american-holocaust

100 AMERICAN HOLOCAUSTafter he and his men had "disposed ourselves, contrary to our inclination,something to be cruel," and destroyed an entire native village. After strippingthe old woman naked "to see if she were cloven footed," they senther on her way, but kept the young woman and child, along with a manthey also had captured in a separate raid. 13 They then brought the manand woman together, with the crew assembled "to beholde the manner oftheir meeting and entertainment," as though they were two animals. Thecrew was disappointed, however, for instead of behaving in bestial fashion,the captive Indians showed themselves to be more restrained and dignifiedand sensitive than their captors.At theyr first encountering, they behelde eache the other very wistly a goodspace, withoute speeche or worde uttered, with greate change of coloure andcountenance, as though it seemed the greefe and disdeyne of their captivitiehad taken away the use of their tongues and utterance: the woman of thefirst verie suddaynely, as though she disdeyned or regarded not the man,turned away and beganne to sing, as though she minded another matter: butbeing agayne broughte togyther, the man brake up the silence first, and withsterne and stayed countenance beganne to tell a long solemne tale to thewoman, whereunto she gave good hearing, and interrupted him nothing tillhe had finished, and, afterwards being growen into more familiar acquaintanceby speech, were turned togither, so that (I think) the one would hardlyhave lived without the comfort of the other. 14Much to the surprise of the inquiring English, however, the captive Indiansmaintained their sexual distance. Although they frequently comforted oneanother, reported a member of the crew, "only I thinke it worth the notingthe continencie of them both; for the man would never shifte himselfe,except he had first caused the woman to depart out of his cabin, and theyboth were most shamefast least anye of their privie parts should be discovered,eyther of themselves or any other body." 15Upon their arrival in England the kidnapped man unsurprisingly displayed"an Anglophobia," reported one observer who disapproved. Andwhen it was discovered that he was seriously ill from broken ribs that hadpunctured a lung, the presiding physician recommended blood-letting, but"the foolish, and only too uncivilised, timidity of this uncivilised man forbadeit." He died soon thereafter, as had the man they captured on theirprevious expedition. This was very upsetting to all concerned. As the physicianin charge recalled: "I was bitterly grieved and saddened, not so muchby the death of the man himself as because the great hope of seeing himwhich our most gracious Queen had entertained had now slipped throughher fingers, as it were, for a second time." 16 His body was dissected andburied, by which time the native woman had also fallen ill. Before long,she was dead as well, and her child followed soon thereafter.If the fate of Indians captured by the English for display and viewing