After nearly 3 years in captivity, the Lydia, under Samuel Hill appeared in Nootka Sound on July 19, 1805. Hill was aware that Jewitt and Thompson might be among these natives. The chiefs met to decide what they should do with Jewitt and Thompson. Some suggested they be killed, others that they be released, and still others who thought they should be taken into the forest and kept there until the ship sailed. Maquinna decided to visit the ship and assess the danger and possibilities of trade. He was discouraged by some chiefs who felt that his life would be in danger. Maquinna felt comfortable enough with Jewitt’s assimilation and friendship to ask Jewitt to write a letter of introduction to the captain. "Dear Sir, the bearer of this letter is the Indian king by the name of Maquinna. He was the instigator of the capture the ship Boston, of Boston in North America, John Salter captain, and of the murder of twenty-five men of her crew, the two only survivors being now on shore - Wherefore I hope you will take care to confine him according to his merits, putting in your dead lights, and keeping so good a watch over him, that he cannot escape from you. By so doing we shall be able to obtain our release in the course of a few hours."
When Maquinna asked Jewitt to read what he had written, he went over each line, fabricating a new narrative, saying that he had instructed the captain to give Maquinna molasses, biscuits and rum and that he had always been well treated. "He said 'John, you no lie?' After closely examining Jewitt's face, Maquinna said he believed Jewitt and left in a canoe, carrying the letter to the Lydia's captain.
Hill read the letter and had Maquinna detained. When word reached the village that Maquinna was being held, some chiefs wanted to kill Jewitt. Most feared that if Jewitt and Thompson were not released, Maquinna would be killed. They pleaded with Jewitt to save his life. A trade was finally arranged and Jewitt and Thompson were taken out to the Lydia.
Maquinna, who was in irons, and Jewitt, spent a sleepless evening together. They talked about the time they spent - "John,you know when you alone, and more than five hundred men were your enemies, I was your friend and prevented them from putting you and Thompson to death, and now I am in the power of your friends, you ought to do the same by me." Jewitt needed no convincing as he had already convinced Hill to release Maquinna.
The parting was very emotional for both men -"Then, grasping both my hands with much emotion, while the tears trickled down his cheeks, he bade me farewell, and stept into the canoe, which immediately paddled him on shore. Notwithstanding my joy at my deliverance,...I could not avoid experiencing a painful sensation on parting with this savage chief, who had preserved my life, and in general treated me with kindness, and considering their ideas and manners, much better than could have been expected."
They were to see each other one last time when the Lydia returned to Nootka Sound in November.
The Lydia did not return to Boston until it had completed its trading mission in 1807.
Return to civilization was not an easy transition. John Thompson died in either Havana or Philadelphia in 1815 or 1816 (different accounts collide). Jewitt married and had 5 children. They settled in Connecticut. He never seemed to be able to distance himself from his days in Nootka Sound. He published his diary and traveled around New England selling it. The narrative was rewritten in 1815 by Richard Alsop, a well known author of the period . The title did not exactly role off the tongue : A Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt; Only Survivor of the Crew of the Ship Boston, During a Captivity of Nearly 3 Years Among the Savages of Nootka Sound with an Account of the Manners, Mode of Living, and Religious Opinions of the Natives.
Jewitt’s book became an invaluable window for historians and ethnographers into the customs, daily life, spiritual beliefs, and traditions of early west coast natives.
Jewitt was never able to settle down. He continued to travel and sell his book until January of 1821, when at the age of 37, he died of unstated causes.
Maquinna was last seen in 1825. He would have been around 70 years old, still greeting ships and interested in trade.
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