The Mayflower | Cutthroats | 4

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0:56Imagine it's a sweltering August day in 1622 in Plymouth Colony. Sweat beads down your neck as you wrestle a dull saw back and forth across a thick pine log. You and your neighbors are preparing timber for a new fort you're building on one of the hills overlooking the town. But it's slow going. Your saw keeps getting wedged in the log. And as you throw your weight against it to loosen the blade, a shadow falls over you. You look over your shoulder and find Governor William Bradford inspecting your work. Is that all you've managed? I thought you'd be further along by now. You let go of the saw and rub your sore hands.

1:31Well, maybe I would have if I had a full belly. Hardly had anything to eat all day. Tell me, Governor, when are you going to increase our rations? Well, nothing's changed, so we'll stay on half rations, at least for now. But I have faith that the Lord, in his infinite mercy, will bless us with a bountiful harvest this autumn. But what if he doesn't? Why must we spend every hour building this fort? Wouldn't our time be better spent working in the fields? Hunting? Gathering food? The newcomers have eaten up our stockpiles. I know that you are working hard on little food, but we need this fort to keep our settlements safe from Indian war parties, because you mark my words, the mere presence of a well-defended fort will be enough to discourage any warrior from setting foot in Plymouth.

2:11But are you so sure we're in danger? What if all these rumors about an Indian plot against us are nothing but talk? Bradford's expression hardens. He steps towards you, close enough for you to see the dark circles under his eyes. Son, I assure you, the threat is real. Now get back to work. As Bradford walks away, you swallow your protest and pick up your saw. But as much as you try to ignore it, hunger gnaws at your insides. As you stare past your weary fellow workers to the half-built fort looming over the settlement, you feel certain of only one thing. You're far more likely to die of starvation than an Indian's arrow.

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4:48In the summer of 1622, Governor William Bradford ordered the pilgrims to begin building a fort on a hill overlooking Plymouth to defend the settlement from potential Indian attacks. But with food supplies running low and no concrete evidence of an Indian threat, many colonists argued that their time and energy would be better spent tending crops. Plymouth's hunger crisis had intensified after a sudden influx of English settlers earlier that spring. These newcomers had drained resources and antagonized their Indian neighbors, undermining the Pilgrims' fragile foothold in the New World and setting the stage for a violent confrontation.

5:24This is Episode 4, Cutthroats.

5:30In May 1622, the Wampanoag leader Massasoit sent warriors to Plymouth to demand the Pilgrims turn over their interpreter, Squanto. Squanto had made false claims that Massasoit was plotting to attack Plymouth in an effort to undermine Massasoit's alliance with the English so that he could take power for himself. When Massasoit discovered the plot, he insisted on Squanto's execution, but Plymouth Governor William Bradford refused to turn over his trusted interpreter. Bradford and the Pilgrims had come to depend on Squanto for their own survival, so Massasoit's warriors went home empty-handed, meaning for now Squanto would remain with the Pilgrims, even though Bradford knew his decision could damage his relationship with the Massasoit.

6:12But Bradford had more immediate problems to address. Massasoit's warriors left Plymouth just as a small ship sailed into the harbor. Bradford worried it was French invaders, but instead it carried an advance party for a new colony created by Thomas Weston, the Pilgrim's chief financial sponsor back in London. It was the first ship to appear in the harbor since the arrival of the Fortune six months earlier, carrying three dozen new colonists to Plymouth. In a letter sent with the fortune, Weston had pledged his loyalty to the Pilgrims, but now they learned he was sponsoring a separate, competing settlement made up of 60 men.

6:47Not only had Weston secured his own patent for a rival colony, but he also had the audacity to request that the Pilgrims host these men while they search for a suitable place to build their settlement. Bradford reluctantly agreed, even though Plymouth was already subsisting on half-rations. And almost immediately, the newcomers strained the colony's meager food supplies. In the spring of 1622, the Pilgrims relied on shellfish while planting corn for the fall harvest, but Weston's new arrivals ruined the crop by eating the immature stalks, destroying the plants before they had a chance to grow, and putting the colony in danger of starvation.

