Pennyworth Books

My wife is a Mayflower descendent, the 13th great-granddaughter of Captain Miles Standish. She is also a direct descendent of the Pilgrim, Reverend Cushman. She is a reverent woman; that must come from the Reverend, but the Captain’s DNA must lay claim to the mean streak, and the constant barking out orders. Miles Standish was, according to a very interesting book by John S. C. Abbott, the Captain of the Pilgrims. More than a few people, myself included, have made the mistake of thinking that he sailed the Mayflower. No, he was not that kind of captain. He was a fierce, little, battle hardened military man. He fought most of his battles from ships, but wasn’t a Navy man per se. He would be more accurately compared to a Marine. He was charged, by his fellow, adventurous Pilgrims, with spearheading the militia that would protect and defend this tiny new colony.

The Captain did not leave his home in Lancashire, England, for purposes of religious freedom. He was only somewhat religious, to the disappointment of his buddy, the Reverend. He took his wife, and left everything else behind to embark on this adventure to the new world for one reason: He was pissed off, and rightly so, because in the course of a family division between adherents to ancient Catholicism, and those who were converted to then new, Protestantism, his birth record was fraudulently erased with a pumice stone. This malicious act rendered him completely screwed out of an inheritance of an estate that took in annual revenue of $500,000.00. Adjust for inflation, and we are talking about tens of millions in today’s money.
?br>November 11 th, 1620, on a Saturday morning, the 36 year old Captain and his wife stood on deck of the Mayflower, anchored on the east coast of a new land that would become, 12 generations later, a world super power. That day this group of just 102 people wrote a constitution of civil government, based on republicanism, by which they all agreed to govern themselves. This agreement became the seed of the American Constitution. They unanimously appointed John Carver to be governor for one year. Captain Miles Standish was given 16 well armed men, and sent ashore to bravely lead a scouting expedition. He returned that night with discouraging news about the cold rough wilderness these brave souls were about to call home.
?br>The next morning, Sunday services lead by the Reverend William Brewster, a Cambridge educated, pious man, came with a pep talk that would be more accurately considered prophesy. Paraphrased into today’s lingo, it went like this: “We’re not like other people, easily discouraged by even the little things. We are not going to want to turn tail and head home the same day we get here. We believe and trust that God is with us. With simple hearts, we will serve Him, and He in turn will prosper our endeavor by our simple courage.” That simple courage, and faith in the Almighty, carried them through a long, hungry winter of sickness that unable to be endured by all of them, brought about the deaths of 44 of them, the captain’s beautiful wife Rose, being one of the first that the Lord took home. All that could possibly be done to comfort their friends back to health was tried, and the Captain was said to have been quite a nurse, even while a grieving, recent widower. Sadly, the bodies were buried secretly so the Savages wouldn’t be aware of their weakness by dwindling numbers.
?br>Squantum was a native who had been kidnapped, taken to Spain and sold as a slave. He was rescued by an English humanitarian who cared for Squantum, taught him English, and then saw him returned to his native land. He arrived to find his tribe extinct from a plague. He joined the Wampanoags, a powerful tribe, and became a translator and a God send for the colony. Squantum set up the Governor and the Captain with the great Chief Massasoit, for a meeting. The men made a peace agreement, as they did their best to gift each other with items of their culture. The chief reluctantly, but politely drank alcohol, which caused him to sweat profusely. The white men were treated with Lobster and Quahogs. Lobsters grew to two feet long, and were found by the edges of the shorein tose days. The white men of this time found this food even more repulsive than the great Chief considered the strange drink he had to choke down. Ironic, isn’t it?
?br>This peace wasn’t honored by all the men of the tribe. Some of the Indians who remained unfriendly toward the Pilgrims were treated contemptuously by Squantum and his friends. This only fanned the flames of their anger until one of Massasoits petty Chieftains, named Corbitant, banded together with some like-minded tribesmen and captured and threatened to kill Squantum, referring to him as the Pilgrims “tounge.” Squantum’s friend Hobbomac, also captured, broke away and ran to the Pilgrims to tell them what was going on. The men of the colony called a meeting to decide what to do. After deliberation and prayer, it was decided that this threat to their friend and essential ally, could not be ignored. They put together a band of ten men. Bravely, they marched into the woods to rescue Squantum…Or avenge his murder.
?br>Under cover of darkness, Captain Standish and his men surrounded the wigwam where they believed they would find their friend and his captors. Quickly, they seiged it, careful not to fire their weapons until they could ascertain by the dim firelight, if in fact the enemy occupied the space. Chaos ensued until it was discovered that it was mostly younger boys, yelling out “I’m a girl!” I’m a girl!” so they wouldn’t be harmed. Except for some minor cuts and bruises, no one was harmed. Hobbomac stood on top of the wig wam, and called for his friend. When Squantum, who also managed to escape, heard the familiar voice, he stepped out of the woods. The small militia was thrilled! Later even Corbitant learned that he needed to fear and respect these courageous white men who would risk their own lives to save their red-skinned friend. He became instrumental in helping to warn the colony of an even more serious pending disaster.
?br>In Weymouth, a colony west of the pilgrims, began to make all of the English colonists, Pigrims included, look bad in the eyes of some Indians. Some were stealing from the natives, and were making fools of their selves by their total inability to fend for their survival. This encouraged a group led by four blood thirsty Indians to come into the village to pick a fight. On a mission of mercy, Captain Standish and eight of his men had come to visit the village to share some corn reserved for seed with the starving men. While in the house with four other Pilgrims, in came a gigantic Indian called Pecksuot. He told The Captain that he was ready to take him out as he waved his knife around. As the big Indian went on making fun of the Captains small stature, calling him a woman and a child, Captain Standish calmly ordered one of his men to close and lock the door so none of the other Indians could come in…And Pecksuot and his men could not get out.
?br>After giving the signal, the captain sprang up and across the table, pouncing on the giant man as he quickly pried the dagger out of his opponent’s hand. After three or four stabs, Pecksuot’s own dagger plunged to the hilt into his chest and heart. As Pecksuot laid dead, killed with his own knife, the hand to hand combat continued, violently -but stangely without a sound being uttered…Until this small and tenacious military man had slain Wituwamat and the other one. The fourth, younger brother of Wituwamat was taken and hung. The rest of the group fled. As the small platoon left, with Wituwamt’s severed head on a stake, the fleeing Indians got into an ambush position and engaged the the men. With muskets locked and loaded, they were able to kill three more. The rest fled. The head was displayed at the pilgrim’s fort, to the horror and dismay of the Christian village. Reverend Robinson, now the Pastor, lamented “if only they could have been saved.” Captain Standish reminded him that Squantum and Hobbomac were now their Christian brothers; enemies would be deterred by this gruesome display of military might, from ever threatening their village. And it was so.

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