him. 
 
 Maquina told him that a council having been held, 
 it was agreed that he must marry one of the In 
 dian girls ; stating as a reason, that, as there were 
 no vessels coming to Nootka, he would, no doubt, 
 have to pass the uest of his life with them, and the 
 sooner he conformed to their customs, and had a 
 family of his own, the more happy and contented 
 he would be. 
 
 This was giving poor John something more 
 difficult than train-oil to swallow. He remonstrat 
 ed vehemently against the step; but all to no 
 purpose he must either marry or die. 
 
 The only way in which the terms were softened, 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 217 
 
 'vas his having the liberty to choose his squaw 
 among the fair daughters of another tribe, if none 
 of those of Nootka pleased his fancy, for a help 
 mate. 
 
 John cast his eye round, while his heart revolted 
 at the sight of all the candidates for his hand, 
 among the Nootkans ; and he told the king he 
 must look farther for a wife. 
 
 Accordingly, Maquina took about fifty men, in 
 two canoes, with John, and a large quantity of 
 cloth, sea-otter skins, and other articles, to purchase 
 a bride, and set sail for Aitizzarts. 
 
 They reached this place about sunset, while 
 John felt more like a victim going to the altar for 
 sacrifice, than like a bridegroom approaching 
 Hymen's altar. 
 
 Their sudden arrival at this hour, and without 
 any known purpose, caused great alarm at the 
 village. The men seized their weapons, and pre 
 paring for war, rushed violently down to the land 
 ing-place, making signs of defence, and threatening 
 destruction on the supposed assailants. 
 T 
 
218 .$ CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 But when the Nootkans had seated themselves 
 quietly in their canoes, remaining perfectly still 
 for half an hour, th", villagers discovered their 
 mistake ; and the king sent his messenger to bid 
 them welcome, and to show them to his presence. 
 
 Meantime, Kinneclimmets, the jester, priest, &( 
 had made himself ready for the duties of the offico 
 he was to perform, by dressing and powdering with 
 down. 
 
 The visitors, with their king at their head, form 
 ed a procession, and moved with great order to the 
 house of the Aitizzart monarch. 
 
 After being seated with due ceremony, and 
 partaking of a sumptuous spawny and oily feast, 
 dfaquina told John to look round ana see if he 
 could find a girl that he liked. 
 
 His choice fell on one about seventeen years 
 old, who sat beside her mother, and was the 
 daughter of Upquesta, the king. 
 
219 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Marriage ceremony return to Tashees John goes to house~ 
 keeping is told he must change his dress religious obser- 
 
 ' vance revenge of a husband towards his wife removal tu 
 Cooptee taking wild geese return to Nootka John is sick 
 a slave dies. 
 
 WHEN John had pointed out his future compan 
 ion, Maquina made a sign to his men, who rose 
 and taking the bridegroom by the hand, led him 
 forth into the middle of the room. 
 
 Two of them were then despatched to the canoes 
 to bring the articles with which the girl was to be 
 purchased. 
 
 When the boxes were brought in, the men took 
 out the articles, one holding up a musket, another 
 a parcel of skins, a third a bundle of cloth, &c. 
 while the jester, (or priest for the time; stepped up 
 to Upquesta, telling him that all these belonged to 
 John, and that he had come to oifer them for his 
 daughter whom he wished to have for a wife. 
 
220 * CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 As he said this, the men threw the articles at the 
 king's feet, with the stern air and look common for 
 their expression of respect. 
 
 As they did this, the men and women of the vil 
 lage, whojvere all assembled to witness the cere 
 mony, set up a loud cry of, ' Klack-ko Klack-ko, 
 Tyee ' (thank you, thank you, chief.) 
 
 Maquina then addressed the king, setting forth 
 the good qualities of John, saying that he was as 
 good a man as themselves ; that he had only the 
 fault of being white, which was more than over 
 balanced by his wonderful skill in making daggers, 
 cheetoolths and harpoons. 
 
 He said he had so good a temper, that men, wo 
 men and children at Nootka loved him ; ajnd that 
 he would stay with them as long as he lived. 
 
 When Maquina began to make this eloquent ha 
 rangue, which lasted half an hour, Kinneclimmets 
 began to skip about the room, and continued per 
 forming all manner of pranks, till the speech was 
 done. 
 
 Upquesta then took up the thread of discourse. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 221 
 
 He set forth the amiable qualities of his daughter 
 Eutochee-exqua, her accomplishments, and the love 
 he bore her, as his only one. 
 
