though the First Attempt miscarried the Second prospered The Story of it makes a Chapter in Father Hennepins Account of the Vast Country lately discovered betwixt Canada and Mexico and this is the Sum of it While a Colony was forming it self at Canada an English Fleet was Equipp'd in the year 1628. under the Command of Admiral Kirk with a Design to take Possession of that Country In their Vogage having taken a French Ship at the Isle Percee they Sailed up the River as far as Tadousac where they found a Bark in which they set ashore some Souldiers to Seize on Cape Tourment And here a Couple of Salvages discovering them ran away to advise the people of Quebeck that the English were approaching When the Fleet arrived the Admiral Summoned the Town to Surrender by a Letter to Monsieur Champelin the Governour But the Governour notwithstanding his being so Surprised with the Invasion made such a Resolute Answer that the English though as the Historian says they are a People that will sooner Dy than quit what they once undertake did conclude the Fort Quebeck was in a much better Condition for Defence than it really was and therefore desisting from any further Attempt at this Time they returned into England with Resolution further to pursue their Design at a more favourable Opportunity Accordingly on July 19. 1629. in the Morning the English Fleet appear'd again over against the Great Bay of Quebeck at the point of the Isle of Orleans which Fleet Consisted of Three men of War and Six other Vessels Admiral Kirk sending a Summons form'd in very Civil Expressions for the Surrender of the Place the miserable State of the Country which had been by the English Interceptions hindred of Supplies from France for Two years together oblig'd the Sieur Champelin to make a softer Answer than he did before He sent Father Joseph Le Caron aboard the Admiral to treat about the Surrender and none of his Demands for Fifteen Dayes and then for Five Dayes Time to Consider on 't could obtain any longer Time than till the Evening to prepare their Articles Upon the Delivery of this Message a Council was held wherein some urged that the English had no more than Two Hundred men of Regular Troops aboard and some others which had not much of the Air of Souldiers and that the Courage of the Inhabitants was much to be relied upon and therefore it was best for to run the risk of a Siege But Monsieur Champelin apprehending the Bravery of the English remonstrated unto the Council that it was better to make a Surrender on Good Terms than be all out in pieces by an unreasonable Endeavour to Defend themselves Upon this the Articles regulating all matters were got ready and Father Joseph had his Commission to carry them aboard the English Admiral where the Signing of them was defeâ—r'd until To Morrow On July 20. the Articles of Capitulation were Signed on both sides and the English being Landed were put in possession of Canada by the Governour of it The French Inhabitants who were then in the Country had twenty Crowns a piece given them the rest of their Effects remained unto the Conquerers but those who were willing to stay were favoured by the English with great Advantages The Fleet set Sail again for England Sept. 14. and arrived at Plymouth Octo. 18. in that year ARTICLE IX Casco Lost WHen the Indians at last perceived that the New Englanders were upon a Likely Design to Swallow up the French Territories the Prospect of it began to have the same Operation upon them that the Success of the Design would have made Perpetual that is to Dispirit them for giving the New Englanders any further Molestations Nevertheless Before and Until they were thoroughly Advised of what was a doing and likely to be done they did molest the Country with some Tragical Efforts of their Fury Captain James Convers was Marching through the vast Wilderness to Albany with some Forces which the Massachusets Colony were willing to send by Land besides what they did send by Sea unto Quebeck for the Assistence of the Army in the West that was to go from thence over the Lake and there fall upon Mount Real but unhappy Tidings out of the East required the Diversion of those Forces thither About the Beginning of May the French and Indians between Four and Five Hundred were seen at Casco in a great Fleet of Canoo's passing over the Bay but not Seeing or Hearing any more of them for Two or Three Weeks together the Casconians flattered themselves with Hopes That they were gone another way But about May 16 those Hopes were over For one Gresson a Scotchman then going out Early sell into the mouths of these Hungry Salvages It proved no kindness to Casco tho' it proved a great one to himself that a Commander so qualified as Captain Willard was called off Two or Three Dayes before But The Officers of the place now concluding that the whole Army of the Enemy were watching for an Advantage to Surprize the Town Resolved that they would keep a Strict watch for Two or Three