Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III THE INDIAN TEACHER AT MONTAUK 1749-176t The eastern extremity of Long Island, known as Montauk, has been from time immemorial a favorite resort of Indians. Its famous fishing and hunting grounds made subsistence easy, and in the season attracted the natives from a distance. Here the Montauk tribe, well known in the early history of the New England Indians, made their home. It was their privilege, about the middle of the eighteenth century, to live at large on the lands anciently possessed by the tribe, but they seemed to have a particular title to a tract west of the Great Pond, called " North Neck," and to another east of the same called " Indian Field," which now is only peopled with lonely graves. In 1741 a census was taken of these Indians, and they were reported to comprise thirty-two families and one hundred and sixty-two souls, which is about the same as a statement made by Rev. Solomon Williams to Secretary Willard ten years later.1 The prominent families had then assumed surnames such as Pharaoh, Fowler, Peter and Charles. Except in a few cases they were unable to speak the English language, and lived according to their heathen customs. Since 1741 some missionary service had been done among them at intervals by Rev. Azariah Horton, who was principally engaged with the Shinnecock Indians under the patronage of the New York correspondents of the " Society inScotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge."2 He had followed in the wake of Rev. James Davenport, already mentioned, who as minister at Southold had occasionally preached among the Indians. Mr. Morton's work declined as the years passed, notwithstanding his faithfulness, and in 1750 he was ready to surrender his field to another. Mass. Hist. Soc. Col!., I, vol. x, p. 11o. MS. Lett., July 24, 17...