danger, the shore being high, ragged rocks." This is accurately descriptive of Groton. Three hundred natives were soon assembled, who, trifling with the demand of Endicot, encouraging him, yet delaying to observe his demand, he assured them he had come for the purpose of fighting. They immediately withdrew; when they had proceeded beyond musket shot, he pursued them; two of them were killed, and others wounded; the English burnt their wigwams and returned. The next day they went on shore the west side of the river, burned their wigwams, and spoiled their canoes, and returned to Narraganset, and thence to Boston. After the troops left. Pequot river, the twenty men of Saybrook lay wind bound, when they undertook to fetch away the Indians' corn. Having carried one load, and supplied themselves a second time, the Indians assaulted them; they returned the fire, which was continued most of the afternoon. One of the English was wounded. Two days after, five men at Saybrook were attacked in the field, one was taken prisoner, the others fled, one having five arrows in him. A fortnight after, three men in the same neighbourhood were fowling, two of whom were taken prisoners; at the same time they killed a cow, burned a house, some out-houses, and stacks of hay.

October 21, Miantonomo, the sachem of Narraganset, came to Boston with two sons of Canonicus, another sachem," and twenty sanops." Twenty musketeers met him at Roxbury. The sachems declared, that they had always loved the English, and desired firm peace with them, that they would continue the war with the Pequots and their confederates, till they were subdued, and derired that we would do so; that they would deliver our enemies to us, or kill them; and desiring that if any of theirs should kill our cattle, that we would not kill them, but cause them to make satisfaction. This was the substance of the treaty established. They were also to return fugitive servants, to furnish guides for our troops when they marched against the Pequots, and they were not to approach our plantations, during the war, without some Englishman or known Indian.

About this time, the Governor of Plymouth wrote to Massachusetts, that they had occasioned a war by provoking the Pequots, casting a reflection on the late expedition. It was replied, that they could not safely pursue them without a guide; that they went not to make war, but to obtain justice; that they had killed thirteen men, and burned sixty wigwams, which

was sufficicient satisfaction for four or five, whom they had murdered. About the middle of October, a bark coming down Connecticut river, one Tilly, the master, went on shore to kill fowls,and was taken prisoner. They cut off his hands and feet, after which he lived three days. At the same time, they killed another man in a canoe.

The next spring, the colony of Connecticut declared their dislike of the Pequot expedition, expressing their hope, that Massachusetts would continue the war, and offered assistance. Capt. Underhill, with twenty men, was sent to Saybrook to defend it against the Dutch and Indians. In May, the Indians at Weathersfield killed six men, and three women, and took two maids prisoners, and killed twenty cows. The Indians becoming more daring, and the danger increasing, it was universally resolved to make a vigorous effort to repel the evil. Their success in flying from the English at Groton had greatly encouraged them. They boasted of this at Saybrook Fort, that they had deluded the English, that their god," was all one fly," that" the Englishman was all one sqaw."

Massachusetts raised one hundred and sixty men, beside forty previously sent to Narraganset; Mr. Stoughton was the commander, and Mr. Wilson, of Boston, their chaplain, "to sound the silver trumpet of the gospel before them." These two were designated by lot, "with public invocation of God." Connecticut raised ninety men, under the command of Capt. Mason. Capt. Underhill joined the expedition with nineteen of the garrison. Uncas, the sachem of Mohegan, lent his assistance. Before they marched for the enemies' country, one of the ministers of Hartford made them an address to the following purpose.

"Fellow Soldiers, Countrymen, and Companions,

You are this day assembled by the inevitable providence of God. You are not collected by wild fancy, nor ferocious passions. It is not a tumultuous assembly whose actions are abortive, or, if succesful, produce only theft, rapine, rape, and murder, crimes inconsistent with nature's light, inconsistent with a soldier's valour. You, my dear hearts, were selected from your neighbours, by the godly fathers of the land, for your known courage to execute such a work. Your cause is the cause of heaven; the enemy hath blasphemed your God, and slain his servants; you are only the ministers of his justice. I do not pretend that your enemires are careless or in

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different. No, their hatred is inflamed; their lips thirst for blood; they would devour you and all the people of God. But, my brave soldiers, their guilt has reached the clouds; they are ripe for destruction; their cruelties are notorious; and cruelty and cowardice are always united. There is, therefore, nothing to prevent your certain and complete victory, but their nimble feet, their impenetrable swamps and woods. From these your small numbers will entice them, or your courage drive them.

I now put the question, who would not fight in such a cause? fight with undaunted boldness? Do you wish for more encou ragement? More I give you. Riches waken the soldier's sword; and though you will not obtain silver and gold on the field of victory, you will secure what is infinitely more precious. You will secure the liberties, the privileges, the lives of Christ's church in this new world. You will procure safety for your af fectionate wives, safety for "your harmless, prattling, smiling babes." You will secure all the blessings of goodness and mercy, enjoyed by the people of God, in the ordinances of the gospel. Distinguished was the honour conferred on David in his destroying the enemies of the Lord; this honour, O ye courageous soldiers of God, is now prepared for you. You will now execute his vengeance on the heathen; you will bind their kings in chains and their nobles in fetters of iron.

