In 1605, Captain George Waymouth embarked on a mission that would have far-reaching consequences. Sent from England to explore the coast of Maine by the Earl of Southampton, this expedition was part of an English Catholic attempt to scout out potential sites in New England for a colony. However, the secondary goal, to kidnap a few Indigenous people for information, would leave a lasting mark on the region and its inhabitants.
Waymouth and crew sailed from England on March 31 on the ship Archangel and landed first near Mohegan Island off the coast of Maine on May 17. After exploring the island’s bounteous resources for two days, Waymouth then sailed northward, among the St. Georges Islands, and anchored in Penobscot Bay at the mouth of the St. Georges River. “Here the master and men regaled themselves several days and recruited their strength … he and a party properly armed, explored the islands and shores, while his sailors, engaged in fishery, readily took plenty of salmon and other fishes of great bigness” (Williamson, 1839: 192).
Eleven days after the Archangel moored, the crew first encountered the local Etchemin people. On May 30, 1605, the voyages chronicler Rosier relates: “This day, about four in the afternoon, we in the ship spied three canoes coming towards us, which went to the land adjoining, where they went ashore, and very quickly made a fire, about which they stood beholding our ship: to whom we made signs with our hands and hats, waffling onto them to come onto vs, because we had not seen any of the people yet. They sent one Canoa with three men, one of which, when they came near us, spoke in his language very loud and very boldly, seeming as though he would know why we were there and, by pointing with his oars towards the sea, we conjectured he meant we should be gone. But when we showed them knives and their use, by cutting of sticks and other trifles, as combs and glasses, they came close aboard our ship, as desirous to entertain our friends. To these, we gave such things as we perceived they liked when we showed them the use: bracelets, rings, peacock feathers, which they stuck in their hair, and tobacco pipes (Burrage, 1906, pp. 367-368).”
Over the next several days they had many encounters with the Etchemin and encouraged their trust through trade. Rosier relates: “Our Captain had two of them at supper with us in his cabin to see their demeanor, who behaved themselves very civilly, neither laughing nor talking all the time, and at supper fed not like men of rude education, neither would they eat or drink more than seemed to content nature; they desired peas to carry a shore to their women, which we gave them, with fish and bread, and lent them pewter dishes, which they carefully brought again (Burrage, 1906, p. 402)”.
At this point, Waymouth decided the time was ripe to kidnap some of the locals. Rosier justified this move by saying: “We began to join them in the rank of other Salvages, who travelers in most discoveries have found very treacherous. They never attempted mischief until, by some remissness, fit opportunity afforded them certain ability to execute the same. Therefore, after good advice, we determined so soon as we could to take some of them, least (being suspicious we had discovered their plots) they should absent themselves from us (Burrage, 1906, p. 407).”
On the next day, they abducted five Etchemin, three by duplicity and two by force. According to Rosier: “About eight a clock this day we went on shore with our boats to fetch aboard water and wood, our Captain leaving word with the gunner in the ship, by discharging a musket, to give notice if they spied any canoes coming …. there were two canoes, and in each of them were three savages; of which two came aboard, while the others stayed in their canoes about the ship; and because we could not entice them aboard, we gave them a can of peas and bread, which they carried to the shore to eat. But one of them brought back our can presently and stayed aboard with the other two, for he being young, of a ready capacity. One we most desired to bring with us into England had received exceeding kind usage at our hands and was therefore much delighted in our company (Burrage, 1906: 378).”
These three were prevented from leaving the ship, presumably by putting them in the hold.
To capture the other two that had left, Rosier tells us: “We manned the light horseman with 7 or 8 men, one standing before carried our box of merchandise a platter of peas, but before we were landed, one of them (being too suspiciously fearful of his own good) withdrew himself unto the wood. The other two met us on the shore side, to receive the peas, with whom we went up the cliff to their fire and sat down with them … showed them trifles to exchange … but suddenly laid hands upon them. And it was as much as five or six of us could do to get them into the light horseman. For they were strong and so naked as our best hold was by their long hair on their heads, and we would have been very loath to have done them any hurt … being a matter of great importance for the full accompaniment of our voyage (Burrage, 1906, p. 378-379).”
Waymouth then headed back to England with his human cargo below deck.
Illustration: Captain George Waymouth sails into Penobscot Bay in Maine. Image from Thomas Wentworth
Bibliography:
Burrage, H.S. (Ed.) (1906). Early English and French voyages chiefly from Hakluyt 1534-1608. Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Williamson, W. D. (1889) A History of the State of Maine: from its first discovery, A.D. 1602, to the separation, A.D. 1820. Hallowell: Glazier, Masters & Co.
Catalysts of trade and exploration 