dayes to make some further Discovery before they Salley'd forth Notwithstanding this one Lieut. Clark with near Thirty of their Stoutest young men would venture out as far as the Top of an Hill in the Entrance of the Wood half a mile distant from the Town The out-let from the Town to the Wood was thro' a Lane that had a Fence on each side which had a certain Block-house at one End of it and the English were Suspicious when they came to Enter the Lane that the Indians were lying behind the Fence because the Cattel stood staring that way and would not pass into the Wood as they use to do This mettlesome Company then ran up to the Fence with an Huzzab thinking thereby to discourage the Enemy if they should be lurking there but the Enemy were so well prepared for them that they answered them with an horrible Vengeance which kill'd the Lieutenant with Thirteen more upon the Spot and the rest escaped with much ado unto one of the Garrisons The Enemy then coming into Town beset all the Garrisons at once Except the Fort which were manfully Defended so long as their Ammunition lasted but That being spent without a prospect of a Recruit they quitted all the Four Garrisons and by the Advantage of the Night got into the Fort. Upon this the Enemy Setting the Town on Fire bent their whole Force against the Fort which had hard by it a deep Gully that contributed not a little unto the Ruin of it For the Besiegers getting into that Gully lay below the Danger of our Guns Here the Enemy began their Mine which was carried so near the Walls that the English who by Fighting Five Dayes and Four Nights had the greatest part of their men killed and wounded Captain Lawrence mortally among the rest began a parley with them Articles were Agreed That they
of a Pin which turn'd unto a Gangrene that Cost him his Life And Reader Let the Remembrance of such Things cause thee to Live preparing for Death continually But then on the other side That nothing may be Despaired of Remember Simon Stone And besides him I call to Remembrance That the Indians making an Assault upon Deerfield in this Present War they struck an Hatchet some Inches into the Skull of a Boy there even so deep that the Boy felt the Force of a Wreâ—ch used by 'em to get it out There he lay a long while Weltring in his Blood they found him they Dress'd him considerable Quantities of his Brain came out from time to time when they opened the Wound yet the Lad Recovered and is now a Living Monument of the Power and Goodness of God And in our Former War there was one Jabez Musgrove who tho' he were Shot by the Indians with a Bullet that went in at his Ear and went out at his Eye on the other side of his head and a Brace of Bullets that went in to his Right Side a little above his Hip and passing thro' his Body within the Back Bone went out at his Left Side yet he Recovered and Lived many years after it ARTICLE XI A Worthy Captain Dying in the Bed of Honour ON July 6. Lords Day Captain Floyd and Captain Wiswell sent out their Scouts before their Breakfast who immediately returned with Tidings of Breakfast enough provided for those who had their Stomach sharp set for Fighting Tidings of a considerable Track of the Enemy going to the Westward Our Forces vigorously followed the Track till they came up with the Enemy at a place call'd Wheelrights Pond where they Engaged 'em in a Bloody Action for several Hours The manner of the Fight here was as it is at all times with Indians namely what your Artists at Fighting do call A la disbandad And here the Worthy Captain Wiswel a man worthy to have been Shot if he must have been Shot with no Gun interior to that at Florence the Barrel whereof is all pure Gold behaving himself with much Bravery Sold his Life as dear as he could and his Lieutenant Flag and Sergeant Walker who were Valiant in their Lives in their Death were not divided Fifteen of ours were Slain and more Wounded but how many of the Enemy 't was not exactly known because of a singular care used by them in all their Battels to carry off their Dead tho' they were forced now to Leave a good Number of them on the Spot Captain Floyd maintained the Fight after the Death of Captain Wiswal several Hours until so many of his Tired and Wounded men Drew off that it was Time for him to Draw off also for which he was blamed perhaps by some that would not have continued at it so long as he Hereupon Captain Convers repaired with about a score Hands to look after the Wounded men and finding seven yet Alive he brought 'em to the Hospital by Sun-rise the next morning He then Returned with more Hands to Bury the Dead which was done immediately and Plunder left by the Enemy at their going off was then also taken by them But the same Week these Rovers made their Descent as far as Amesbury where Captain Foot being Ensnared by them they Tortured him to Death which Disaster of the Captain was an Alarum to the Town and an Effectual Word of Command causing 'em to Fly out of their Beds