 He said, she was too dear for him to think of part 
 ing with her. But after talking some time in this 
 strain, he finally consented to the union, saying 
 that he hoped they would treat his daughter kindly, 
 and that she would have a good husband. 
 
 As his speech finished with his consent, the jest 
 er began to call out in his loudest tones of voice, 
 ' WacashJ and spun round the room on his heels, 
 like a top. 
 
 After this, Upquesta told his men to take the 
 presents that had been laid at his feet, and carry 
 them back to John ; and to these he added a gift 
 of two young slaves, to help his new son-in-law in 
 fishing. 
 
 The company was then invited to a wedding 
 suppex at the house of one of the chiefs, during 
 which- the jester amused them with all sorts of 
 monkey gestures and tricks. 
 
 The entertainment ended with a war song from 
 
222 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 the men of each tribe, and a show of brandishing 
 their weapons. 
 
 The company then returned to lodge at Upques- 
 ta's house ; and in the morning, John received his 
 bride at the hand of her father, with a charge to 
 treat her kindly, which he promised to do ; as the 
 girl took an affectionate leave of her parents, and 
 accompanied him, with an air of satisfaction, on 
 board the canoe. 
 
 In addition to his other offices, the priest held 
 that of king's steersman, and while guiding the 
 canoe homeward with the lady of the forest within 
 it, he regulated the song of passage till they arrived 
 at the village. 
 
 On landing, their success was attended with great 
 bursts of joy, and Maquina held a feast, after the 
 \vomen had received the bride, and conducted her 
 to a place in the king's house, where she was to be 
 kept, according to the custom of their country, 
 lor the space of ten days in retirement, seeing none 
 but the women, not even her husband, till this 
 time had elapsed. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 223 
 
 After the ten days had passed, John had an 
 apartment appointed him between those of the king 
 and his brother. 
 
 His bride appeared, in every way, of an amiable 
 and yielding disposition; and she was more fair 
 and comely than any female Indian he saw except 
 Maquina's queen. 
 
 Her form was good; her manners were gentle 
 and affectionate ; her features finely made and re 
 gular ; her eyes bright and soft ; her teeth small and 
 white, and her hair very long and fine. 
 
 With this princess for a bride, John's household 
 consisted, beside himself, of Thompson and Sat-sat, 
 whose attacnment to him still remained so strong, 
 that he prevailed on his father to let him live with 
 him. 
 
 Thus John went to keeping house, but in quite 
 a different way from what he expected, when he 
 took his father's blessing and his money, and set 
 out from Hull to begin the world for himself. 
 
 Soon after his marriage, Maquina gave him 
 tmothei shock, by telling him, that, as he had mar- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOUTRA. 
 
 ried on 3 of their women, he had become one of 
 them for life, and he must adopt not only their 
 habits, but also their dress ; a command that was 
 laid both on him and Thompson. 
 
 But John plead Thompson off, by urging that he 
 was an old man, and changing his close garments 
 for the kutsack, would probably kill him. 
 
 For himself, he got leave to wear the dress he had 
 on, till it was worn out, it being then nearly past use. 
 
 Sat-sat, who was a very handsome and pleasant 
 boy, became a great pet with the new-married pair, 
 and they took much pleasure in decking out his 
 little red person with beads, shells, jewels and other 
 finery, which was "very gratifying to his parents, 
 and increased his fondness for his white friend. 
 
 When the annual thanksgiving came round 
 again, John, being now identified with the natives, 
 was told that he and Thompson, instead of being 
 sent into the woods, must stay and help them pray 
 to Quahootze to be good to them. 
 
 The ceremonies began as they did the year be 
 fore; after which the tribe all stripped themselves 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 225 
 
 of their ornaments; and binding on the fillet of 
 humiliation, they repaired to the king's house with 
 looks of sadness and dejection, and began to sing 
 mournful songs, while the king kept time to the 
 melancholy tunes by beating on his drum, or hol 
 low plank. 
 
 The celebration was concluded by a boy, who 
 entered the room with six bayonets run through 
 his flesh in different parts. By these he was lifted 
 and carried round the apartment, without mak 
 ing any visible signs of pain. 
 
 When John asked the cause of this scene, Maqui- 
 na told him that formerly a man used to be sacri 
 ficed to Quahootze at the close of one of these cere 
 monies; but that his father had abolished the 
 practice, and adopted this in its stead. 
 
