WAMPANOAG INDIANS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 881 



island, Block Island, Cawesitt, Niantick, and others, and Lad tribute 

 from some of the Nip muck Indians that lived remote from the sea. The 

 chief seat of this sachem was about Narragansitt Bay and Caunonicut 

 Island. The Narragausitts were reckoned in former times able to arm 

 for war more than five thousand men, as ancient Indians say. All do 

 agree they were a great people, and oftentimes waged war with thePaw- 

 knnnakutts and Massachusetts, as well as with the Pequots. The juris 

 diction of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and part of Cou 

 necticut people, possess their country. These Indians are now but few, 

 comparatively ; all that people cannot make above one thousand able 

 men. 



" 4. The Pawkunnawkutts were a great people heretofore. They lived 

 to the east and northeast of the Narragausitts; and their chief sachem 

 held dominion over divers other petty sagamores; as the sagamores 

 upon the island of Nantucket and Nope, or Martha's Vineyard, sev- 

 eral others, and some of the Nipmncks. The country, for the most 

 part, falls within the jurisdiction of New Plymouth Colony. This peo- 

 ple were a potent nation in former times ; and could raise, as the most 

 credible and ancient Indians affirm, about three thousand men. They 

 held war with the Narragausitts, and often joined with the Massachu- 

 setts, as friends and confederates agaiust the Narragausitts. This na- 

 tion, a very great number of them, were swept away by an epidemical 

 and unwonted sickness, An. 1G12 and 1613, about seven or eight years 

 before the English first arrived in those parts to settle the colony of 

 New Plymouth. Thereby Divine Providence made way for the quiet 

 and peaceful settlement of the English iu those nations. What this 

 disease was, that so generally and mortally swept away, not only these 

 but other Indians, their neighbors, I cannot well learn. Doubtless it 

 was some pestilential disease. I have discoursed with some old In- 

 dians that were then youths, who say that the bodies all over were ex- 

 ceedingly yellow, describing it by a yellow garment they showed me, 

 both before they died and afterwards. 



"5. The Massachusetts, being the next great people northward, inhab- 

 ited principally about that place in Massachusetts Bay where the body 

 of the English now dwell. These were a numerous and great people. 

 Their chief sachem held dominion over many other petty governors, as 

 those of the Weechagaskas, Neponsitt, Punkapaog, Nonantum, Nasha- 

 way, some of the Nipmuck people, as far as Pokomtakuke, as the old 

 ineu of the Massachusetts affirmed. This people could, iu former times, 

 arm for war about three thousand men, as the old Indians declare. 

 They were in hostility very often with the Pawkunnawkutts, who lived 

 on the south border, and with the Pawtucketts, who inhabited on their 

 north and northeast limits. In An. 1012 and 1613, these people were 

 also sorely smitten by the hand of God with the same disease, before 

 mentioned in the last section, which destroyed the most of them, and 

 made room for the English people of Massachusetts colouy, which peo- 

 H. Mis. 09 56 



