| Show MAQUINNAS REVENGE The Massacre the Crew of s the Boston r A VERY MIRACULOUS ESCAPE Tho Result of Callinfc an Indian a Liar The Capture of the Murderous Chief Of the extraordinary adventures of John R Jewitt one of the two survivors surviv-ors of the massacred crew of the ship Boston an account ois preserved in Hubert Howe Bancrofts History of the Northwest Coast The Boston Captain John Salter arrived an the 12th of March 1803 at Nootkh Sound on Vancouver Island She nad on board Jewitt who was a native of Hull England where the Boston had taken in a cargo of goods suitable for the Indian trade Jewitt a young man of an adventurous turn of mind had engaged himself as armorer His father a blacksmith pat up for his son on the vessels deck an iron forge upon a plan of his own invention afterwards after-wards patented Here the young man who received 30 a month for his work could 1e seen during the voyage hammering ham-mering away upon knives and hatchets for the Indians and putting in order the muskets of which there were 3000 onboard on-board Arrived at Nootka the Boston was soon visited by the Indians Their chief Maquinna was a man of striking appearance Arrayed in a magnificent robe extending to his knees and belted with native cloth of divers colors his long black well = oiled hair srrinkred thinly with white down he came aboard several times and dined with the captain Captain Salter was extremely careful in his treatment of the Indians yet on one occasion ho forgot himself A shotgun had been presented to the chief who returned it next day in a broken condition saying that it was a bad piece The captain in a fit of anger called the chief a liar took the gun and threw it to Jewitt to be mended Ma quinna who knew well the significance of the epithet liar among the whites smothered his rage and answered never a word Ten days had passed since the arrival of the vessel some trading had been done in the meantime and the relations between the whites and the Indians were apparently most amicable The chief inquired when the ship would sail and on being answered temorrow told the captain that salmon was plentiful in Friendly Cove where he could easilv catch and lay in a good supply Much pleased with this proposal the captain sent the chiefmate and nine men with the yawl and jolly boat on the fishing errand i Maquinna and about twenty of his tribe were on boardlookin the meekest and most inoffensive of men Suddenly while the remaining crew were hoisting the longboat the Indians seized whatever what-ever instruments lay nearest sprang upon the sailors beat them down and with the sailors own knives cut their throats Maquinna himself grappled with the captain and threw him overboard over-board where he was killed by the Indians in the boats The heads of the saughlered mariners to the number of twentyfive were then cut off and ranged in a row on the quarter deck while the bodies were thrown into the sea The chief mate with the fishing party were attacked at Friendly Cove and all of them massacred Jewitt the armorer escaped as by a Miracle When he heard the commo non on deck he rushed up from oelow where he had been cleaning muskets Immediately he received a stroke with an ax which sent him down again Here he lay senseless for a while and on recovering consciousness seas ordered before the chief who took his promise of obedience and then spared his lite for the sake of his skill in mending arms of which the Indian had resolved to avail himself Jewitt next had to take the vessel to Friendly Cbve when another survivor was discovered concealed in the hold This was the sail maker Thompson whose life Jewitt saved by pretending that he was his father and refusing to live unless the others life was alo preserved The savages now held a great celebration of their victory and received the congratulations of their friends who came from afar to share in the rejoicings and plunder But before half of the cargo wa removed from the ves el the Boston was burned being accidentally set on fire by a native who had come abo rd during the night with a torch to secure plunder As soon as Jewitts wound was healed he was put to work and having a stone for an anvil and a woodfire to heat his metal wasmaking knives for tbe men and hatchets for the women During his captivity he kept a diary writing with boiled blackberrry Juice il quinna told Jewitt the fate of six sailors deserters from the ship Munches rr who had fallen into his hands and haying been recaptured in an attempt to escape had been cruelly put to death ana added that the punishment would befall him it he should undertake flight Instead of wishing to leave Jewttt expressed a desire to learn the language which greatly pleased the chief Maquinna grew confidential and related to his captive a long story of the wrongs which he had suffered at the hands of the whites He then forced upon Jewitt a wife and forced him to adopt the Indian costume but when santy clothing produced illness the chief despaired of making a good Indian of the Englishman and permitted him to resume His old dress and to divorce his wife f Two summers and winters had passed when one in Jrly 1E05 Jewitt was s artleJ by the boom of three cannons The sound which sent a thrill through the heart of the captive proceeded from the fvdi Uaptain Sara Hill from Helton Jlaquinna expressed a desire I to go on board though his people strongly remonstrated with him but he assured them he was not afraid ana wouldgo By this time he was so confident confi-dent of Jewitts allegiance tnat he had him write a letter of introduction J witt did so informing the captain that bearer was the chief who destroyed the Boston and requesting him to hold the chief captive until his and his friend liberty should have been effected The chief was not quite free from suspicion when he looked at Jew tts letter and earnestly asked John you no lie Have you ever known me to lie answered JewittThe chief felt reassured took the letter and delivered it to the captain who immediately immedi-ately arrrested him Great was the consternation of the guilty chief and of his people Jewitt and Thompson were at once permitted to goon board this being the only way to save the chiefs life The captain wanted to put Maquinna to death but Jewitt pointed out the uselessness of such a course The chief had been insulted by traders on several occasions and many of his men had been killed on slight provocations or without any He had taken his revenge in conformity with the custom of his people Besides he had several times saved the lives of the captives when his followers demanded their blood So Maquinna was released and allowed to depart to his tribe The Lydia continued her trading voyage and then sailed for China whence Jewitt sent word of his safety to his father Returning she arrived in Boston in 1807 where the young Eng lish adventurer was treated with great kindness by the owners of the destroyed r BostonFrancis and Thomas Auiory 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