Contents ▼▲
Front Matter A Name to be Proud of Ready for Sea The King's Gift Why I am an Adventurer The Signal for Departure A Lad's Portion The Allotment of Land An Unexpected Delay Our Arrival at Cowes We Put to Sea The Dove Disappears A Second Tempest An Unseemly Christmas The Port of Barbadoes The Arrival of the Dove Under Sail Again The Land of America The Land Given by the King Fear of the Brown Men Where to Build the City Taking the Island A Voyage of Discovery Visiting the Indians An Unexpected Meeting Captain Fleet's Story An Indian Werowance Indian vs. English Claims Seeking a Place for the City The Bargain The Village of Yaocomico What the Indians Look Like Indian Weapons and Tools Landing the Goods Counting Our Blessings The Susquehanoughs A Land of Abundance Buying Cattle Storehouse and Fort A Visitor from Virginia A Talk with the Indians Running up the Colors Settling Down Master William Claiborne Lord Baltimore's Claims Stirring up the Indians Winning Back the Indians Busy Times Indian Women as Servants Making a Canoe A Boat of Bark Indian Money A Generous Harvest Trouble at Plymouth Strange Religious Service The Dance Begins An Odd Ceremony William Claiborne's War Settlement on Kent Island We Prepare for War The Army leaves St. Mary's In Command of the Guard A Flag of Truce Captain Fleet Repents The First Prize of War A Battle is Fought The Return of the Fleet William Claiborne's Flight The City of Saint Mary's A Cruel Murder Mystery Remains Unsolved Master George Evelin A Fatal Accident Preparing for Action Ready for a Man's Duty I Wear the Uniform My New Name On Board the Pinnance Indians in War Paint The Arrival at Kent Island The Capture of the Fort Butler and Smith Captives Back to Claiborne's Fort I am Assigned New Duties A Narrow Escape Words of Praise

Calvert of Maryland - James Otis




Running up the Colors

To that end the Maryland colors, which are the quarterings of Lord Baltimore's coat-of-arms, were brought on shore with great ceremony, all our gentlemen attending in their gayest costumes.

It was a great show when our people, having previously gone out to the. Dove, came to shore in the small shallop, the pinnace, and the ship's tenders, with drums beating and flags flying.

[Illustration] from Calvert of Maryland by James Otis

Lastly came Governor Calvert, Governor Harvey, the werowance of Patuxent, and the chief of the Indians of Yaocomico, our people standing in orderly array along the shore until these officials had landed, when the line of march was taken up to the fort, and all entered, grouping themselves around the tall tree which had been trimmed of its branches to serve as a flagstaff.

Then, amid the rattle of musketry and the roll of the drums, Maryland's colors were run up, while our people stood with uncovered heads, and Father White blessed the flag, after which all the big guns of the fleet roared out a salute.

That evening, so John told me, the werowance of Patuxent warned the Indians of Yaocomico that they should keep carefully to the bargain that they had made with the white people, saying by way of caution

"When we shoot, our bowstrings give a twang that is heard but a little way off; but do you not hear what cracks their bowstrings give?"

He meant, when speaking of the "cracks of our bow-strings," the reports of the muskets and cannon as compared with the twanging of sinews when an arrow is let fly.