by Various
III
TOMMY TEN-CANOES
A Tale of King Philip's Scout
There once lived in New York an Indian warrior by the name of PeterTwenty-Canoes. Tommy Ten-Canoes lived in New England, at Pokanoket, nearMount Hope, on an arm of the Mount Hope Bay.
He was not a warrior, but a runner; not a great naval hero, as hispicturesque name might suggest, but a news agent, as it were; he usedhis nimble feet and his ten canoes to bear messages to the Indians ofthe villages of Pokanoket and to the Narragansetts, and, it may be, toother friendly tribes.
Pokanoket? You may have read Irving's sketch of Philip of Pokanoket, butwe doubt if you have in mind any clear idea of this beautiful region,from whose clustering wigwams the curling smoke once rose among thegiant oaks along the many waterways. The former site of Pokanoket is nowcovered by Bristol and Warren (Rhode Island) and Swansea(Massachusetts). It is a place of bays and rivers, which were once richfishing-grounds; of shores full of shells and shellfish; of cool springsand wild-grape vines; of bowery hills; and of meadows that were onceyellow with maize.
Tommy Ten-Canoes was a great man in his day. As a news agent in peace hewas held in high honor, but as a scout in war and a runner for the greatchiefs he became a heroic figure. There were great osprey's nests allabout the shores of old Pokanoket on the ancient decayed trees, andTommy made a crown of osprey feathers, and crowned himself, with theapproval of the great Indian chiefs.
Once when swimming with this crown of feathers on his head, he had beenshot at by an Englishman, who thought him some new and remarkable bird.But while his crown was shattered, it was not the crown of his head. Hewas very careful of both his crowns after that alarming event.
Tommy Ten-Canoes was a brave man. He was ready to face any ordinarydanger for his old chief Massasoit, and for that chief's two sons,Wamsutta (Alexander) and Pomebacen (Philip). He would cross the MountHope or the Narragansett bay in tempestuous weather. He used to conveythe beautiful Queen Weetamoc from Pocassett to Mount Hope to attendPhilip's war-dances under the summer moons, and when the old Indian warbegan he offered his two swift legs and all of his ten canoes to theservice of his chief.
"Nipanset"--for this was his Indian name--"Nipanset's bosom is hischief's, and it knows not fear. Nipanset fears not the storm or the foe,or the gun of the pale-face. Call, call, O ye chiefs; in the hour ofdanger call for Nipanset. Nipanset fears not death."
So Tommy Ten-Canoes boasted at the great council under the moss-coveredcliff at Mount Hope.
He was honest; but there was one thing that Nipanset, or TommyTen-Canoes, did fear. It was enchantment. He would have faced torture ordeath without a word, but everything mysterious filled him with terror.If he had thought that a bush contained a hidden enemy and flintlock, hewould have been very brave; but had he thought that the same bush wasstirred by a spirit, or was enchanted, he would have run.
Tommy Ten-Canoes had been friendly to the white people who had settledin Pokanoket. There was a family by the name of Brown, who lived onCole's River, that he especially liked, and he became a companion of oneof the sons named James. The two were so often together that the peopleused to speak of those who were very intimate as being "as _thick_ aslittle James Brown and old Tommy Ten-Canoes," or rather as "JemmieBrown" and our young hero of the many birch boats.
The two hunted and fished together; they made long journeys together; infact, they did everything in common, except work. Tommy did not work,at least in the field, while James did at times, when he was not withTommy.
When the Indian war began, King Philip sent word to the Brown family,and also to the Cole family, who lived near them, both of whom hadtreated him justly and generously, that he would do all in his power toprotect them, but that he might not be able to restrain his braves.
Tommy Ten-Canoes brought a like friendly message to Jemmie Brown.
"I will always be true to you," he said; "true as the north wind to theriver, the west wind to the sea, and the south wind to the flowers.Nipanset's heart is true to his friends. Our hearts will see each otheragain."
The Indian torch swept the settlements. One of the bravest scouts inthese dark scenes was Tommy Ten-Canoes. He flew from place to place likethe wind, carrying news and spying out the enemy.
Tommy grew proud over his title of "Ten-Canoes." He felt like tenTommies. He wore his crown of osprey feathers like a royal king. Histen canoes ferried the painted Indians at night, and carried the chiefshither and thither.