7:24And that wasn't the only strain. Unlike the Pilgrims, Weston's new group were overwhelmingly young, single men driven by the pursuit of profit. In a letter to Bradford, even Weston admitted they were not of the best character, writing, I will not deny that there are many rude fellows. The Pilgrims themselves were a mix of Puritan separatists and so-called strangers who did not share their strong religious convictions. But after a year and a half in New England, the separatists and strangers had learned to live and work together, in large part due to Bradford's strong leadership. But now, Weston's newcomers jeopardize Plymouth's fragile harmony.

8:01And then that summer, the Pilgrims received even more troubling news. The previous December, they had sent the fortune back to England with 500 pounds worth of cargo to help pay off their debt to their investors. But the newcomers brought news that their ship had been seized by French pirates. So just when the Pilgrims thought that they were beginning to claw their way out of debt, they lost everything. Under the arrangement they had made before voyaging to America, their investors, a joint stock company known as Merchant Adventurers, owned all of the colonists' land, tools, and livestock. Until the Pilgrims paid off their debts, they could not profit from their labor.

8:38Even their homes were considered company assets. And now the loss of the fortune set them even further back from their goal of true financial independence. But even that was not the end of the bad news. The Pilgrims also received word of a disturbing turn of events in Jamestown, the only other permanent English settlement in America. Earlier that spring, Indians had massacred 347 English colonists in the Virginia colony, a death toll more than four times the entire population of Plymouth. News of this violence heightened the Pilgrims' fears about their own native neighbors. And that summer, rumors spread that the Narragansett and Massachusetts tribes were planning to attack the Plymouth settlement.

9:19The Pilgrims' alliance with Massasoit gave them some protection, but because of Bradford's refusal to surrender the traitor Squanto, they didn't know if they could still count on Massasoit for support. So Bradford decided that the eight-foot wall the colonists had built around Plymouth was not enough. He believed that if the Pilgrims were going to defend themselves from a massacre like the one that devastated Jamestown, Plymouth needed a fort, a reinforced structure where everyone could take refuge in the event of an attack. Work on this fort began in June, but it wasn't long until many settlers started questioning the wisdom of the project, given their pressing need for food.

9:55The colonists were already malnourished, and the hard demands of manual labor further drained their limited food supplies. At the same time, construction on the fort diverted valuable time and energy from work in the fields. Typically, the men performed farm labor while the women tended to the children at home. But with most able-bodied men occupied with construction of the fort, few were left to tend to the crops. So when fall arrived, while work on the fort was almost finished, the corn harvest fell far short of expectations. By then, Weston's newcomers had left Plymouth and settled roughly 20 miles up the coast in a place called Wessagusset, adjacent to the Massachusetts Indian Village.

10:34But circumstances in Wessagusset were even more dire than in Plymouth. Weston's men had come to America to establish a colony of their own, but they were ill-prepared for the difficulties of colonial life. Instead of planting crops or gathering food after settling in Wessagusset, they directed their energies into building a fort of their own. So desperately in need of food, the men of Wessagusset persuaded the pilgrims to accompany them on a joint trading expedition to the south of Cape Cod in the fall of 1622. They managed to secure some much-needed provisions, but during the journey, Squanto suddenly fell ill with a fever and started bleeding from his nose.

11:12Bradford stayed with him by his bedside, but Squanto died a few days later. For Bradford, it was another devastating loss, following the deaths of his family, his wife, and the former governor of the colony. Bradford had valued Squanto so much that he put his alliance with Massasoit at risk. But now he had not only lost his friend and trusted interpreter, he had no idea whether he had irreparably damaged his relationship with Massasoit. But for all Bradford's fears, Plymouth was still far better off than their neighbors to the north, because Plymouth benefited from discipline, shared religious convictions, and strong leadership, while West Augustine was quickly descending into chaos and conflict.

11:56Imagine it's February 1623 in the settlement of West Augustine. You're the governor of Plymouth Colony, and you've traveled more than 20 miles up the coast to check on the new settlers here. Cold bites at your cheek as you walk along the water's edge with their leader, John Sanders. You glance sideways at him, noticing his drawn face and the way his tattered coat hangs loosely around his thinning body. When he speaks, his voice is thin. We cannot go on like this. We're starving here. I thought there might be some migrating birds we could hunt, but none have passed through. You glance up at the empty sky and nod sympathetically.

