Wyatt's+paper

It was midafternoon on the 20th of October when they first left vessel and plodded onto shore; endured a frosty, northern wind that chilled their bones and forced them to a lugubrious pace; picked their way up a hill until they reached a clearing, and there the preacher led them in prayer to the Almighty Lord who had protected them on their journey. After setting up camp, they took stock of their inventory; five cases of bread, seven cases of flour, and a few meats remaining; a few of them immediately sent to look out a reliable source of sustenance. As the shallop had yet to be unburdened from the hold of the ship, they made journey on foot. Despite the savageness of the land, the providence of God had blessed his chosen people in this respect; corn seed and grain were plentiful, and much meat was to be had among the wildlife, far more than in the sinful lands of their previous habitation; clearly, this was land blessed by the Lord. Large stores of grain being found in what appeared to be abandoned communities of primitive structures, it was settled that the land must be inhabited by savages. It was on their second day of habitation that they encountered the first of these nadirs of humanity. No savage had yet been spotted when the women began complaining of noises in the woods; the men went to investigate, firing several shot into the coppices; after hearing several shrieks and the sound of footsteps, they began to search through the surrounding forest. Several of them espied brief glimpses of human figures clad in furs and cloths, running back through the woods; people gifted at stealth and escape, as none of the men were able to catch one. The only evidence of their presence was a lone spear of primitive design, which was found abandoned on the forest floor. It was decided to set several men on guard duty the next night in case they chose to come back; several days were devoted to prayers to the Almighty Protector, and, by the grace of God, the men had no more trouble that week. The men set themselves to work, building structures for their eventual habitation; great quantities of lumber were gathered from the surrounding forest and constructed into impermanent dwelling places; a temporary structure constructed to serve as a meeting place, whilst plans developed for a great construction, a fitting tribute to the Savior who had protected them, his chosen people; many logs and timber were put to use in a wall to assure safety, and a cleared path constructed for access to their vessel. The second week brought an end to their halcyon routine. Inventorying their supplies, on the 29th of October, they found several small items had vanished, pilfered by unknown foes; an assembly convened; determined the thefts were the responsibility of a savage, a few men, fearing this pilfering a harbinger of greater misfortune, elected to seek out these savages and make peace with them. They sought out a primitive camp observed before, leaving an offering of beads, which they had been informed in advance to bribe them with; they remained for several hours until the Lord rewarded them with a glimpse of the first Indian, emerging from the coppice. This savage approached them at a steady pace, the men immediately stepping back from their offer of gifts; the Indian took the trifles and walked to a nearby tent, grabbed a handful of grain, and set it on the ground in front of them; the savage having then taken leave of them, the men took the grain and returned to the settlement. A fierce storm delayed their return for some time, forcing them to make shelter in darkness of the woods; they returned the 30th day of October. Shortly after their return, the first savage appeared at the boundary of the settlement, bearing a handful of grain and a quantity of meat. They attempted to communicate with the savage, to no avail; the trade was carried out, as before, and the savage vanished into the woods. The Lord had granted them peace.