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




Settling Down

After Sir John Harvey returned to Jamestown, and the brown men from Patuxent had gone to their homes, we of St. Mary's settled down on shore, giving all our attention to planting, knowing how important it was we should make ready for the winter, when it might not be so convenient to get meat from the forest or the bay.

The brown people of the village did more than hold to the bargain they had made. The men labored with our men in the fields, and the women showed our maid servants how to prepare corn after the Indian fashion, and how to cook without a fireplace and without such pots and pans as they had at home, until it was as if brown men and white had decided to dwell together as one family.

[Illustration] from Calvert of Maryland by James Otis

And now before I try to tell you how the household duties were performed, and how our gentlemen set about making an orderly town of this Indian settlement, let me speak of those English who had settled on Kent Island, and I beg that you read carefully in order to understand well the situation, for it was those same settlers who caused the first bloodshed in our Province of Maryland.