There was a grizzly old Boston Captain, who had done hard service on thesea, named Moseley. He wore a wig, a thing that the Indians had neverseen, and of whose use they knew nothing at all.
Tommy Ten-Canoes had never feared the white man nor the latter'sdeath-dealing weapons. He had never retreated; he had always been foundin front of the stealthy bands as they pursued the forest trails. Buthis courage was at last put to a test of which he had never dreamed.
Old Captain Moseley had led a company of trained soldiers against theIndians from Boston. Tommy Ten-Canoes had discovered the movement, andhad prepared the Indians to meet it. Captain Moseley's company, whichconsisted of one hundred men, had first marched to a place called MylesBridge in Swansea. Here was a garrison house in which lived Rev. JohnMyles. The church was called Baptist, but people of all faiths werewelcome to it; among the latter, Marinus Willett, who afterwards becamethe first Mayor of New York. It was the first church of the kind inMassachusetts, and it still exists in Swansea.
Over the glimmering waterways walled with dark oak woods came TommyTen-Canoes, with five of his famous boats, and landed at a place nearthe thrifty Baptist colony, so that his little navy might be at theready service of Philip. It was the last days of June. There had been aneclipse of the moon on the night that Tommy Ten-Canoes had glided up theSowans River towards Myles Bridge. He thought the eclipse was meant forhim and his little boats, and he was a very proud and happy man.
"The moon went out in the clear sky when we left the bay," said he; "soshall our enemies be extinguished. The moon shone again on the calmriver. For whom did the moon shine again? For Nipanset."
Poor Tommy Ten-Canoes! He was not the first hero of modern times whohas thought that the moon and stars were made for him and shone for himon special occasions.
In old Captain Moseley's company was a Jamaica pilot who had visitedPokanoket and been presented to Tommy, and told that the latter was avery renowned Indian.
"_What_ are you?" asked the Pilot.
"I am Tommy One-Canoe."
"Ah!"
"I am Tommy Two-Canoes."
"Indeed! Ah!"
"I am Tommy Three-Canoes."
"Oh! Ah! Indeed!"
"I am Tommy Four-Canoes, _and_ I am Tommy Five-Canoes, _and_ I am TommySix-Canoes, _and_ I am Tommy TEN-Canoes."
"Well, Tommy Ten-Canoes," said the Pilot, "don't you ever get into anytrouble with the white people, because you might find yourself merelyTommy No-Canoes."
Tommy was offended at this. He had no fears of such a fall from power,however.
The old Jamaica pilot had taken a boat and drifted down the SowansRiver one long June day, when he chanced to discover Tommy and his fivecanoes. The canoes were hauled up on the shore under the cool treeswhich overshadowed the water. The Pilot, who had with him three men,rowed boldly to the shore and surprised Tommy Ten-Canoes, who had goneinto the wood, leaving his weapons in one of his canoes.
The Pilot seized the canoe with the weapons and drew it from the shore.
Tommy Ten-Canoes beheld the movement with astonishment. He called to theold Pilot, "I am Tommy Ten-Canoes!"
"No, no," answered the Pilot. "You are Tommy Nine-Canoes."
Presently the Pilot drew from the shore another canoe. Tommy calledagain:
"Don't you know me? I am--"
"Tommy Eight-Canoes," said the Pilot.
Another boat was removed in like manner, and the Pilot shouted, "And nowyou are Tommy Seven-Canoes." Another, and the Pilot called again, "Nowyou are Tommy Si
x-Canoes." Another. "Good-bye, Tommy Five-Canoes," saidthe Pilot, and he and his men drew all of the light canoes after them upthe river.
"GOOD-BYE, TOMMY FIVE-CANOES"]
Xerxes at Salamis could hardly have felt more crushed in heart thanTommy Ten-Canoes. But hope revived; he was Tommy Five-Canoes still. Hewas not quite so sure now, however, that the moon on that still Junenight had been eclipsed expressly for him.
The scene of the war now changed to the western border, as the towns ofHadley and Deerfield were called, for these towns in that day were the"great west," as afterwards was the Ohio Reserve. Tommy having lost fiveof his canoes, now used his swift feet as a messenger. He still hadhopes of doing great deeds, else why had the moon been eclipsed on thatbeautiful June night?