into their Garrisons otherwise they had all undoubtedly before the next morning Slept their last their Beds would have been their Graves However the Enemy Kill'd Three Persons Burnt Three Houses Butchered many Cattel and so that Scene of the Tragedy being over away they went In fine From the First Mischief done at Lampereel River to the Last at Amesbury all belong'd unto one Indian Expedition in which though no English Places were taken yet Forty English People were cut off ARTICLE XII An Indian Fort or Two taken and some other Actions REader I remember the prolixity of Guicciardine the Historian gave such Offence that Boccalini brings in an Offender at Verbosity Ordered for his punishment by the Judges at Pernassus to Read that punctual Historian but the poor Fellow begg'd rather to be Flay'd alive than to be Tortured with Reading an Historian who in relating the War between the Florentines and Pisans made longer Narrations about the Taking of a Pigeon House than there needed of the most Fortified Castle in the World For this cause let me be excused Reader if I make short Work in our Story and Leave the Honest Actors themselves to Run over Circumstances more at large with their Friends by the Fire-side The Enemy appearing a Little Numerous and Vexatious the Government sent more Forces to break up the Enemies Quarters and Auxiliaries both of English and Indians under the Command of Major Church assisted the Enterprize About Three Hundred Men were dispatched away upon this Design in the Beginning of September who Landed by Night in Casco Bay at a place called Macquoit and by Night Marched up to Pechypscot Fort where from the Information of some Escaped Captives they had an Expectation to meet with the Enemy but found that the Wretches were gone farther a field They then marched away for Amonoscoggin Fort which was about Forty Miles up the River and Wading through many Difficulties whereof one was a Branch of the River it self they met with Four or Five Salvages going to their Fort with two English Prisoners They Sav'd the Prisoners but could not catch the Salvages however on the Lords-Day they got up to the Fort undiscovered where to their Sorrowful Disappointment they found no more than one and Twenty of the Enemy whereof they Took and Slew Twenty They found some Considerable Store of Plunder and Rescued Five English Captives and laid the Fort in Ashes but one Disaster they much Complained of That the Captain of the Fort whose Name was Agamcus alias Great Tom slipt away from the Hands of his too Careless keepers But if this piece of Carelessness did any Harm there was another which did some Good For Great Tom having terribly Scared a party of his Country-men with the Tidings of what had happened and an English Lad in their Hands also telling some Truth unto them they betook themselves to such a Flight in their Fright as gave one Mr. Anthony Bracket then a Prisoner with 'em an Opportunity to Flie Fourscore miles another way Our Forces returning to Mackquoit one of our Vessels was there Carelesly run a ground and compelled thereby to stay for the next Tide and Mr. Bracket had been miserably a ground if it had not so fell out for he thereby got thither before she was afloat otherwise he might have perished who was afterwards much Improved in Service against the Murderers of his Father Arriving at Winter Harbour a party of men were sent up the River who coming upon a parcel of
the Mankeen Wolves then hunted for killed some of them and Siezed most of their Arms and Stores and Recovered from them an English man who told them that the Enemy were intending to Rendezvouze on Pechypscot Plain in order to an Attempt upon the Town of Wells Upon this they Re imbark'd for Macquoit and repaired as fast as they could unto Pechypscot Plain and being Divided into Three parties they there waited for the Approach of the Enemy But being tyred with one of the Three Italian miseries Waiting for those who did not come they only possessed themselves of more Plunder there hid by the Enemy and returned unto Casco-Harbor The Enemy it seems dogg'd their Motions and in the Night they made a mischievous Assault upon such of the English Army as were too Remiss in providing for their own Safety in their going ashore Killing Five of our Plymouth-Friends who had Lodg'd themselves in an House without Commanders or Centinels The English as soon as the Light of the Day which was the Lords-Day Sept. 21. gave 'em leave quickly Ran upon the Enemy and Eased the world of some of them and made the rest Scamper from that part of the world and got many of their Canoo's and not a little of their Ammunition and their best Furniture for the Winter The Army was after this Dismiss'd only an Hundred men were left with Captain Convers and Lieutenant Plaisted who spent their Time as profitably as they could in Scouting about the Frontiers to prevent Surprizals from an Enemy which rarely did Annoy but when they could Surprize ARTICLE