But perhaps some one may fear that a fatal arrow will deprive him of this high honour. Let every faithful soldier of Jesus Christ be assured, that if any servant be taken away, it is merely because the honours of this world are two narrow for his reward; an everlasting crown is set upon his head, because the rewards of this life are insufficient. March then, with Christian courage, in the strength of the Lord; march with faith in his divine promises, and soon your swords shall find your enemies, soon they shall fall like leaves of the forest under your feet."

On their way to the Pequot country, from Saybrook, they sent out a party of Indians, who met seven Pequots, of whom they killed five, and took one; him they tortured, and set all their heads on the fort; so contagious are malignant passions. This was done, because they had tortured some of our men taken captive. The army sailed from Connecticut river, passed Pequot, or the Thames, and entered the Narraganset or Mistick. They were joined by five hundred Narraganset Indians; but, as the army marched to the intended scene of action, these daring sons of war fell in the rear or fled. So terri

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Pequot War.

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97 ble was the name of " Sassacus," who was in one of the forts where the Pequots had assembled, and which the English designed immediately to assault: "Sassacus," they said, all one a God, nobody could kill him." The army silently moved by the light of the moon toward the nearest fort. Wequash, their guide and spy, brought them word, that the Fequots in the fort were all asleep. Seeing the English vessels pass them in the course of the day, supposing they had returned home in terror, they had sung and danced with joy till midnight, and were now buried in deep sleep. Captain Mason approached the east side, and Underhill the west side of the fort; a dog barked; the centinel awoke; he cried, Wannux, Wannux, i. e. English, English; the troops soon entered the fort, which consisted of trees set in the ground, two winding passages being left open; a dreadful carnage followed. Instantly the guns of the English were directed to the floors of the wigwams, which were covered with their sleeping inhabitants. Terrible was the consternation, to be roused from their dreams by the blaze and thunder of the English musketry: if they came forth the English swords waited to pierce them; if they reached the pallisadoes, and attempted to climb over, the fatal balls brought them down; their combustible dwellings, crowded together, were soon in flames; many of them were roasted and burned to death, rather than venture out; others fled back to their burning houses, and were consumed, to escape the English swords. The English endeavoured to save the women and children alive, which the men observing, in anguish and dying terror, cried, I squaw, I squaw, in hopes of finding mercy; but their hour was come. Their dwellings being wrapt in fire, the army retired and surrounded the fort; to escape was impossible; like a herd of deer they fell before the deadly weapons of the English. The earth was soon drenched in their blood and covered with their bodies. In a few minutes five or six hundred of them lay gasping in their blood, or silent in death. The darkness of the forest, the blaze of the dwellings, the rivulets of blood, the ghastly looks of the dead, the groans of the dying, the shrieks of the women and children, the yells of the friendly savages, presented a scene of sublimity and horror indescribably dreadful.

The same morning, May 20, 1637, their pinnaces arrived with provisions in Pequot harbour, to relieve their necessities. They were in the country of their enemies; the mighty Sassacus and his garrison were near, ready to fall upon them; they were parched with thirst, and fainting with hunger. But

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they directed their march for Pequot harbour, which they conSidered six miles distant. On the way they were assailed by three hundred savages, furious as bears bereaved of their whelps. Being repelled with courage, they retired; when they found their slaughtered friends at the fort, their grief and madness was indescribable; they stamped the ground; they tore their hair; they roared and howled like wolves of the forest.

The Massachusetts troops, under Capt. Stoughton, did not arrive till the latter part of June. By the assistance of the Narragansets, they surrounded a swamp and took eighty captives, thirty of them were men, all of whom, excepting two sachems, they killed. Those who had escaped from the Connecticut forces retired to the fort of Sassacus; they upbraided him with their misfortunes they separated; they were scattered over the country. All the other tribes exulted in their fall, attacked and killed them wherever they found them, or sent them to the English as prisoners, or, having killed them, sent their heads and limbs.

Captain Stoughton and his company pursued a party beyond Connecticut river, but not finding them, he returned to Pequot river, where he heard of a hundred; he marched, found and killed twenty-two men, took two sachems and a number of women and children, thirty of whom were given to the Narragansets, forty-eight were sent to Boston, who were placed in different families. A few days after, Capt. Stoughton, being joined by Capt. Mason and the troops of Connecticut, sailed for New Haven with eighty men. They killed six Indians, and 100k two. At a head of land east of New Haven, now Guilford, they beheaded two sachems, and called the place Sachem's Head, which name it still retains. A Pequot prisoner had his life given him on condition of his finding Sassacus; he found him, and brought the intelligence to the English; but Sassacus, suspecting the mischief, with Mononotto, another famous chief, fled to the Mohawks. In a swamp, three miles west of Fairfield, eighty of their men and two hundred women and children had concealed themselves. Capt. Stoughton, by information from a Pequot spy, whom he had employed, discovered them; Lieutenant Davenport and two or three others, endeavouring to enter, were badly wounded. A fire was kept up for several hours, when the Indians desired a parley, and offered to yield. They came forth in small numbers, during the afternoon, in which time two hundred women