 A great feast followed this religious observance, 
 in which mirth and gluttony took the place of 
 fasting and self-abasement. 
 
 Shortly after this, "Yealthlower^ the king's brother, 
 sent word to his neighbor John, that he wanted 
 him to come and file his teeth for him. 
 15 
 
226 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 John, suspecting no harm, obeyed the summons, 
 and performed the office; which being done, and 
 the teeth well sharpened, Yealthlower told him 
 that the operation was to enable him to bite off 
 the nose of a new wife that he had lately bought, 
 and who refused to obey him. 
 
 John tried to dissuade him from this barbarous 
 act ; but he said he should certainly do it, if his 
 wife did not behave better, for if she was not a 
 good wife to him, she should be nobody's wife. 
 
 Not many hours after, he did as he had threa 
 tened, and sent his wife back to her father, with 
 the loss of her nose as a souvenir of the attachment 
 of her sharp-toothed husband. 
 
 About the middle of December, the tribe went to 
 Cooptee, and recommenced their business of spread 
 ing boughs and setting wares under the water to 
 entrap their food. 
 
 In addition to their other provisions, they had a 
 plenty of wild geese brought them here, by the 
 Esquates. 
 
 To take these geese, the Indians wove a sort of 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 22* 
 
 net of strong fibrous bark, and going out on the 
 water in a very dark night, with their canoes stuck 
 full of blazing torches, they waited till the fowls, 
 (goose-like,) attracted by the glare, gathered round 
 it so near as to have the net thrown over them, 
 and be taken. 
 
 One would suppose that none but a goose 
 would do such a foolish thing as this ; yet many a 
 simpleton is so dazzled by fair and bright appear 
 ances, as to rush into as sure destruction as follow 
 ed these delusive lights. 
 
 In February, the Indians went back to Nootka ; 
 and in March, John was taken violently ill of the 
 colic in consequence of not being properly clad ; 
 and while he remained sick, a slave of the king's, 
 having died of the same complaint, was thrown out 
 of the house, and after lying some time without 
 care, he was at length taken up and thrown into 
 the water, as any dead animal would have been, 
 to be put out of the way. 
 
228 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 John continues sick he is divorced from his wife she goes 
 to her father John recovers an eclipse of the moon a 
 vessel arrives consultation about the captives a letter writ' 
 ten to be carried by Maquina to the vessel. 
 
 THE manner in which this poor slave's remains 
 were treated, had but a saddening effect on John, 
 who expected soon to share the same fate, as bis 
 disorder threatened his life ; and he seemed so dis 
 heartened, and so disturbed at every effort of his 
 wife, who, though she did what she could to relieve 
 him, was but an awkward nurse, that Maquina 
 suspected he was dissatisfied with her. 
 
 He therefore told John that if he did not like his 
 wife, his command or word could divorce them* 
 and that he might be unmarried and let his princess 
 return to her tribe. 
 
 So John, glad of the offer of liberty, told the 
 
CAPTIVE OF XUO'IKA. 
 
 young princess that, as he should probably die, she 
 would not have so good care taken of her at Noot- 
 ka as she would with her father, and advised her 
 to return and put herself under his protection. 
 
 With this advice the young Mrs. Jewitt took 
 an affectionate leave of her supposed dying hus 
 band, telling him she hoped he would soon be better, 
 and, leaving her two slaves to attend upon him, de 
 parted, with a suitable escort, for her father's town. 
 
 Though John was heartily glad of being relieved 
 from his marriage obligations, yet this amiable 
 young creature had ever been so kind and affec 
 tionate towards him, that he could not help feeling 
 some sadness on account of her departure ; and 
 had he not viewed her as an insuperable objection to 
 his ever leaving the place, or had he felt the event 
 of his escape a hopeless thing, he would not have 
 been willing to have lost her society. 
 
 By degrees he recovered his health, but with a 
 heart sinking in despondency, as no signs of a 
 vessel appeared on the coast, and no way of 
 release from bondage opened to his view. 
 
230 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 He had written many duplicates of his lettei, 
 imploring any into whose hands they might fall, to 
 come to the relief of two unfortunate Christian 
 men, held in bondage among a savage people, and 
 representing the state of the deplorable life they 
 dragged out, far from home and from a civilized 
 country. 
 
 These had been distributed among the various 
 tribes on the coast, for delivery ; but as no vessel 
 appeared, he supposed they must have been 
 deterred from coming to the coast by hearing of 
 the destruction of the Boston, which was a very 
 large and powerful ship. 
 