12:31No, not this time of year. But soon it'll be spring, and you'll plant your corn crop. You must have patience. But what are we supposed to eat until then? Well, there's plenty of food if you know where to seek it. The shore is teeming with shellfish. You and your men are lucky to have oysters in these waters. There are none to be found in Plymouth, and you can dig up peanuts. That's hardly enough to make a meal. Well, perhaps not in the way that you're used to, but we've been surviving on clams and peanuts in Plymouth ever since our disappointing corn harvest. You and your men must strive to feed yourselves.

13:01Oh, my men have grown too listless to even search for food, and who can blame them? But I have an idea. The Indians have plenty of corn in their village. Why should we waste our strength rooting for clams in the cold mud when there's so much corn for the taking? You stop abruptly, put a hand on Sanders' arm, gripping it tightly. No, you must not steal the Indians' corn. It would be extremely dangerous to do anything that might invite their wrath. Sanders lifts his chin defiantly. Well, I could offer to reimburse them later, once we've grown our own corn this summer. I would make it a fair bargain.

13:33No, no, do not even consider it. If you trouble the Indians, we will all suffer the consequences. You and your men must feed yourselves as we have in Plymouth. There's no other way. Sanders shakes his head and looks past you, staring at the horizon with hollow eyes. A heavy feeling of dread settles over you. You know that hunger can cloud a man's judgment, and you're terrified that Sanders is going to upset the delicate peace he's worked so hard to maintain, and that you and the residents of Plymouth will all be forced to pay the price.

14:08After moving to Wessagusset, Weston's men threw themselves into building their own fort. But this project left them unprepared for the harsh New England winter ahead. As they grappled with hunger, William Bradford urged them to subsist on shellfish and peanuts, but the men refused to leave the safety of their fort to gather food. And soon, relations with the nearby Massachusetts tribe deteriorated. The Indians accused their neighbors of stealing from their corn stores, and the settlers mocked and looted the Indians in return. The colonists grew so desperate that they began trading away their clothes and bedding for food.

14:43Some contracted themselves out as servants to the Indians, but still hunger persisted. One morning, one of Weston's men was found dead in the tidal flats. He became stuck in the mud and was too weak to free himself. Bradford interpreted the suffering of Weston's men as divine punishment for their godless ways, but the struggles of West Augustet would soon have wider repercussions. In March 1623, news arrived in Plymouth that Massasoit was gravely ill. Bradford sent one of his closest advisors, Edward Winslow, to his bedside. Winslow traveled 40 miles on foot to the Wampanoag village of Poconocon.

15:20There he found Massasoit ill with what was likely typhus spread by Dutch traders who had recently visited the village. Massasoit had not eaten or slept in two days, and he had temporarily lost his vision. But Winslow stayed at the ailing leader's side, feeding him pickled fish and preparing a healing broth of strawberry leaves and sassafras roots. Massasoit's sight returned, and he started to improve. The next day, Winslow patiently tended to other sick people in the village, carefully scraping the fur off their tongues, a characteristic symptom of typhus, though he wrote that he found the task much offensive to me, not being accustomed with such poisonous odors.

15:58He even bathed Massasoit and shot down a duck for him to eat. So under Winslow's attentive care, Massasoit quickly regained his strength. Many Indians had traveled to Poconoka to say their goodbyes to Massasoit, so he had a large audience when he made a public announcement of gratitude to Winslow. He declared, Now I see the English are my friends and love me, and whilst I live, I will never forget this kindness they have shown me. Winslow had restored the Pilgrim's standing at a critical moment, and the grateful Massasoit repaid him with a crucial piece of intelligence, revealing that Winslow's people were in grave danger from a conspiracy to eradicate the English from the region.

16:38Driven to their limits by Weston's men, the Massachusett tribe had resolved to destroy their neighbors in Wessagusset. But fearing that the Pilgrims would avenge their countrymen, the Massachusetts had decided to attack both Wessagusset and Plymouth. Massasoit insisted that Winslow's only option was to make a preemptive strike against the Massachusetts. He urged him to return to Plymouth as soon as possible and prepare to go to war for his colony's survival.

