proved the total ruin of the New England colonies. This scheme was however fruftrated, by providence, through the antipathy of the reft of the tribes to thefe Pequots. The other Indian nations had fuffered fo feverely at the hands of these oppreffors, that they were determined to leave them to themselves, and the event of the war which they were engaged in. They took pleasure in seeing a people crushed, that had behaved fo tyrannically to the rest of their brethren; and instead of affording them affistance, indulged a fecret pleasure at their ruin and deftrue

tion.

The English colonists knowing both the power and eninity of these favages, raifed forces with all expedition for their own defence, with a defign, if poffible, to put an end to the war, by extirpating that revengeful tribe of Indians. With an army of about 700 men, of which 500 were Indians of the Naraganfet tribes, the reft were colonists, they advanced to the enemy's country. Their commanders were Ifrael Stoughton, Captain Underhill, and Captain John Mafon. Underhill and Mason marched before the other troops could join them, and advanced in fearch of Saffacus, the grand Sachem of the Pequots, who had retired with his men into what he thought an impregnable fortrefs. The Naraganfet Indians, upon hearing of the name of Saffacus, fell a trembling, and would not advance; they said he was a god, and no man could kill him: They were therefore of no use in this expedition. The officers with their fmall handful of troops, under the direction of an Indian spy, which they had sent to search for the Pequots, came upon them by furprife, and entered their fort fword in hand; after making prodigious flaughter among the favages, they fet fire to the fort, and totally de

ftroyed it. On this occafion, fix hundred Indians of the tribe of Pequots were flain, and only two men of the colonifts. Of the whole forces in this fort only eight efcaped to carry the tidings of the difafter to their friends. The heat of the action, and the want of provifion had now greatly exhausted the ftrength of the colonists, which would have proved fatal to them, had not fome veffels arrived with provifions in Pequot harbour in the very time of need, and in the midst of their dif trefs. This fupply refreshed their fpirits, and prepared them for another fharp encounter which soon happened. There was another Indian fort at fome diftance, whither the news had been carried of the defeat of their troops, and the destruction of their fort: In this fort of fortrefs, there were upwards of three hundred favages of the beft troops of the Pequots. Thefe advanced with all expedition to revenge the death of their friends, and attacked the colonists with great fury. But they met with fuch a warm reception, that they betook themselves to a fwamp, after leaving a great number dead upon the fpot. The former defeat of their friends, and the repulfe they now met with, in a great measure damped their courage, they expreffed their chagrin and difappointment with moft pitiful howling and cries, according to the manner of their country. By this time the Captains Patrick and Stoughton came up with the forces of the Maffachufets bay, which was a feasonable reinforcement to the Connecticut forces, which were now both much fatigued, and many of them wounded in the two foregoing fkirmishes. There were still a great number of the Pequot favages fcattered in different parties, concealed in fwamps and thickets, lying ready to take the first opportunity of revenge; but when they perceived this new reinforce

ment

ment of the colonists, they fled to the fort where Saffacus had taken refuge, and upbraided him as the caufe of the late difafters, and of their total ruin. Several hundreds of these miserable creatures were ta ken by Captain Stoughton; the women were carried captives, and the men put aboard of a fhip of one Skipper Geelop, where they all perished, by what accident hiftorians do not inform us. During this war, thirteen of their Sachems, or little kings, were flain, and Saffacus was betrayed, and at laft put to death by the Maqua Indians, a tribe, of favage Canni bals, to whom he had fled for fafety. How far the neceffity of the cafe might justify the conduct of the colonists in this war, I will not pretend to fay, but it appears to have been carried on with a vigour which approached very near to an excefs of feverity. This war was foon ended, and the whole tribe of Pequots extirpated. From the beginning to the finishing thereof, three years were not fully elapfed,

In the year 1638, another Indian war had well nigh broke out, on account of fome English vaga. bonds having murdered an Indian in the woods. This favage belonged to the tribe of the Naraganfets, which on this occafion began to rife, but the war was prevented by the punishment of the murderers, and proper fatisfaction was given to the injured party. What moft ftruck the Indians on this occafion was, that all the three men who had been concerned in the murder, were executed, which they confidered as an excefs of juftice. Although there were many jealoufies and fufpicions between the colonists and the natives, yet from this time, till 1674, there was no open war. Matters were always fettled in fuch a manner, that the general tranquility was preferved. In 1674, one John Saufman, an Indian preacher, who had been

fent

fent to preach the Gospel among the Indians, informed the governor of Plymouth, that Philip, an Indian king, near mount Hope, with feveral other tribes, had formed a plot to extirpate the English throughout the country. Soon after this, Saufman was murdered, and his body found in a pond, and his hat and gun upon the ice. Upon enquiry, it was found that one Tobias, a counfellor of Philip, had murdered him, and thrown him into the pond, to prevent a difcovery. The murderer was punished, as he deferved, but Philip continued to carry on his plot; and in the month of June, this year, began the hoftilities, by plundering the plantations near Mount Hope. The governor, to prevent the further pillagings of the Indians, fent out a small army to protect the plantation, and to defend it against the defigns of Philip. As every thing had the appearance of a war, and hoftilities were begun, the colony of Plymouth appointed a day of fafting and humiliation, to afk the Divine aid and affistance against their cruel and favage enemies. On this occafion they had given no offence to thefe new foes, and therefore could with confidence appeal to heaven concerning the juftness of their caufe. But as the best of men, and the most righteous cause are liable to particular misfortunes in the courfe of providence, fo thefe colonists upon the very day of their humble devotion were affaulted by their enemies. The inhabitants of Sivnazey, in returning from prayers, were attacked by fome lurking Indians, when fome were killed, and several wounded. This both alarmed and roufed the colonifts, who now thought that their fafety and prefervation depended upon their activity, and the vigour of the measures which they pursued. Upon the 26th of June, a company of horse, under the command of Captain Thomas Pren

tice, and another of foot, under the command of Captain Daniel Henchman, marched from Boston to Mount Hope. They were afterwards joined by a company of volunteers, under Captain Mosley, and another company of foot from Swanfey, under Captain Cudworth, Upon the 28th, they fent out a fcout of twelve men to fee if they could difcover the enemy, who were foon acquainted with their fituation, by a discharge of mufquetry from a thicket, with which one was killed and another wounded. The re. maining ten, instead of retreating to their main body, pushed boldly forward and attacked the Indians, and put them to flight, though their numbers were ten times more than this fmall reconoitering party. The main body of the colonists next morning charged the Indians in their quarters, routed them, and put them to flight; upon which their whole country was left open to this victorious army. In the quarters of this enemy were found the mangled badies of feveral Englishmen, whofe heads were fuck upon poles, and Bibles torn in pieces, in contempt of their religion, In the wigwams of the enemy were found all the fignatures of hurry and a precipitate retreat. Philip now fled from thefe parts, but was the occafion of feveral more bloody conflicts, which in the iffue ruin, ed his caufe, and was the reafon of many Indians lofing their lives.

It is really amazing in the hiftory of this war what remarkable defeats were given to large bodies of Indians, by mere handfuls of colonists, though they were armed in the fame manner, and fought with the fame weapons. In an open field, a very fmall party of English would often defeat ten times their own number, and the enemy leave a third part of their forces dead in the field of battle. Were I to men