 One thing that occurred during the winter of 
 which I have been giving an account, I have not 
 mentioned. So I will go back and relate it. 
 
 On the 15th of January, 1805, John and his 
 fellow prisoner were awakened suddenly, in the 
 night by a great noise and commotion among the 
 Indians, who were all up and out on the roofs of 
 their houses, which they had stuck full of torches, 
 each in a bripht blaze, while they were drumming 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 231 
 
 on pieces of plank, shouting and singing with all 
 their might. 
 
 On John's asking the cause of this tumult, they 
 told him that a great cod-fish had come upon the 
 moon, and pointing up to her, told him to see how 
 the fish was trying to swallow her ;* and that they 
 were endeavoring to drive him away. 
 
 It was soon found that the great fish was only 
 an eclipse of the moon ; but what gave rise to this 
 odd superstition, the prisoners were never able to 
 ascertain. 
 
 From the time of John's recovery from his illness, 
 his life and Thompson's were dragged out, much in 
 the way that has been described, until the 19th 
 of July, when they had a sudden and joyful 
 surprise. 
 
 As John was busily at work, making daggers for 
 the king, the sound of cannon from the water 
 came in three successive peals, upon his ear ; and 
 the cry of ' strangers ! strangers ! white men /' 
 
 as sent from mouth to mouth, among the natives, 
 
232 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 as they rushed into the house, telling him that a 
 vessel was coming into the harbor. 
 
 This was a trying moment for the captive.3. 
 The ;oy they felt may be imagined, but on the 
 suppression of every symptom of it, seemed to 
 depend their whole hope of escape ; for they knew 
 that if they manifested a strong desire to get away, 
 the jealousy of the king and chiefs, lest they 
 should inform against them, would occasion them 
 to have their lives taken at once. 
 
 They therefore affected great indifference at the 
 news; and the natives, wondering at it, asked if 
 they were not glad to see the vessel. They said 
 they cared very little about it, and kept at 
 work. 
 
 Maquina coming in, and seeing them still em 
 ployed, asked John if he did not know a vessel 
 had come. He answered, Yes; but that it was 
 nothing to him. 
 
 What, John.' said the king, l you no want 
 go board?' John pretended that he oared very 
 little about it, as he had become so reconciled to 
 
ARRIVAL OF THE SHIP AT NOOTKA SOUND. 
 
234 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 his present mode of living, that he felt very well 
 satisfied not to give it up for his former customs. 
 
 A council was now held respecting the best way 
 of managing the affair, and of disposing of the 
 captives. 
 
 Some of the natives were for having them put 
 to death, and for making the strangers believe that 
 another tribe had destroyed the Boston. 
 
 Some, more humane, were in \favor of the 
 latter deception ; but they wanted to have John and 
 Thompson sent back a few miles into the woods, 
 and kept out of sight, till the vessel should depart. 
 
 Others, of better feelings still, were neither for 
 killing nor hiding them, but wanted to have them 
 liberated and sent home. 
 
 But Maquina was loth to lose them in any way, 
 yet he had a strange desire to go on board the 
 vessel, to trade, and asked John if he thought he 
 could do it with safety. 
 
 His people remonstrated against this step, for 
 knowing what they had been guilty of, they feared 
 being punished with the loss of their king ; and 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 235 
 
 recurred to the cruel treatment they had received 
 from the whites in the instances which Maquina 
 had related to John. 
 
 But John told them that if they had lived as long 
 among the whites as he had, they would find they 
 had nothing to fear ; and said he was sure they 
 would not harm the king if they received a request 
 from him to use Maquina kindly. 
 
 Maquina then said he would go to the vessel 
 and trade, if John would write a letter and tell 
 the captain good about him ; a proposal to which 
 John readily acceded, so far as writing the letter 
 was concerned ; but the nature of the contents he 
 reserved for his own choice, and wrote as follows : 
 
 ' To CAPT. , OF THE BRIG . 
 
 ( Sir The bearer of this is the Indian king, Ma 
 quina, by whose orders the American ship Boston, 
 of Boston, Mass, was captured, twenty-five of her 
 crew, the officers included, were inhumanly murder 
 ed, and the only surviving two held as slaves 
 among the tribe. 
 
236 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 ' We, these unfortunate men, are now waiting for 
 your assistance in our deliverance, and hope you 
 will keep this man confined, putting in your dead 
 lights, and having a strict eye to him, so that he 
 may not escape you. If you will do this, we shall, 
 in a few hours, be able to obtain our release. 
 