XIII A Flag of Truce NEw-England was now quite out of Breath A tedious lingring expensive Defence against an Ever Approaching and Unapproachable Adversary had made it so But nothing had made it more so than the Expedition to Canada which had Exhausted its best Spirits and seem'd its Ultimus Conatus While the Country was now in too Great Amazements to proceed any farther in the War the Indians themselves Entreat them to proceed no farther The Indians came in to Wells with a Flag of Truce and there Ensued some Overtures with the English Commissioners Major Hutchinson and Captain Townsend sent from Boston to joyn with some others at Wells At length a meeting was Appointed and obtained at Sagadehock Nov. 23. Where the Redemption of Ten English Captives was accomplished one of whom was one Mrs. Hull whom the Indians were very loath to part withal because being able to Write well they made her serve them in the Quality of a Secretary Another was named Nathanael White whom the Barbarous Canibals had already ty'd unto a Stake cut off one of his Ears and made him Eat it Raw and intended for to have Roasted the rest of him alive The poor man being astonished at his own Deliverance At last they Signed Articles Dated Nov. 29. 1691. wherein they Engaged That no Indians in those parts of the World should do any Injury to the Persons or Estaâ—es of the English in any of the English Colonies until the First of May next Ensuing And that on the said First of May they would bring in to Storers Garrison at Wells all the English Captives in their Hands and there Make and Sign and Seal Articles of Peace with the English and in the mean time give seasonable Advice of any Plots which they might know the French to have against them To this Instrument were set the Pawes of Edgeremet and Five more of their Sagamores and Noblemen But as it was not upon the Firm Land but in their Canooes upon the Water that they Signed and Sealed this Instrument so Reader we will be Jealous that it will prove but a Fluctuating and Unstable sort of a Business and that the Indians will Do a Ly as they use to do However we will Dismiss all our Souldiers to their several Homes Leaving only Captain Convers to keep Wells in some Order until the First of May do show whether any more than a meer Flag of Truce be yet shown unto us ARTICLE XIV Remarkable Encounters AT the Day appointed there came to the place Mr. Danforth Mr. Moodey Mr. Vaughan Mr. Brattle and several other Gentlemen guarded with a Troop to see how the Frenchified Indians would keep their Faith with the Hereticks of New-England The Indians being poor Musicians for keeping of Time came not according to their Articles and when Captain Convers had the courage to go fetch in some of them they would have made a Lying Excuse That they did not know the Time They brought in Two Captives and promised That in Twenty Dayes more they would bring in to Captain Convers all the rest but finding that in Two and Twenty Dayes they came not with much concern upon his Mind he got himself Supplied as fast as he could with Five and Thirty men from the County of Essex His men were not come half an Hour to Storers House on June 9. 1691. nor had they got their Indian Weed fairly lighted into their Mouths before Fierce Moxus with Two Hundred Indians made an Attacque upon the Garrison This Recruit of Men thus at the very Nick of Time Saved the place For Moxus meetting with a brave Repulse drew off and gave Modockawando cause to say as a Captive afterwards related it My Brother Moxus ba's miss'd it now but I will go my self the next year and have the Dog Convers out of his Hole About this Time the Enemy Slew Two men at Berwick Two more at Exeter and the biggest part of Nine loading a Vessel at Cape Nidduck But about the latter End of July we sent out a small Army under the Command of Captain March Captain King Captain Sherburn and Captain Walton Convers lying Sick all Summer had this to make him yet more Sick that he could have no part in these Actions who landing at Macquoit Marched up to Pechypscot but not finding any signs of the Enemy Marched down again While the Commanders were waiting ashore till the Souldiers were got aboard such Great Numbers of Indians poured in upon them that tho' the Commanders wanted not for Courage or Conduct yet they found themselves obliged with much ado and not without the Death of Worthy Captain Sherburn to retire into the Vessels which then lay aground Here they kept pelting at one another all night but unto little other purpose than this which was indeed Remarkable That the Enemy was at this Time Going to Take the Isle of Shoales and no doubt had they gone they would have Taken it but having Exhausted all their Ammunition on this Occasion they desisted from what they designed For the Rest of the Year the Compassion of Heaven towards Distressed New-England kept the Indians under a Strange Inactivity only on Sept. 28. Seven persons were Murthered and Captived at Berwick and the Day following Thrice Seven of Sandy-Beach On Octob. 23. One Goodridge and his Wife were Murdered at Newberry and his Children Captived and the Day following the
