History of the War with Indian Savages, Article 27
ARTICLE. XXVII. The End of the Year, and we hope of the War.
O Thou Sword of the Wilderneſs; When wilt thou be quiet? On Sept. 11. A party of the Enemy came upon the Town of Lancaster, then prepared for Miſchief by a wonderful Security, and they did no little Miſchief unto it. Near Twenty were killed, and among the reſt, Mr. John Whiting, the Paſtor of the Church there: Five were carryed Captive; Two or Three Houſes were burnt, and ſeveral Old People in them. Captain Brown, with Fifty men, purſued them, till the Night Stop't their purſuit: but it ſeems, a Strange Dog or two, unknown to the Company, did by their Barking, alarm the Enemy, to Riſe in the Night, and Strip and Scalp an Engliſh Captive-Woman, and fly ſo far into the Woods, that after Two Dayes Bootleſs Labour, our men Returned. November arrived, before any farther Blood ſhed; and then, t'was only of one man, in the Woods, at Oyſter-River. December arrived with the welcome Tidings, of a Peace concluded between England and France; which made us Hope, that there would be little more of any Blood ſhed at all. The Winter was the Severeſt, that ever was in the memory of man. And yet February muſt not paſs, without a Stroke upon Pemmaquid Chub, whom the Government had mercifully permitted after his Examination, to Retire un…o his Habitation in Andover. As much out of the way as to Andover, there came above Thirty Indians, about the middle of February, as if their Errand had been for a Vengeance upon Chub, whom (with his Wife) they now Maſſ…cred there. They Took Two or Three Houſe, and Slew Three or Four Perſons; and Mr. Thomas Barnard, the worthy Miniſter of the place, very narrowly Eſcaped their Fury. But in the midſt of their Fury; there was one piece of Mercy, the like whereof had never been ſeen before: For, they had got Colonel Dudley Bradſtreet, with his Family into their Hands; but perceiving, the Town Muſtering to follow them, their Hearts were ſo changed, that they diſmiſſed their Captives without any further Damage unto their Perſons. Returning back by Haverhil, they kill'd a couple and a couple they Took, with ſome Remarkable circumſtances, worthy to be made a diſtinct History. But, Reader, we are now in Haſt, for to have our preſent Hiſtory come unto an End: and though the end of this Year did not altogether prove the end of the War; for, on May 9. 1698. the Indians Murdered an old man, at Spruce-Creek, and carryed away Three Sons, of that old man; and wounded a man at York: yet we were not without proſpect of our Troubles growing towards a period: and even in that very Murder at Spruce-creek there fell out one thing that might a little encourage our Hopes concerning it. The Murderer was a famous kind of a Giant among the Indians; a Fellow Reputed Seven Foot High: This Fellow kill'd the poor old man in cold Blood, after he had Surrendred himſelf a Priſoner: But behold, Before many Hours were out, this famous and bloody Fellow accidently Shot himſelf to Death, by his Gun going off, when he was fooliſhly pulling a Canoo to the Shore with it.
The laſt Bloody Action, that can have a Room in our Story is This
The Indians, (though ſometimes, it hath been much doubted, What Indians!) have in this War, made ſeveral Deſcents upon ſome of the upper Towns, that were our moſt Northerly Settlements upon Connecticut River. But the Pious, and Honeſt People in thoſe Towns, have always given them a brave Repulſe, and had a notable Experience of the Divine Favour to them, in their preſervations. Deerfield ha's been an Extraordinary Inſtance of Courage, in keeping their Station, though they have lived all this while in a very Pihahiroth; and their worthy Paſtor, Mr. John Williams, deſerves the Thanks of all this Province, for his Encouraging them all the ways Imaginable, to Stand their ground. Once the Enemy was like to have Surpriſed them into a grievous Deſolation; but he, with his Praying, and Valiant, little Flock, m…ſt happily Repelled them. And now, about the middle of July, 1698. a little before Sun ſet, Four Indians, killed a Man and a Boy, in Hatfield Meadows; and carried away Two Boys, into Captivity. The Advice coming to Deerfield in the Night, they preſently Diſpatched away Twelve men, to way lay the Enemy coming up the River; having firſt, Look'd up unto the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, that they might find the Enemy, and harm none but the Enemy, and Reſcue the Children which the Enemy had Seized upon. After a Travel of near Twenty Miles, they perceived the Indians, in their Canooes coming up the River, but on the other ſide of it, within a Rod or Two, of the oppoſite Shore: Whereupon they ſo Shot, as to Hitt one of the Indians, and then they all Jump't out of the Canooes, and one of the Boyes with them. The wounded Salvage crawled unto the Shoar; where, his back being broken, he lay in great Anguſh, often Endeavouring with his Hatchet, for to knock out his own Brains, and tear open his own Breaſt, but could not: and another Indian ſeeing the Two Boyes getting one to another, deſign'd 'em a Shot, but his Gun would not go off: Whereupon he followed 'em with his Hatchet, for to have knock'd 'em on the Head; but juſt as he come at 'em, one of our men ſent a Shot into him, that Spoilt his Enterprize; and ſo the Boyes getting together, into one Canooe, brought it over to the Friends thus concerned for them. Theſe good men, ſeeing their Exploit performed thus far; Two Indians deſtroy'd, and Two Children delivered, they fell to Praiſing of God; and one young man particularly, kept thus Expreſſing himſelf; Surely, Tis God, and not we, that have wrought this Deliverance! But, as we have ſometimes been told. That even in the Beating of a Pulſe, the Dilating of the Heart, by a Diaſtole of Delight, may be turned into a contracting of it, with a Syſtole of Sorrow: In the Beating of a few Pulſe, after this, they ſent five or ſix men, with the Canooe, to fetch the other, which was lodged at an Iſland not far off, that they might purſue the other Indians: when thoſe two Indians having hid themſelves in the High-graſs, unhappily Shot a quick Death, into the young man, whoſe Expreſſions were but now recited. This Hopeful young mans Brother-in-Law, was intending to have gone out, upon this Action; but the young man himſelf importuned his Mother to let him go: which, becauſe he was an only Son, ſhe denyed; but then, fearing ſhe did not well to withold her Son from the Service of the Publick, ſhe gave him leave: ſaying, See that you do now, and as you go along, Reſign, and give up your ſelf unto the Lord; and I deſire to Reſign you to Him! So he goes, and ſo he dies; And may he be the last, that falls in a Long and Sad War, with Indian Salvages!