 ' JOHN R. JEWITT, Armorer of the Boston,- 
 for himself and JOHN THOMPSON, Sail- 
 maker of said ship.' 
 
 Such was the letter of recommendation which 
 the royal messenger had given into his hand to 
 deliver; and this was the ' good' that was written 
 about him. 
 
 Great as John's deception and his departure 
 from the truth may seem, at this trying moment, 
 none can say that circumstances did not fully justify 
 him in taking these measures, as they were the only 
 means of effecting the escape, which, not made, 
 might leave him to a cruel death. 
 
 My readers may suppose that John ran a great 
 risk in giving these directions ; but he knew very 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 237 
 
 well that though the natives might threaten him in 
 the most frightful manner, they would not dare to 
 hurt him or Thompson, while their king was con 
 fined and in the power of the whites; and that 
 sooner than have him injured, they would give up 
 five hundred slaves. 
 
288 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Maquina questions John he takes the letter is detained in irons 
 on board the brig rage and grief of the natives Thompson 
 is sent to the vessel John is also carried out his arrival at the 
 brig account of the brig how she came there demand of 
 the things belonging to the Boston. 
 
 NEVER did John undergo such a scrutinizing 
 look from any other mortal, as Maquina gave him, 
 when he took the letter, and told him to place his 
 finger on every word and tell him its true meaning. 
 
 He had to forge a definition for every syllable, 
 and to make it out, that he had told the captain 
 how kind the king had been to him ; and asked 
 him to use him well, and give him as much bis 
 cuit and molasses, and rum, as he wanted. 
 
 Since his marriage, John had painted his face, 
 like the others, which helped him now to tell a lie, 
 without fearing his own countenance would contra- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 239 
 
 diet his tongue. When he had got to the end of 
 the letter, with a false interpretation for every sen 
 tence, Maquina placed his finger on his name, and 
 giving a glance that searched him through, said, 
 ' John, you no lie?' 
 
 'Why, Tyee, do you ask me this? have you 
 ever known me to deceive you?' said John. * No,' 
 was the reply. ' Why then,' said John, ' should you 
 suspect me now?' Maquina' s keen black eye was 
 all this time ri vetted upon his face, and when he 
 had done speaking, the king ordered his men to get 
 out the canoe for him to go to the vessel. 
 
 His people entreated him not to go, and his wives 
 fell on their knees at his feet, imploring him to stay 
 on shore ; hut he turned from them, and saying, 
 ' John no lie,' left the house, and stepping into the 
 canoe, ordered it to be paddled to the vessel. 
 
 He delivered the letter, and was immediately 
 taken and put in irons, after he had been lured 
 into the cabin to eat biscuit and molasses, while 
 the men on board were arming themselves and pre 
 paring the manacles. 
 

 DEPARTURE OF MAQUINA FOR THE VESSEL. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 241 
 
 He was in great terror at this reception, but 
 made no resistance, only asking the captain to let 
 one of his men come to speak with him. 
 
 The captain granted this request, but told him 
 he was his prisoner till he ordered two men, who ; 
 he knew, were on shore in captivity, to be released. 
 
 The inhabitants were all waiting on the beach 
 for the return of the canoe. As they saw it com 
 ing without the king, they showed much concern ; 
 and when it neared the land, and they learnt what 
 had happened, they began to yell, tear out their hair, 
 and run about in a most wild and terrific manner. 
 
 They told John, they knew it was a plot of his ; 
 and brandishing their weapons over him, said that 
 they would cut him into pieces as small as their 
 thumb-nails ; that they would roast him alive, and 
 head downwards, over a slow fire ; and many 
 other ways did they tell in which he should atone 
 for his deed, but without alarming him; for he 
 threw open his bear-skin garment, telling them to 
 strike ; that he was but one among many, and they 
 might easily kill him, if they wished to' see their 
 16 V 
 
242 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 king hung up on ' that pole/ which he called the 
 yard of the vessel, pointing to it. 
 
 These threats were from the common people, 
 and the men. But Maquina's wives came round 
 John, and kneeling before him, begged him not to 
 let the white people hurt him ; while poor little Sat- 
 sat kept fast hold of his hand, and crying as if his 
 heart would break, as he plead for the life of his 
 father, saying, ' Don't let him be killed ! don't let 
 him be hurt !' 
 
 John pacified them all by assuring them there 
 was nothing to fear, if they would let him and 
 Thompson go free; for, that this was a thing 01 
 the captain's own doing, as no doubt, he had heard 
 of their being kept in bondage, and come to release 
 them. 
 
