ride up to the fort, to see whether things were so or not. The fort was about a mile from the town; when he came within a little thereof, he met these bloody and deceitful monsters, newly issued out of their Equus Trojanus to act their intended mischief; they presently fired upon him, divers of them, and shot him in several places through the body, yet being a man of stout courage, he kept his horse till he recovered the next garrison house, his companion they shot dead upon the place; by this means giving a sad alarm to the town of their intended mischief, which was instantly fired in all places where there were no garrisons. The poor people having not an officer to lead them, being like sheep ready for the slaughter, and no doubt the whole town had been totally destroyed, but that a report of the plot being carried about over night, Major Treat came from Westfield time enough for their rescue, but wanting boats to transport his men, could not do so much as he desired. Major Pynchon coming from Hadley with Capt. Appleton and what forces they could bring along with them, 32 houses being first consumed, preserved the rest of the town from being turned to ashes, in which the over credulous inhabitants might now see (what before they would not now believe at the burning Maj. Pynchon's barns and stables a few days before, to a very great damage of the owner), the faithless and deceitful friendship among these perfidious, cruel and hellish monsters.

Amongst the ruins of the said dwellings, the saddest to behold was the house of Mr. Pelatiah Clover, minister of the town, furnished with a brave library, which he had but newly brought back from a garrison wherein it had been for some time before secured, but as if the danger had been over with them, the said minister, a great student, and an hilluo librorum, being impatient for want of his books, brought them back to his great sorrow, fit for a bonfire for the proud insulting enemy. Of all the mischiefs done by the said enemy before that day, the burning of this town of Springfield did more than any other discover the said actors to be the children of the devil, full of all subtilty and malice, there having been for about forty years so good correspondence betwixt the English of that town and the neighboring Indians. But in them is made good what is said in the Psalm, That though their words were smoother than oil, yet were they drawn swords."

"Swamp Fight" with the Narragansetts.-In July, 1675, the English made a friendly treaty with the Narragansett Indians. Notwithstanding this, it was discovered that they secretly aided Philip's party. This determined the English to undertake a winter expedition against them. For this object, the colony of Massachusetts furnished five hundred and twenty-seven men, Ply

mouth one hundred and fifty-nine, and Connecticut three hundred : to all these were attached one hundred and fifty Mohegan Indians. Josiah Winslow, governor of Plymouth Colony, was elected their commander.

"The whole number of all our forces being now come, the want of provision with the sharpness of the cold, minded them of expedition, wherefore the very next day, the whole body of the Massachusetts and Plymouth forces marched away to Pettyquamscot intending to engage the enemy upon the first opportunity that next offered itself: To which resolution those of Connecticut presently consented, as soon as they met together, which was about 5 o'clock in the afternoon : Bull's house intended for their general rendezvous, being unhappily burnt down two or three days before, there was no shelter left either for officers or private soldiers, so as they were necessitated to march on toward the enemy through the snow, in a cold stormy evening, finding no other defence all that night, save the open air, nor any other covering than a cold and moist fleece of snow. Through all these difficulties they marched from the break of the next day, December 19th, till one of the clock in the afternoon, without even fire to warm them, or respite to take any food, save what they could chew in their march. Thus having waded fourteen or fifteen miles through the country of the old Queen, or Sunke Squaw of Narraganset, they came at 1 o'clock upon the edge of the swamp where their guide assured them they would find Indians enough before night.

Our forces chopping thus upon the seat of the enemy, upon the sudden, they had no time either to draw up in any order or form of battle, nor yet opportunity to consult where or how to assault. As they marched, Capt. Mosely and Capt. Davenport led the Van, Major Appleton and Capt. Oliver brought up the rear of Massachusetts forces: General Winslow with the Plymouth forces marched in the centre; those of Connecticut came up in the rear of the whole body: But the frontiers discerning Indians in the edge of the swamp, fired immediately upon them who answering our men in the same language, retired presently into the swamp, our men followed them in amain, without staying for the word of command, as if every one were ambitious who should go first, never making any stand till they came to the sides of the fort, into which the Indians that first fired upon them betook themselves.

It seems that there was but one entrance into the fort, though the enemy found many ways to come out, but neither the English or their guide well knew on which side the entrance lay: nor was it easy to have made another; wherefore the good providence of Almighty God is the more to be acknowledged, who as he led Israel sometimes by the pillar of fire, and the cloud of his presence, a right way through the wilderness, so did he now direct our forces upon that side of the fort, where they might not only enter through not without the utmost danger and hazard. The fort was raised upon a kind of an island of

five or six acres of rising land in the midst of a swamp; the sides of it were made of pallisadoes, set upright, which was compassed about with an hedge of almost a rod thickness, thro' which there was no passing unless they could have fired a way through, which then they had no time to do. The place where the Indians used ordinarily to enter themselves, was upon a long tree over a place of water, where but one man could enter at a time, and which was so way-laid that they would have been cut off that had ventured there: But at one corner there was a cap made up only with a long tree, about four or five foot from the ground, over which men might easily pass: But they had placed a kind of a Block-house right over against the said tree, from whence they sorely galled our men that first entered, some being shot dead upon the tree, as was Capt. Davenport; so as they that first entered were forced presently to retire, and fall upon their bellies, the fury of the enemy's shot was pretty well spent, which some companies that did not discern the danger, not observing, lost sundry of their men, but at the last two companies being brought up, besides the four that first marched up, they animated one another, to make another assault, one of the commanders crying out they run, hey run, which did so encourage the soldiers that they presently enered amain. After a considerable number were well entered, they presently beat the enemy out of a flanker on the left hand, which did a little shelter our men from the enemy's shot, till more came up, and so by degrees made up higher, first into the middle, and then into the upper end of the fort, till at last they made the enemy all retire from their sconses, and fortified places, leaving multitudes of their dead bodies upon the place. Connecticut soldiers marching up in the rear, being not aware of the dangerous passage over the tree, in command of the enemy's block-house, were at their first entrance many of them shot down, although they came on with as gallant resolution as any of the rest, under the conduct of their wise and valiant leader, Major Treat.

The brunt of the battle, or danger that day lay most upon the commanders whose part it was to lead on their several companies in the very face of death, or else all had been lost; so as all of them with great valour and resolution of mind, as not at all afraid to die in so good a cause, bravely led on their men in that desperate assault; leaving their lives in the place as the best testimony of their valour, and of love to the cause of God and their country: No less than six brave Captains fell that day in the assault, viz. Capt. Davenport; Capt. Gardiner, Capt. Johnson, of Massachusetts, besides Lieutenant Upham, who died some months after of his wounds received at that time. Capt. Gallop also, and Capt. Sieley and Capt. Marshall were slain, of those belonging to Connecticut colony. It is usually seen that the valour of the soldiers is much wrapped up in the lives of their Commanders, yet it was found here, that the soldiers were rather engaged than discouraged by the loss of their Commanders, which made them redouble their courage, and not give back after they were entered a second time, till they had driven out their enemies: So after much