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CONTRIBUTIONS 



TO THE 



HISTORY OF DERRYFIELD. 



BY WILLIAM E. MOORE. 



CHAPTER I. 



PRELIMINARY — LANDMARKS — ROCK RIMMON — THE PINNACLE — MERRI- 

 MACK — PISCATAQUOG — BLACK BROOK — COHAS — MASSABESIC 

 LAKE — SPECIAL FEATURES, ETC. 



THE conscientious and self-respecting historian will always 

 aim at relating not only the truth but the whole truth. His- 

 tories of Derryfield have been written, but none of them began 

 at the beginning. It does not need to be added that very much 

 was omitted. 



The present undertaking will give some account of pre-his- 

 toric times and will be brought down to date. The whole period 

 covered embraces more than a thousand centuries — how much 

 more cannot with certainty be computed. In the presence of 

 this time-problem the wisest are ignorant, since the facts with 

 which we have first to deal refer to times so remote as to make 

 ancient history a tale of yesterday. The story to be related in 

 these opening chapters relies for evidence upon no witnesses — 

 there were none — neither upon myth, legend or tradition. Our 

 sole authorities are certain eloquent " sermons in stones " and 

 sundry decipherable "books in the running brooks." These, 

 however, supply ample and conclusive testimony. 



