“Hold your fire!” ordered Capt. Standish. “Hold your fire! No shooting until you can take aim. Until you can see them in the flesh!”
It didn’t take long before the Indians came running out from the trees and we did have an opportunity to take aim. Even in the frigid morning air many of the Indians wore very little clothing. Their long hair was shaved along the sides of their heads and pinned up with feathers and beads, and their faces and bodies were painted all sorts of colors. Strings of shells or bones dangled from their necks and bounced around as they ran and jumped across the beach.
Several of the Pilgrims had left their muskets leaned up against the shallop outside the camp. When they ran out from the barricade to retrieve them they were quickly pinned in behind the boat by a group of attacking Indians coming from the far side of the beach. The Pilgrims couldn’t ignite their musket match cords without fire so they called to Capt. Standish who was still inside the barricade for help.
“Fear not, soldiers!” yelled Capt. Standish. “Be of good cheer! Help is on the way!”
Robert Coppin picked up a smoldering log from the bonfire in the barricade and ran with it to the shallop. He dodged arrows right and left as he ran across the sand through the darkness to the safety of the boat and helped the trapped Pilgrims with their matchlocks.
At this same time I noticed one tall Indian in particular who stood up in full view of the encampment and yelled defiantly at the Pilgrims. The light of the campfire gave him an orange glow. The dawn was breaking behind him. His face was painted black with white stripes and he held a bow that was nearly as tall as he was. It was a magnificent sight. He was basically challenging us to come out from behind the fence and fight him. He didn’t flinch when one of the sailors fired a musket at him. Fortunately for him the sailor missed. The Indian immediately began showering the barricade with arrows from his bow before giving another primal scream and retreating back into the forest.
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-- Zammie's account at First Encounter Beach
from Time Trip #3:
Witness to the First Thanksgiving
Witness to the First Thanksgiving
TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4
KILLING FOR COUNTRY
KILLING FOR COUNTRY
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TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2
A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
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