him away by the Hair of the Head in spite of all Attempts used by the Garrison to Recover him for an horrible Story to be told by'nd by concerning him The General of the Enemies Army was Monsieur Burniff and one Monsieur Labrocree was a principal Commander the Enemy said he was Lieutenant General There were also Diverse other Frenchmen of Quality Accompanied with Modockawando and Moxus and Egeremet and Warumbo and several more Indian Sagamores The Army made up in all about Five Hundred Men or Fierce Things in the Shape of Men all to Encounter Fifteen Men in one little Garrison about Fifteen more Men worthily called Such in a Couple of open Sloops Diamond having informed 'em How t' was in all points only that for Fifteen by a mistake he said Thirty they fell to Dividing the Persons and Plunder and Agreeing that such an English Captain should be Slave to such a one and such a Gentleman in the Town should serve such a one and his Wife be a Maid of Honour to such or such a Squaw proposed and Mr. Wheelright instead of being a Worthy Counsellor of the Province which he Now is was to be the Servant of such a Netop and the Sloops with their Stores to be so and so parted among them There wanted but One Thing to Consummate the whole matter even the Chief Thing oâ— all which I suppose they had not thought of That was For Heaven to Deliver all this prize into their Hands But Aliter Statutum est in Caelo A man Habited like a Gentleman made a Speech to them in English Exhorting 'em to Courage and Assuring 'em that if they would Courageously fall upon the English all was their own The Speech being Ended they fell to the Work and with an horrid Shout and Shot made their Assault upon the Feeble Garrison but the English answered with a brisk Volley and sent such a Leaden Showre among them that they retired from the Garrison to spend the Storm of their Fury upon the Sloops You must know That Wells-Harbour is rather a Creek than a River for 't is very Narrow and at low water in many places Dry nevertheless where the Vessels ride it is Deep enough and so far off the Bank that there is from thence no Leaping aboard But our Sloops were sorely incommoded by a Turn of the Creek where the Enemy could ly out of danger so near 'em as to throw Mud aboard with their Hands The Enemy was also priviledged with a Great Heap of Plank lying on the Bank and with an Hay Stock which they Strengthened with Posts and Rayles and from all these places they poured in their Vengeance upon the poor Sloops while they so placed Smaller parties of their Salvages as to make it impossible for any of the Garrisons to afford 'em any relief Lying thus within a Dozen yards of the Sloops they did with their Fire Arrows diverse times desperately set the Sloops on Fire but the brave Defendents with a Swab at the End of a Rope tyed unto a Pole and so dip't into the Water happily put the Fire out In brief the Sloops gave the Enemy so brave a Repulse that at Night they Retreated when they Renewed their Assault finding that their Fortitude would not assure the Success of the Assault unto them they had recourse unto their Policy First an Indian comes on with a Slab for a Shield before him when a Shot from one of the Sloops pierced the Slab which fell down instead of a Tomb-stone with the Dead Indian under it on which as little a Fellow as he was I know not whether some will not reckon it proper to inscribe the Epitaph which the Italians use to bestow upon their Dead Popes When the Dog is Dead all his Malice is Dead with him Their next Stratagem was This They brought out of the Woods a kind of a Cart which they Trim'd and Rigg'd and Fitted up into a Thing that might be called A Chariot whereon they built a platform shot-proof in the Front and placed many men upon that platform Such an Engine they understood how to Shape without having Read I suppose the Description of the Pluteus in Vegetius This Chariot they push'd on towards the Sloops till they were got it may be within Fifteen yards of them when lo one of the Wheels to their Admiration Sunk into the Ground A Frenchman Stepping to heave the Wheel with an Helpful Shoulder Storer Shot him down Another Stepping to the Wheel Storer with a well placed Shot sent him after his Mate So the Rest thought it was best let it stand as it was The Enemy kept Galling the Sloops from their Several Batteries and calling 'em to Surrender with many fine promises to make them Happy which ours answered with a just Laughter that had now and then a mortiferous Bullet at the End of it The Tide Rising the Chariot overset so that the men behind it lay open to the Sloops which immediately Dispensed an horrible Slaughter among them and they that could get away got as fast and as far off as they could In the Night the Enemy had much Discourse with the