History of the War with Indian Savages, Article 23
ARTICLE. XXIII. More Miſchiefs, in Spite of Treaties.
EXcept it were the Falling of Two Souldiers belonging to Saco Garriſon, into the Hands of the Enemy, who Took the one, and Kill'd the other, ſome Time in March. 1695 Many Months paſs'd away, without any Action between Them and Us; And it is Reported by Returned Captives, That the Hand of God, reach'd them, when the Hand of Man could not find them, and a Mortal Sickneſs, did at a Strange Rate carry off multitudes of them. At length, upon the Mediation of old Sheepſcoat John, once a Praying Indian, of the Reverend ELIOT's Catechmuens, but after-wards, a Pagan, and now a Popiſh-Apoſtate, a Great Fleet of Canoo's came, in to an Iſland, about a League from the Fort at Pemmaquid, May 20. 1695. and, after they had laid ſtill there, all the Lords-Day, on Munday morning they ſent unto the Engliſh, for another Treaty. They Declared, Their Deſign was to Exchange Captives, and Renew the Peace, and condemned themſelves for their Violating the Peace made near Two years ago. Eight Captives, they Immediately Delivered up; and upon a Grant of a Truce for Thirty Days, Colonel John Phillips, Lieut. Colonel Hawthorn, and Major Convers, were ſent Commiſſioners unto Pemmaquid, for the management of that affayr. Our Commiſſioners, with Good Reaſon, demanding a Surrender of all the Engliſh Captives, according to former Agreement, before they would allow any New Propoſitions of Peace to be offered, the Indians, diguſted that their Idol Bommaſeen was left at Boſton, broke off the Conference, and went off in Diſcontent. Advice was immediately diſpatch'd into all parts of the Eaſtern Country, to ſtand well upon their Guard: notwithſtanding which, on July 6. Major Hammond of Kittery, fell into the Hands of the Lurking Indians; and the next week, Two men at Exeter were kill'd by ſome of the ſame Dangerous Lurkers. Major Hammond was now aboard a Canoo, intending to put aſhore at Saco; but ſome of the Garriſon-Souldiers there, not knowing that they had ſuch a good Friend aboard, inadvertently Fired upon the Canoo; and ſo, the Indians carried him clear away. They tranſported him at length to Canada; where he met with Extraordinary Civilities; Count Frontenack, the Governour himſelf, nobly purchaſed him, of his Tawny-maſter; and ſent him home to New-England, by a Veſſel, which alſo fetch'd from thence a Conſiderable Number, (perhaps near Thirty) of Engliſh Priſoners. In Auguſt, the Houſe of one Rogers at Billerica, was plundered, and about Fifteen People Kill'd and Taken, by Indians, which, by appearing and Approaching, 'tis ſaid, on Horſe-back, were not Suſpected for Indians, [for, Who ſet them on Horſe-back?] till they Surprized the Houſe they came to. And about the ſame Time, Sergeant Haley, Venturing out of his Fort, at Saco, Stept into the Snares of Death. On Sept 9. Sergeant March, with Three more, were Killed by the Indians, and Six more, at the ſame Time wounded at Pemmaquid, Rowing a Gondula, round an high Rocky point, above the Barbican. On Oct. 7. the Indians entred the Houſe of one John Brown at Newbury; carrying away Nine Perſons with them; whereupon Captain Greenlief, nimbly purſuing the Murderers, did unhappily ſo Stumble on them in the Night, that they wounded the good man, and made their Eſcape over the River. The Captain Retook all the Captives; but the Indians, in their going off, Strook them all ſo Violently on the Head, with the Clubs, which I remember a French Hiſtorian ſomewhere calls by the frightful Name of Head-breakers, that they afterwards all of them Dyed, Except a Lad that was only hurt in the Shoulder. Some of them Lingred out for half a year, and ſome of them for more than a whole year; but if the Doctors cloſed up the wounds of their Heads, they would grow Light headed, and Faint, and Sick, and could not bear it; So at laſt, they Dyed, with their very Brains working out at their Wounds.
But having thus run o…er a Journal of Deaths, for the year, 1695. Let us before the year be quite gone, ſee ſome Vengeance taken upon the Heads in the Houſe of the Wicked. Know then, Reader, That Captain March petitioning to be Diſmiſs'd from his Command of the Fort at Pemmaquid, one Chub Succeeded him. And this Chub, found an Opportunity, in a pretty Chubbed manner, to kill, the famous Egeremet, and, Ahenquid, a couple of Principal Sagamores, with one or Two other Indians; On a Lords-day, the Sixteenth of February. Some that well enough liked the Thing, which was now done, did not altogether like the manner of doing it, becauſe there was a pretence of Treaty, between Chub, and the Sagamores, whereof he took his Advantage to lay violent Hands on them. If there were any unfair Dealing (which I know not) in this Action of Chub, there will be another February, not far off, wherein the Avengers of Blood, will take their Satisfaction.