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49 (through grace) to apply such meet portions therof as are pertinent to their nessecities 1675 About the latter end of December I had (among others) some time an opertunity to accompany mr Eliot, to visit and comfort the poore ch[ris]tian Indians, confyned to Deere lland. who were (a little before) increased to bee about five hundred soules, by Addition of the punkapog -indians , sent thither upon as li..? cause as the Naticks were. the enmity, jelousy, & clamors of some people against them, put the magistrary upon a a kind of nescesity, to send them all to the Iland; And although it was a great suffering to the indians to live there, yet God brought forth this good by it, first show pursecuation from the fury of the people; Secondly the humbling and battering the indians by this sore affliction. I observed in all my visits of them that they carried themselves, patiently, humbly, and piously, without moaning or complaining,against the English, for their sufferings (which were not few) for they lived cheefly upon clams and shelfish that they digd out of the sand at low water, the Iland was Bleak and cold, their wigwams poore & meane, their cloths few and thinnd, some littel corne they had of their owne which the council ordered to bee fetched from their plantations and convayd to them by littel & littel also a boat and man was appointed to looke after them, I may say (in the words of truth (according to my aprhension) there appeared among them much practical chtianity christianity in this time of their tryalls.
After the fight which was beewne between the English and indians at Narraganset, the IXI day of December 1675. The council of massachusetts were very desirous to use meanes to gaine inteligence of the state of the enimy. And in pursuaunce therof past an order impowrring major Gookin to use his best endevor to procure crossed out two meet persons of the praying Indians, from Deere Iland to undertake that service, and to promise them a reward for their incouragemont, Accordingly upon the 28th of December hee went downe to Deere Iland. And advising with two or three of the principal men, they approved the designe & of the psons persons hee had pitched upon to