Sloops they Enquired Who were their Commanders and the English gave an Answer which in some other Cases and Places would have been too true That they had a great many Commanders but the Indians Replyed You ly you have none but Convers and we will have him too before Morning They also knowing that the Magazine was in the Garrison lay under an Hill-Side Pelting at That by Times but Captain Convers once in the Night sent out Three or Four of his men into a Field of Wheat for a Shot if they could get one There seeing a Black Heap lying together Ours all at once let Fly upon them a Shot that Slew several of them that were thus Caught in that Corn and made the rest glad that they found themselves Able to Run for it Captain Convers was this while in much Distress about a Scout of Six men which he had sent forth to Newichawannick the Morning before the Arrival of the Enemy ordering them to Return the Day following The Scout Return'd into the very Mouth of the Enemy that lay before the Garrison but the Corporal having his Wits about him call'd out aloud as if he had seen Captain Convers making a Salley forth upon 'em Captain Wheel about your men round the Hill and we shall Catch 'em there are but a Few Rogues of ' em Upon which the Indians imagining that Captain Convers had been at their Heels betook themselves to their Heels and our Folks got safe into another Garrison On the Lords Day Morning there was for a while a Deep Silence among the Assailants but at length getting into a Body they marched with great Formality towards the Garrison where the Captain ordered his Handful of men to ly Snug and not make a Shot until every Shot might be likely to do some Execution While they
thus beheld a Formidable Crue of Dragons coming with open mouth upon them to Swallow them up at a Mouthful one of the Souldiers began to speak of Surrendring upon which the Captain Vehemently protested That he would lay the man Dead who should so much as mutter that base word any more and so they heard no more on 't But the Valiant Storer was put upon the like protestation to keep 'em in good Fighting trim aboard the Sloops also The Enemy now Approaching very near gave Three Shouts that made the Earth ring again and Crying out in English Fire and Fall on Brave Boyes the whole Body drawn into Three Ranks Fired at once Captain Convers immediately ran into the several Flankers and made their Best Guns Fire at such a rate that several of the Enemy fell and the rest of 'em disappeared almost as Nimbly as if they had been so many Spectres Particularly a parcel of them got into a small Deserted House which having but a Board-Wall to it the Captain sent in after them those Bullets of Twelve to the Pound that made the House too hot for them that could get out of it The Women in the Garrison on this occasion took up the Amazonian Stroke and not only brought Ammunition to the Men but also with a Manly Resolution fired several Times upon the Enemy The Enemy finding that Things would not yet go to their minds at the Garrison drew off to Try their Skill upon the Sloops which lay still abrest in the Creek lash'd fast one to another They built a Great Fire Work about Eighteen or Twenty Foot Square and fill'd it up with Combustible matter which they Fired and then they set it in the way for the Tide now to Flote it up unto the Sloops which had now nothing but an horrible Death before them Nevertheless their Demands of both the Garrison and the Sloops to yield themselves were answered no otherwise than with Death upon many of them Spit from the Guns of the Beseiged Having tow'd their Fire-Work as far as they durst they committed it unto the Tide but the Distressed Christians that had this Deadly Fire Swimming along upon the Water towards 'em committed it unto God and God looked from Heaven upon them in this prodigious Article of their Distress These poor men Cryed and the Lord heard them and saved them out of their Troubles The Wind unto their Astonishment immediately Turn'd about and with a Fresh Gale drove the Machin ashore on the other side and Split it so that the Water being let in upon it the Fire went out So the Godly men that Saw God from Heaven thus Fighting for them Cryed out with an Astonishing Joy If it had not been the Lord who was on our Side they had Swallowed us up quick Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us a prey to their Teeth our Soul is Escaped as a Bird out of the Snare of the Fowlers The Enemy were now in a pittiful pickle with Toyling and Moyling in the Mud black'ned with it if Mud could add Blackness to such Miscreants and their Ammunition was pretty well Exhausted So that now they began to Draw off in all parts and with Rafts get over the River some whereof breaking there did not a few Cool their late Heat by falling into it But first they made all the Spoil they could upon the Cattel about the Town and giving one Shot more at the Sloops they kill'd the only Man of ours that was kill'd aboard ' em