The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

222 HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
in Boston, Cambridge, Charlestown, Roxbury and
Weymouth. It was voted that Mr. Eliot, of Roxbury, manage the ordination and give the charge,
that Mr. Chauncy give the right hand of fellowship,
and Mr. Eliot, the ruling Elder, and Deacon Capen,
were appointed to lay on hands. We may well imagine what an uncomfortable time it must have been,
on this occasion, which took place at the most inclement season of the year, without fire in the meetinghouse, and the services probably occupying nearly
the whole day.
This year Jeremy, son of Josias Chickatabut, con.
firmed his Uncle Squamaug's sale to the town. The
Town paid all necessary expenses to satisfy the In,
dians, who were better treated then, than in later
times, "when they have been driven from their native soil by the sword of the invader, and then darkly
slandered by the pen of the historian." The original
natives of our soil have been grossly abused, not
always because they were guilty, but because they
were ignorant and weak. Civilization does not seem
to agree with their nature, as they die out where
that flourishes, or become vagrants in towns and villages, where their forefathers roamed and hunted,
and where once "no smoke curled among the trees,
but the Indian was welcome to sit down by its fire
and join the hunter in his repast." But the time for
these cruelties is nearly over, and the words of an
old Indian warrior will soon be verified:-" We are
driven back," he says, "until we can retreat no
farther. Our hatchets are broken-our bows are
snapped-.our fires are nearly extinguished. A little