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19:03In March 1623, Edward Winslow rushed back to Plymouth with the news of a potential plot by the Massachusetts Indians to attack the English settlements of both Wessagusset and Plymouth. The warnings that Winslow brought back were soon confirmed when a Wessagusset settler named Phineas Pratt arrived in Plymouth hungry and exhausted. Pratt had trudged through more than 20 miles of icy swamps after hearing about the conspiracy in order to warn his fellow Englishmen in Plymouth. Staggering into the settlement, Pratt reported that conditions in West Augustet had grown unbearable. He and his fellow colonists had run out of food, and their Massachusetts neighbors were becoming increasingly belligerent.

19:43Sensing an attack was looming, West Augustet leaders posted more guards to keep watch over the colony, but the starving sentinels were dying at their posts. Pratt recalled how on one freezing night, I saw one man dead before me, and another at my right hand, and another at my left, dead for want of food. Pratt had learned of the Massachusetts conspiracy from an Englishman who had gone to live with the Indians. Pratt then relayed the information to the Pilgrims, explaining that the Massachusetts planned to wipe out both settlements in a single day, and that they were simply waiting for the snow to melt so that the warriors' footprints could not be tracked.

20:20Governor William Bradford was furious to get confirmation that Plymouth was in danger due to the reckless actions of Thomas Weston's men, but the good news was that thanks to Edward Winslow, Massasoit was now firmly back on the Pilgrim's side. Massasoit had urged Winslow to make a preemptive strike, and although no Indians had directly threatened them, Bradford decided to trust Massasoit and heed his advice. Bradford consulted with Plymouth's military leader Miles Standish, who agreed that swift action was needed. For Standish, the threat was also personal. A Massachusetts warrior named Wetuimat had recently insulted Standish during a trading expedition, and Standish had an axe to grind.

21:00Bradford gave Standish free reign to make an example of Wetuimat. And so Standish quickly put together a force of seven Englishmen and his Wampanoag friend Hobamock, an English speaker and close aide to Massasoit. On March 26, 1623, the party sailed 20 miles north to West Augustine under the guise of a trading mission. Upon arrival, they marched up to the settlement and gathered the men there inside the fort they had built. Then Stannish revealed his plan, to kill as many Indians as possible. Afterwards, he would evacuate the Pilgrims and Weston's men either to Plymouth or Maine to keep them safe from reprisals.

21:37The starving settlers in Wessagusset readily agreed to the plan in the hopes that once they had relocated, they would finally have something to eat. But the pilgrims' arrival in Wessagusset had not gone unnoticed. Soon, a Massachusetts warrior approached the fort, offering to initiate a trade.

21:56Imagine it's March 1623 in the village of Wessagusset. You're a Massachusetts spy who lives nearby, and your people are secretly planning an attack on the English settlers here. But an hour ago, you watched another group of Englishmen arrive from the village of Plymouth. Determined to gain information, you step through the mud, approaching the settlement's crude fort. You adjust a pair of beaver pelts under your arm, and then knock on the wooden gate. A short, broad-shouldered man with red hair emerges, his hand brushing the hilt of his sword. You bow your head slightly. Good morning. I don't believe I've had the honor of meeting you before.

22:33My name's Captain Miles Standish. Captain, you're a military man, and we have something in common. Are there other soldiers with you? Suspicion flickers across Standish's face, and his hand twitches. For a moment, you wonder if he will draw his sword. But then his expression softens into something more welcoming. Yeah, that's right. I am a soldier. But I'll be asking the question from now on. What do you want here? You raise the pelts hanging over your arm. I've come to trade furs. And what do you seek in return? Knives? Perhaps gunpowder? Gunpowder? I'm certainly not throwing that away for a pair of pelts.

23:09Standish's pale face flushes red. You curl your mouth into a smile, enjoying watching him squirm. Well, I would also accept an iron kettle or a plow? Standish's shoulders ease slightly, though his hand still hovers near his sword. Well, I'll have to consult with the others first. Perhaps you should return later, or better yet, I'll come to you. Oh, please do, and be sure you don't forget. We'll be waiting for you. I never forget my friends, and I don't forget my enemies either. Oh, which one am I, Captain? I am not yet sure. Standish's words hang in the air, and for a moment you stare at each other, barely breathing.