Then after about Half an Hours Consultation they send a Flag of Truce to the Garrison advising 'em with much Flattery to Surrender but the Captain sent 'em word That he wanted for nothing but for men to come and Fight him The Indian replyed unto Captain Convers Being you are so Stout why don't you come and Fight in the open Field like a Man and not Fight in a Garrison like a Squaw The Captain rejoyned What a Fool are you Do you think Thirty men a Match for Five Hundred No sayes the Captain counting as well he might each of his Fifteen men to be as Good as Two Come with your Thirty men upon the Plain and I 'le meet you with my Thirty as soon as you will Upon this the Indian answered Nay mee own English Fashion is all one Fool you kill mee mee kill you No better ly some where and Shoot a man and hee no see That the best Souldier Then they fell to Coaksing the Captain with as many Fine Words as the Fox in the Fable had for the Allurement of his Prey unto him and urged mightily that Ensign Hill who stood with the Flag of Truce might stand a little nearer their Army The Captain for a Good Reason to be presently discerned would not allow That whereupon they fell to Threatning and Raging like so many Defeated Devils using these Words Damn ye we 'll cut you as small as Tobacco before to morrow Morning The Captain bid 'em to make Hast for he wanted work So the Indian throwing his Flag on the Ground ran away and Ensign Hill nimbly Stripping his Flag ran into the Valley but the Salvages presently Fired from an Ambushment behind an Hill near the place where they had urged for a Parley And now for poor John Diamond The Enemy Retreating which opportunity the Sloops took to Burn down the Dangerous Hay-Stock into the plain out of Gun-shot they fell to Torturing their Captive John Diamond after a manner very Diabolical They Stripped him they Scalped him alive and after a Castration they Finished that Article in the Punishment of Traitors upon him They Slit him with Knives between his Fingers and his Toes They made cruel Gashes in the most Fleshy parts of his Body and stuck the Gashes with Fire-brands which were afterwards found Sticking in the wounds Thus they Butchered One poor Englishman with all the Fury that they would have spent upon them all and performed an Exploit for Five Hundred Furies to brag of at their coming home Ghastly to Express what was it then to Suffer They Returned then unto the Garrison and kept Firing at it now and then till near Ten a Clock at Night when they all marched off leaving behind 'em some of their Dead whereof one was Monsieur Labocree who had about his Neck a Pouch with about a Dozen Reliques ingeniously made up and a Printed Paper of Indulgences and several other Implements but it seems none of the Amulets about his Neck would save him from a Mortal Shot in the Head Thus in Forty Eight Hours was Finished an Action as Worthy to be Related as perhaps any that occurs in our Story And it was not long before the Valiant Gouge who bore his part in this Action did another that was not much inferiour to it when he suddenly Recovered from the French a valuable prey which they had newly taken upon our Coast I doubt Reader we have made this Article of our History a little too
Bagatawawongo alias Sheepscoat John Phill. Ounsakis Squaw ARTICLE XX. Bloody Fishing at Oyster-River And Sad work at Groton A Years Breathing Time was a great Favour of Heaven to a Country quite out of Breath with Numberless Calamities But the Favour was not so Thankfully Enjoyed as it should have been And now The Clouds Return after the Rain The Spectre that with Burning Tongs drove Xerxes to his War upon the Graecians had not lost his Influence upon our Indians The Perfidy of the Indians appeared first in their not Restoring the English Captives according to their Covenant but the perfidious Wretches Excused this with many Protestations That which added unto our Jealousies about them was their Insolent carriage towards a Sloop commanded by Captain Wing and the Information of a Fellow called Hector That the Indians intended most certainly to break the Peace and had promised the French Priests taking the Sacrament thereupon to destroy the first English Town they could Surprize Rumours of Indians Lurking about some of the Frontier-Plantations now began to put the poor people into Consternation but upon an Imagination that they were only certain Bever Hunters the Consternation of the people went off into Security 'T is affirmed by English Captives which were then at Canada that the Desolation of Oyster-River was commonly talk'd in the Streets of Quebeck Two months before it was Effected for the Spies had found no Town so Secure as That And now what was Talk'd at Quebeck in the month of May must be Done at Oyster River in the month of July for on Wednesday July 18 1694. the Treachearous Enemy with a great Army fell upon that place about break of Day and Killed and Captiv'd Ninety Four or an Hundred persons