But an event followed the loss of his five canoes that quite changed hisopinion. As a messenger or runner he had hurried to the scene of thebrutal conflicts on the border, and had there discovered that CaptainMoseley, the old Jamaica pirate, was subject to some spell ofenchantment; that he had two heads.
"Ugh! ugh! him no good!" said one of the Indians to Tommy; "he take offhis head and put him in his pocket. It is no use to fight him. Spell seton him--enchanted."
Tommy Ten-Canoes' fear of the man with two heads, one of which hesometimes took off and put in his pocket, spread among the Indians. Oneday in a skirmish Tommy saw Moseley take off one of his enchanted headsand hang it on a blueberry bush. Other Indians saw it. "No scalp him,"said they. "Run!" And run they did, not from the open foe, but from thesupposed head on the bush. Moseley did not dream at the time that it washis wig that had given him the victory.
Across the Mount Hope Bay, among the sunny headlands of Pocassett, therewas an immense cedar swamp, cool and dark, and in summer full offire-flies. Tommy Ten-Canoes called it the swamp of the fire-flies. Itwas directly opposite Pokanoket, across the placid water. A band ofIndians gathered there, and covered their bodies with bushes, so thatthey might not be discovered on the shore.
One moonlight night in September Tommy went to visit these maskedIndians in four of his canoes. He rowed one of his canoes, and threesquaws the others. On reaching the fire-fly cedar swamp the party metthe masked Indians, and late at night retired to rest, the three Indiansquaws sleeping on the shore under their three canoes.
Captain Moseley had sent the old Jamaica pilot to try to discover thehiding-place of this mysterious band of Indians. The Pilot had seen thefour canoes crossing the bay from Pokanoket under the low Septembermoon, and had hurried with a dozen men to the place of landing. Hesurprised the party early the next morning, when they were disarmed andasleep.
The crack of his musket rang out in the clear air over the bay. A nakedIndian was seen to leap up.
"Stop! I am Tommy Ten-Canoes."
"No, Tommy Five-Canoes," answered the Pilot; "and now you are onlyTommy Four-Canoes." Saying which, the Pilot seized the _sixth_ canoe.
A shriek followed; another, and another. Three canoes hidden in theriver-weeds were overturned, and three Indian squaws were seen runninginto the dark swamp.
"And now you are Tommy Three-Canoes," said the Pilot, seizing theseventh canoe. "And now Tommy Two-Canoes," seizing the eighth.
"And only Tommy One-Canoe," taking possession of the ninth canoe. "Andnow you are Tommy No-Canoes, as I told you you would be if you went towar," said the Pilot, taking according to this odd reckoning theIndian's last canoe.
But Tommy had one canoe left, notwithstanding the dark Pilot had takenhis _tenth_. He was glad that it was not here. It would have been his_eleventh_ canoe, although he had but ten. He knew that the Pilot wasone of Moseley's men, the Captain who put his head at times in hispocket or hung it upon a bush. Poor Tommy Ten-Canoes! He uttered ashriek, like the fugitive squaws, and fled.
"Don't shoot at him," said the old Pilot to his men. "I have taken fromhim all of his ten canoes; let him go."
Tommy had not a mathematical mind or education, but he knew that somehowhe had no eleventh canoe, and that one of his ten canoes yet remained.And even the old Pilot must have at last seen that his count of ten wasonly nine. Tommy fled to a point on the Titicut River at which he couldswim across, and then made his solitary way back to the shores ofPokanoket and to his remaining canoe, which did not belong tomathematics.
One morning late in September Tommy Ten-Canoes turned his solitary canoetowards Cole's River, near which lived his boy friend, James Brown. Hepaddled slowly, and late in the dreamy afternoon reached the shoreopposite the Brown farm. He landed and tied his one canoe to JemmieBrown's boat, in which the two had spent many happy hours before thewar.
The canoe was found there the next day; but Tommy Ten-Canoes? He wasnever seen again; he probably sought a grave in the waters of the bay.
But he had fulfilled his promise. He had been true in his heart as "thenorth wind to the river, the west wind to the sea, and the south wind tothe flowers."