 This, they believed, though they, at first, cried 
 out so violently, that John had spoke bad about 
 Maquina, in the letter ; and they now came and 
 asked what they must do to get their king safe 
 back. 
 
 John told them, the best thing would be to let 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 243 
 
 Thompson be sent on board, with a request to the 
 captain to treat the king well, till he could come 
 out towards the vessel in a canoe ; and then to 
 let Maquina get into a boat and be brought out, 
 where an exchange of prisoners should take place 
 on the water. 
 
 They were willing to let Thompson go ; but they, 
 at first, wanted John to remain on land, till the 
 men of the brig should bring Maquina, and take 
 him back. 
 
 But John knew better than to trust his life to a 
 plan like this. He felt it would not be worth much 
 on shore among the natives, with their king safe 
 back, after what had now taken place. 
 
 He therefore told them, that the captain, who 
 knew how they had treated the crew of the Boston, 
 would never consent to their king's coming till 
 after both their prisoners were safe in the vessel, 
 unless he got within reach, so that he could speak 
 to him, and tell him to let the king come oiF. 
 
 So when Thompson had got safe away from the 
 shore and the people he had so long and so hearti- 
 
244 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 ly detested, John told them if they would now 
 take him, and paddle him so near that he could 
 hail the vessel, he would call to have Maquina sent 
 out in the boat, from which he might step into the 
 canoe, when he, giving up his seat in it, would 
 take one in the boat and go to the vessel. 
 
 This they consented to; while Sat-sat hung 
 round John, begging him, since he was going 
 away himself to leave him, to see that his father 
 was given safe back to him. 
 
 John promised to do this, and, after taking an 
 affectionate leave of the weeping boy, he hastened 
 to the canoe that waited for him. 
 
 He took his seat so as to face the Indians, who 
 paddled, and who, as soon as they came within 
 hail of the brig, dropped their oars, and waited for 
 the call to be given. 
 
 At this, John took out his pistols, and told them 
 to proceed, or he would shoot them both dead in a 
 moment. 
 
 Unprepared for an act of this sort, the Indians 
 were so frightened, that they almost fancied them- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 245 
 
 selves shot already, and seizing their oars, they 
 literally paddled for their lives, till they got to the 
 side of the brig. 
 
 We can never describe John's emotions ; but we 
 may imagine how his heart leapt for joy within his 
 bosom, as his feet leapt on board the vessel of a 
 Christian people. 
 
 The vessel was the brig Lydia, of Boston, Cap 
 tain Samuel Hill, commander, who had been on the 
 coast near Klaizzart, and received the letter from 
 the chief, Ulatilla. 
 
 This interesting young chief had been faithful to 
 his promise made to John, to see his letter delivered, 
 and had gone out some distance to sea in his canoe, 
 to give the letter with his own hand, into that of 
 the captain, who on receiving it, proceeded directly 
 to Nootka to the relief of the prisoners. 
 
 The crew of the Lydia rushed to the side of 
 the deck as John sprang on board, with such a 
 crowd of feeling of various kinds, as almost choked 
 his utterance, while he tried to thank them for 
 
JEWETT COMPELLING THE INDIANS TO ROW TOWARDS TUP 
 VESSEL. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 247 
 
 their kindness, and their congratulation on his 
 escape. 
 
 In this confused state of mind, and overwhelming 
 flow of feeling, with his strange and savage aspect, 
 he must have filled the heholders with astonish 
 ment. Indeed, Captain Hill afterwards told him 
 that he never saw any human figure look so wild 
 as he did when he came to the vessel. 
 
 He was dressed in bear-skin ; his hair was long 
 and drawn up on the top of his head, and sur 
 mounted by a branch of spruce j his face was paint 
 ed in true Indian style. 
 
 When he went below to see Maquina, who did 
 not know that he had any hand in his confinement, 
 he found him looking sad and dejected. 
 
 But his face brightened as he beheld his friend 
 John's; and John asked leave of the captain to 
 knock off the irons of the captive king, assuring 
 him, that as long as he was with Maquina, there 
 was nothing to fear from him. 
 
 He then gave, in presence of Maquina, a full 
 account of the misfortune of the Boston ; and Cap- 
 
248 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 tain Hill thought Maquina ought to be put to death. 
 But John plead in his behalf. 
 
