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The Capital and the Bay: Narratives of Washington and the Chesapeake Bay Region, ca. 1600-1925
The Calvert papers, Vol INo. 3. HENRY EWBANK'S ACCOUNT OF HIS CAPTURE.
[Indorsement.]
Copie of Henry Ewbancks Relation Of his being Seized at the head of Patuxent in April 1635.
The Relation of Henry Ewbanck concerninge his beinge taken Prisoner at Mattappany at the head of Pataxunt River the 5th of Aprill 1635.
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I beinge at an Indian Towne caled Mattappany at the head of Potaxunt River tradinge for ffurrs by the appointmt of Capt Clayborne there came vnto me ouer Land Capt ffleete Capt Humber and two more charginge me by virtue of their Comission graunted from his Matie to the Lo: Baltimore to goe alonge wth them to Mary-Land, to answer my tradinge before the Gouernor and that if I would not goe along quietly Capt Humber told me that he would haue the Indians carry me wether I would or noe, soe I went alonge wth them yet Capt ffleete before fearinge that I would haue run away pmised the Indians that if I ran away the first of them that layd hands vpon me to stay me, he would giue them an hundred armes length Roneoke. beinge come from Mattappany to Potaxun Riuer there in Capt Claybornes Pinnace wth Mr Smith and his Company or men beinge all on Shoare but a little Boy who was aboard, Capt ffleete and Capt Humber tooke or small wherry and would haue gon aboard the said Pinnace, refusinge at first to take Mr Smith alonge wth them, who was aboard their Barge, he callinge to them and tellinge them tht he had his Mats Comission to trade, they then tooke him into the wherry and Rowed aboard the Pinnace and said that they would take her notwthstandinge that Comission Mr Smith shewed them accountinge it and callinge it a Pap sayeing that it was a false Copy and if it were granted to Capt Clayborne from his Matie it was granted and grownded vpon false Informa?ns & soe it was worth nothinge soe Capt Humber bid his men haueing all ready boarded or Pinnace to waigh Anchor and fall Downe towards Mary Land, by the way we stopped at an Indian Towne called Potaxun where I would haue gon a shoare but Capt Humber would not lett me. from thence we rowed downe to the Mouth of the Riuer where we were turned a shoare out of or Pinnace wthout or Armes to
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travell to Mary Land on foote, beinge comen thither wee remayned 3 or 4 dayes before wee could speake wth the Gouernor who at last beinge set in Court wth Capt Cornwallys and Mr Greene he sent for me in, when I came to the Gouornor he said vnto me, did you come Sirrah from Mattappany I answered him yes againe, he asked me what I did there and who sent me. I told him I traded for furrs wth the Indians and that Capt Clayborne sent me, Againe he said Sirrah how durst you trade there, knoweinge it was in the prcincts of this Province and knoweinge of Capt Claybornes vnlawfull and dishonest practizes, wth the Indians to cutt of this or Planta?n you beinge the Interprter and Instrumt to doe it, I replyd that I did not know that it was in their prcincts, nor that Capt Clayborne had euer practized wth the Indians against them and that for my owne pte I would be deposd vpon my oath tht I was neuer an Instrumt or Interprted to the Indians for Capt Claiborne, in any such kind, and pfered them to take my oath of it then but they would not giue it me, then he caused certaine writings to be made for me to sett my hand to, and they were to effect that I should Justifie that Capt Claiborne had vnlawfully practized wth the Indians against them, wch the Clerke to my best remembrance in readinge the writinge to me neuer men?ned any such thinge.
I had like to haue set my hand to it, beleivinge it had ben as the Clerke read it, but I takinge it in my owne hand and readinge it found it to be otherwise, then he reade it to me wherevpon I refused to set my hand to it, then the Gouernor caused it to be changed twice againe, wch beinge don he told me it had ben all one if I had set my hand to the other, for they were all three as one in effect, then agayne he told me he would either send me to Virginia or to England for I should not retourne to Capt Clayborne any more to be his instrumt in
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his vnlawfull practizes, but afterwards the Gouernor riseinge from the table and comeinge to me in a Milder way then he had don, before callinge me by my name tould me if I would take imploymt from him I should haue good meanes and be welcome to him, I replyd, Sr I can not answer it to be imployed by you or any other beinge as yet Capt Claybornes Couenant Seruant, then he said take imploymt of me and lett me alone to answer it, then he further demaunded of me if I would resolue to take imploymt I told him noe then he bid me thinke vpon it, Moreouer I heard him say that all the Baye downeward wthin 6 or 8 myles of Akamak both easterne shoare and Westerne shoare was wthin their prcincts, and wthin 3 or 4 dayes after he sent me and the rest of or Company away wthout Armes or victualls to home in a Cannow a matter of twenty leagues through the Townes of the Indians. Moreouer I remember that Capt ffleete beinge set at supper wth Capt Cornwallis and the Kinge of Potuxun fallinge into discourse of the Accusations layd against Capt Clayborne, The last yeare Capt ffleete sayd it had ben very breife in the Mouthes of the Indians all wayes vntill that his last voyage and that then he said he heard nothinge, moreouer he said that he had sayd too much of it, and he thought not that Mr Hawley would haue drawen his comen discourse into writinge, if he had he would haue ben more warye, ffurthermore he told me that I had cause to thanke god that he came soe happily to take me out of the hands of the Indians who as he said would haue killed mee, wch I know to be false and not soe, And againe the Indians told me that it was by meanes of Capt Claybornes Cloth, wch Capt ffleete tooke in his Pinnaces that he bought the Beavor it beinge better liked of the Indians then that wch they had of the Gouernors the Indians sayeinge
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it was nought. And all this I wilbe ready when I shall be called to be deposed on and soe I haue hereunto sett my hand.
Signed
Henry Ewbanck.
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