Note: This is the second in a three part series. Read earlier post to better appreciate Jewitt's story.
Jewitt and Thompson responded very differently to their captivity. Thompson hated the natives and was very bitter with his situation. Jewitt, on the other hand, did whatever was necessary to ensure he would survive his captivity, including learning their language. "I had determined from the first of my capture to adopt a conciliating conduct towards them, and conform myself, as far as was in my power, to their customs, and mode of thinking, trusting that the same divine goodness that had rescued me from death, would not always suffer me to languish in captivity among these heathens."
Over time Jewitt endeared himself to Maquinna and his family. His ironworking was much treasured by the chief and Maquinna would put Jewitt and his skills on display to maximum benefit during trading sessions with other villages. "I became quite an object of curiosity to these people, very few of whom had ever seen a white man. They crowded around me in numbers, taking hold of my clothes, examining my face, hands and feet, and even opening my mouth to see if I had a tongue... having undergone this examination for some time, Maquinna at length made a sign to me to speak to them. On hearing me address them in their own language, they were greatly astonished and delighted... "
Jewitt’s survival, and in turn Thompson’s, was very dependent on satisfying Maquinna, as well as hoping that his very powerful master came to no harm. Word had spread about the Boston massacre to other traders, with the result that they stayed away from the area. Jewitt and Thompson were viewed as potentially damaging as they had witnessed the massacre. “ ....some of the chiefs cared little what became of me, and probably would have been gratified with my death."
Maquinna expected that Jewitt become more culturally assimilated. He was forced to marry a native wife, dress in native garb, paint himself, and even adopt native spiritual beliefs. Although he accommodated these demands, he continued to practice his Christian faith by secretly going off into the forest on Sundays to pray in solitude. 
An interesting development over time was what is today referred to as the Stockholm Syndrome - captives begin to express positive feelings towards their captors and their motives. "These injuries had excited in the breast of Maquinna an ardent desire of revenge, the strongest passion of the savage heart... Unfortunately for us, the long-wished-for opportunity at length presented itself in our ship...And here I cannot but indulge a reflection that has frequently occurred to me on the manner in which our people behave towards the natives. For, though they are a thievish race, yet I have no doubt that many of the melancholy disasters have principally arisen from the imprudent conduct of some of the captains and crews of the ships employed in this trade, in exasperating them by insulting, plundering, and even killing them on slight grounds."
Jewitt became more and more resigned to his captive fate. He had, whenever possible, written letters that he passed on to chiefs during trading visits. He hoped that one of these might be handed to another trader by this chief. This was not a particular dangerous thing to do as the natives did not read.
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