ed to follow us till we came within two miles of our Pin naces, where they wholly left us, which was nearly six miles as I conceive, it being then about two miles more to the river.

"Four of our wounded men we were forced to carry ourselves, while at length we hired the Indians to bear them both in this and all the following enterprizes against the Pequods."

This service being thus happily accomplished by these few hands that came from Connecticut; within a while after, the forces sent from the Massachusetts under the conduct of Capt. Stoughton as commander in chief, arrived there also, who found a great part of the work done to their hands, in the surprisal of the Pequods' fort as aforesaid, which was yet but the breaking of the nest, and unkennelling those savage wolves; for the body of them, with Sassacous the chief Sachem (whose very name was a terror to all the Narragansets) were dispers. ed abroad and scattered all over their country, yet so far were the rest dismayed, that they never durst make any assault upon the English, who in several parties were scattered about in pursuit of them.

It was not long after Capt. Stoughton's soldiers came up, before news was brought of a great number of the enemy, that were discovered by the side of a river up the country, being first trappanned by the Narragansets, under pretence of securing them, but were truly hemmed in by them, though at a distance, yet so as they could not, or durst not stir, from the place, by which means our forces of the Massachusetts made an easy

conquest of some hundreds of them, who were there cooped up as in a pound; not daring to fight, nor able to fly away, and so were all taken without any opposi tion. The men among them to the number of 30, were turned presently into Charon's ferryboat, under the command of skipper Gallop, who dispatched them a little without the harbor; the females and children were disposed of according to the will of the conquerors, some being given to the Narragansets, and other Indians that assisted in the service.

The rest of the enemy being first fired out of their strong hold, were taken and destroyed, a great number of them being seized in the places where they intended to have hid themselves, the rest fled out of their own country over Connecticut river, up towards the Dutch plantation. Our soldiers being resolved by God's assistance to make a final destruction of them, were minded to pursue them which way soever they should think to make their escape, to which end in the next place, our soldiers went by water towards New-Haven, whither they heard, and which in reason was most likely, they bent their course : soon after they were informed of a great number of them, that had betaken themselves to a neighboring place not far off, whither they might hope it was not likely they should be pursued; but upon search, they found fifty or sixty wigwams, but without an Indian in any of them, but heard that they had passed along toward the Dutch plantation; whereupon our soldiers that were before, all embarked for Quillepiack, afterwards called New-Haven, and being landed there,

;

they had not far to march unto the place where it was most probable they should either find or hear of them accordingly in their march they met here and there with sundry of them, whom they slew or took prisoners, amongst whom were two Sachems, whom they presently beheaded; to a third that was either a Sachem or near akin to one, they gave his life upon condition that he should go and enquire where Sassacous was, and ac cordingly bring them word: this Indian, overlooking all other national or natural obligations, in consideration of his life that was received on that condition, proved very true and faithful to those that sent him; his order was to have returned in three days, but not being able within so short a time to make a full discovery of the business, and also to find a handsome way to escape, he made it eight days before he returned, in which something fell out not a little remarkable; for those he was sent to discover, suspecting at the last by his withdrawing himself, that he came for a spy, pursued after him, so he was forced to fly for his life, and getting down to the sea side, he accidentally met with a canoe a little before turned adrift, by which means he paddled by some shift or other so far out of the harbor, that making a sign he was discerned by some on board one of the vessels that attended on our soldiers, by whom being taken up, he made known what he had discovered. But after he was gone, Sassacous suspecting (and not without just cause) what the matter was, made his escape from the rest, with 20 or 30 of his men to the Mohawks, by whom himself and they that were with him, were all

murdered afterward, being hired thereunto by the Narragansets, as was confidently affirmed and believed.

Thus this treacherous and cruel villain with his com panions, having against his faith and promise, as well as contrary to the laws of nature and nations, murdered several others, both of the Dutch and English nation, is in the same manner himself, against the laws of hospitality murdered by those to whom he fled for refuge. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay it.

It is worthy our observation, that this Sassacous, the chief Sachem of the Pequods, as afterwards Philip of Mount Hope, (both of them in their several times and places the contrivers of many bloody and cruel mischiefs, yet) escaped the hands of those whom they had so many ways provoked to the utmost degree of indig nation, that so they might not too much gratify their own spirit in taking revenge; but it must be brought about by those means by which the glory of divine vengeance and justice shall more eminently shine forth, that it might be truly said of them, as Adonibezek confessed of himself, As I have done, so God hath requitted me.

But to return: The rest of the Pequods from whom Sassacous had made an escape, shifted every one for himself, leaving but three or four behind them (when a party of soldiers according to the direction of him that was sent as a spy came upon the place) who would not or could not tell them whither their company were fled;

Sassacous's scalp was sent down to the English.-Hubbard's Mas sachusetts History.

but our soldiers ranging up and down as Providence guided them, at the last, July 13, 1637, they lighted upon a great number of them, they pursued them to a small Indian town seated by the side of an hideous swamp (near the place where Fairfield or Stratford now stands) into which they all slipt, as well Pequods as natives of the place, before our men could make any shot upon them, having placed a centinel to give warning, Mr. Ludlow and Capt. Mason with half a score of their men happened to discover this crew. Capt. Patrick and Capt. Trask with about an hundred of the Massa chusetts forces came in upon them presently after the alarm was given; such commanders as first happened to be there gave special orders that the swamp should be surrounded (being about a mile in compass) but Lieut. Davenport belonging to Capt. Trask's company, not hearing the word of command, with a dozen more of his company, in an over eager pursuit of the enemy, rushed immediately into the swamp, where they were very rudely entertained by those evening wolves that newly kennelled therein, for Lieut. Davenport was sorely wounded in the body, John Wedwood of Ipswich in the belly, and laid hold on by some of the Indians; Thomas Sherman of said Ipswich in the neck; some of their neighbors that ventured in with them were in danger of the enemy's arrows that flew very thick about them, others were in as much hazard of being swallowed by the miry boggs of the swamp, wherein they stuck so fast, that if Sarjeant Riggs, of Roxbury, had not rescued two or three of them, they had fallen into the hands of