about a Score of whom were men belonging to the Trained Band of the Town Several persons Remarkably Escaped this Bloody Deluge but none with more Bravery than one Thomas Bickford who had an House a Little Pallisado'd by the River Side but no man in it besides himself He dexterously put his Wife and Mother and Children aboard a Canoo and Sending them down the River he Alone betook himself to the Defence of his House against many Indians that made an Assault upon him They first would have perswaded him with many fair Promises and then terrified him with as many Fierce Threatnings to yield himself but he flouted and fired at them daring 'em to come if they durst His main Stratagem was to Change his Livery as frequently as he could appearing Sometimes in one Coat Sometimes in another Sometimes in an Hat and Sometimes in a Cap which caused his Beseigers to mistake this One for Many Defendents In fine The pittiful Wretches despairing to Beat him out of his House e'en left him in it whereas many that opened unto them upon their Solemn Engagements of giving them Life and Good Quarter were barborously butchered by them and the Wife of one Adams then with Child was with horrible Barbarity Ripped up And thus there was an End of the Peace made at Pemmaquid Upon this the Friends of Mrs Ursula Cutt Widow of Mr John Cutt formerly President of New-Hampshire desired her to leave her Farm which was about a Mile above the Bank Exposed unto the Enemy on the South side of Piscataqua River She Thank'd them for their Care but added that she believed the Enemy had now done their Do for this Time and however by the End of the Week her Business at the Farm would be all dispatched and on Saturday she would Repair to her Friends at the Bank But alas before the End of the week she saw the End of her Life On Saturday about one or two a Clock in the Afternoon the Business at the Farm was Dispatched sure enough The Indians Then Kill'd this Gentlewoman and Three other People a little before they had Finished a point of Husbandry then in their Hand Nor did the Storm go over so Some Drops of it fell upon the Town of Groton a Town that lay one would think far enough off the place where was the last Scene of the Tragedy On July 27. About break of Day Groton felt some Surprizing Blows from the Indian Hatchets They began their Attaâ—ques at the House of one Lieutenant Lakin in the out skirts of the Town but met with a Repulse there and lost one of their Crue Nevertheless in other parts of that Plantation when the Good People had been so tired out as to lay down their Military Watch there were more than Twenty persons killed and more than a Dozen carried away Mr. Gershom Hobart the Minister of the place with part of his Family was Remarkably preserved from falling into their Hands when they made themselves the Masters of his House though they Took Two of his Children whereof the one was killed and the other some Time after happily Rescued out of his Captivity I remember The Jews in their Book Taanith tell us The Elders Proclaimed a Fast in their Cities on this Occasion because the Wolves had Devoured two Little Children beyond Jordan Truly The Elders of New-England were not a little concerned at it when they saw the Wolves thus devouring their Children even on this side of Merrimack ARTICLE XXI More English Blood Swallowed but Revenged REader We must after This ever Now and Then Expect the happening of some unhappy Accident The Blood-thirsty Salvages not content with quaffing the Blood of Two or Three persons found at work in a Field at Spruce creek on Aug. 20. of another person at York the same Day Captivating also a Lad which they found with him They did on Aug. 24. Kill Take Eight persons at Kittery Here a little Girl about Seven years old the Daughter of one Mr. Downing fell into their Barbarous Hands They knock'd her o' th' Head and barbarously Scalped her leaving her on the Cold Ground and it was then very Cold beyond what use to be where she lay all the Night Ensuing Yet she was found Alive the Next Morning and Recovering she is to this Day Alive and well only the place broke in her skull will not endure to be closed up He had another Daughter which at the same Time almost miraculously Escaped their Hands But so could not at another Time Joseph Pike of Newbury the Deputy Sheriff of Essex who on Sept. 4. Travelling between Amesbury and Haverhil in the Execution of his Office with one Long they both had an Arrest of Death Served upon them from an Indian Ambascado Bommaseen a Commander of prime Quality among the Indians who had set his Hand unto the late Articles of Submission came Nov. 19. with Two other Indians to Pemmaquid as Loving as Bears and as Harmless as Tygres pretending to be just Arrived from Canada and much Afflicted for the late mischiefs whereof there was witness that he was a principal Actor but Captain March with a Sufficient Activity Siezed them as Robin Doney another famous Villain among them with Three