 He said that, notwithstanding all the cruelty 
 that had been shown to the crew, Maquina had 
 often spared his life, when the cry of the people 
 was for his blood. 
 
 He told Captain Hill that he had not only saved 
 his life, but been uniformly kind, giving him a 
 share of the best he had ; and that he could never 
 give his consent to the death of a man who had 
 done this. 
 
 Maquina, who understood the nature of the con 
 versation, kept interrupting it by asking, ' What are 
 they going to do with me ? are they going to kill 
 me?' &c. 
 
 'John,' said he, 'you know that, when you 
 were alone among five hundred warriors, all your 
 enemies, I saved your life, when they demanded 
 it I was your friend. Now will you not do the 
 same by me V 
 
 John told him he would, and that he had noth 
 ing to fear if he would remain quietly till his peo- 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 249 
 
 pie could bring out the remaining spoil of the 
 Boston, which ought to be restored to its right 
 owners. But this could not be done till the next 
 morning, it was now so near night. 
 
250 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The things belonging to the Boston brought out Maquina takes 
 his leave of John death of a young Chief return of the 
 vessel to Nootka, from the northward Maquina visits her 
 with skins voyage to China John hears from home by an 
 Englishman comes to Boston finds a letter from his 
 mother concluding remarks . 
 
 THE Indians in waiting for their king, were then 
 told that as soon as they would bring out what 
 belonged to the Boston, they should take him back; 
 but a strict injunction was laid on them, not to 
 approach the vessel during the night, if they did 
 not wish to be fired upon. 
 
 It was John's lot to pass the night with the royal 
 captive, who would riot let him sleep, but kept 
 rousing him to answer some question about what 
 was to be done with him. 
 
 Early in the morning, John hailed the natives, 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 251 
 
 and told them it was the will of their king that they 
 should bring out the things belonging to the owners 
 of the Boston. 
 
 They accordingly went to work with great ex 
 pedition. To remove the cannon and anchors, 
 they lashed two of the largest canoes together, and 
 covered them with planks, and thus, with their 
 burden upon them, towed them out, 
 
 In about two hours, every thing belonging to the 
 ship and her cargo, that remained with the natives, 
 was brought out; and Maquina was told that he 
 might go home. 
 
 His canoe had come for him. bringing, in addi 
 tion to the other things, all the skins which he had 
 in possession, about sixty in number, as a present 
 to the captain for letting him return, and without 
 hurting him. 
 
 Such was Maquina' s rapture, on being told he 
 might go, that he sprang up, and throwing off his 
 mantle that consisted of four fine skins, he gave it 
 to the captain in token of his gratitude. 
 
 Captain Hill gave him, in return, a hat and great 
 
252 . CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 coat, with which he seemed much pleased; and 
 told him that he should return to that part of the 
 coast in November, and he wished him to save all 
 his skins for him to purchase. 
 
 'John,' said Maquina, turning to him as his in 
 terpreter, ' you know 1 shall then he at Tashees. 
 But make a pow, (fire a gun) and I will come down 
 to meet you here.' 
 
 As he stood at the side of the brig, ready to step 
 into the canoe, he shook John cordially by the 
 hand, telling him, he hoped he would come to see 
 him again in a big ship, and bring much plenty 
 blankets, biscuit, molasses and rum for him and 
 his son, who, he knew, loved him very much. 
 
 He added, that he should never take a letter of 
 recommendation to any one again, nor trust himself 
 on board a vessel, unless John were in it. 
 
 The tears trickled down his cheeks, as he bade 
 John farewell, stepped into the canoe, and was pad 
 dled off. 
 
 There was much in the character of this Indian 
 king, which, had it been moulded by civilization, 
 
PARTING OF JEWETT AND MAQUINA. 
 
254 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 and purified by Christianity, would have been 
 noble and delightful, and John had received so 
 much kindness and protection from him, when he 
 had none besides to help him, by human agency, 
 that he could not help feeling a sort of sadness at 
 his final separation from him. 
 
 An accident that happened on board the brig, 
 greatly damaged the joy of John at his liberation. 
 
 A young Nootkan chief, who had had no hand in 
 killing the crew of the Boston, and who was a fine 
 fellow, happened to be one to help bring the mus 
 kets to the brig. As they were delivered, Captain 
 Hill sat in the cabin, and snapped several of their 
 locks. The young chief was near ; when one of 
 the muskets going off, discharged the contents into 
 his body. The gun was loaded with swan shot. 
 
 John, on hearing the report of the gun, ran to the 
 cabin, and found the Indian weltering in his blood 
 with the captain, greatly shocked at the accider 
 trying to help him. John assured him it was not 
 intentional, as the captain had no idea of the gun's 
 being loaded. 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 255 
 
 He said he was well aware of that, and after 
 having his wounds bound up, he was put into a 
 canoe and carried on shore. It was afterwards 
 found that he languished some days, and then died 
 of his wounds. He had always shown an amiable 
 disposition, and been a good friend to the captives. 
 
 The brig made her excursion northward, and 
 returned to Nootka in November. Here they fol 
 lowed Maquina' s directions, and made the ' pow.' 
 
 In a few hours, a canoe was seen. After having 
 landed the king, it came out to the brig, and John 
 recognised in it, the voice of Kinneclimmets, who 
 asked if John was on board, saying that he had 
 some skins to sell them, if he was. 
 
 John went forward and invited him and the 
 others on board. They accepted, and told the cap 
 tain that Maquina had some fine skins ; but that he 
 was afraid to come to the vessel unless John would 
 come after him. This John agreed to do, if they 
 would remain at the vessel. 
 
 They consented, and he got into their canoe, and 
 paddled ashore. On his landing, Maquina was 
 
256 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 overjoyed to meet him. But when he asked for 
 his men, and was told why they did not come, 
 1 Ah ! John/ said he, 'I see you are afraid to trust 
 me, yet. But you need not have feared, for I 
 should not have hurt you, though I should have 
 taken good care never to let you go on board a 
 vessel again.' 
 
 He then took his chest of skins, and got into 
 the canoe which John paddled to the brig. He 
 sold his skins, and seeming pleased with his visit, 
 took a second leave of John, asking how many 
 moons there would be, before he would come back 
 to see him and Sat- sat, who, he said, wanted very 
 much to come down with him from Tashees to see 
 him. 
 
 The Lydia was bound to China. After a good 
 voyage, with pleasant weather, she arrived, in due 
 time, at Canton. Here there was an English ship, 
 whose mate, hearing of two captives that had been 
 released from Nootka, came to inquire about them. 
 
 This young man happened to be the son of a 
 merchant at Hull, and next-door neighbor to John's 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 257 
 
 father. He had heard of the fate of the Boston, 
 and, like the rest of John's friends, supposed him 
 to be long since dead. 
 
 Their meeting I will not describe. I will only 
 say that the young man, whose name was John 
 Hill, furnished John with comfortable clothing, 
 some money, and many other articles that might 
 add to his comfort on his passage, and after his 
 arrival in America. 
 
 John gave him a letter to his parents, which ar 
 rived safely and speedily ; for, when the Lydia ar 
 rived at Boston, after a passage of a hundred and 
 fourteen days from China, which she left in Febru 
 ary, 1807, he found a letter in the post-office, in 
 answer to it. 
 
 The letter was from his mother, informing him 
 that all his friends at home were alive and well. 
 What else it informed him of, report saith not. 
 
 Neither have we any particular accounts of 
 Thompson, after he gained his freedom. But I 
 presume, he applied himself to the sail-needle 
 17 W 
 
258 CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 
 
 again ; and that he always took good care to keep 
 clear of the shores of Nootka. 
 
 Our hero, John R. Jewitt, of whom we are now 
 about to take our leave, acknowledged much kind 
 ness received from the gentlemen who had owned 
 the lost ship, during his stay in Boston, Massa 
 chusetts. 
 
 How long he remained there, we have never 
 heard, nor where he bent his way from that place. 
 
 The last I ever heard of him, gave information 
 of his being a resident in Middletown, Connecticut, 
 in the year 1815. 
 
 Whether he ever went through a second mar 
 riage ceremony, or not, I am not able to say ; nei 
 ther can I tell the line of life which he followed 
 after his emancipation from slavery. 
 
 But I presume that wherever his lot was cast, 
 and whatever that lot might be, he always carried 
 about with him a grateful heart. 
 
 However sincerely he might have regretted his 
 own waywardness, in preferring to take his own 
 course in the choice of a profession, to hearing to 
 
CAPTIVE OF NOOTKA. 259 
 
 the advice of his good father, I think he could 
 never again have distrusted the overruling hand 
 of Providence, or despaired of its help in a trying 
 hour. 
 
 Experience is a faithful school-master, though, 
 often a severe one, in whose hand the rod is some 
 times used, even when the pupil may feel penitent 
 for his faults of will or of judgment. 
 
N t 
 
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