them to terms, he left twenty men, with orders to proceed to Saybrook fort, and strengthen that garrison, and returned to Boston on the fourteenth of September.

The boat in which the party was to sail to Saybrook being detained by contrary winds for several days, the men went on shore to seize some corn belonging to the enemy; while employed in this business, the Indians made a sudden attack, with bows and arrows-the ground being open, the English, with their fire arms, easily kept them at a respectful distance, and after skirmishing several hours, embarked with only one man wounded; but several of the Indians were killed.

With the Narragansets the English were more successful. On receiving a solemn embassy from the gov ernor of Massachusetts, Miantonimoh, their acting sachem, repaired to Boston, with several petty chiefs, and entered into a treaty with the English, binding themselves to make no peace with the Pequots without the consent of the English, or harbor them in any case, and that they would return all fugitive servants, and deliver to the English, or put to death, all murderers.

The expedition of Endicott, though it proved a severe chastisement to the Block island Indians, produced no important effect upon the high minded Pequots, but rather increased their enmity, and more bloody disasters were apprehended from these implacable enemies. This nation, by the neighboring Indians, was considered as a powerful and bloody people, and with them they had frequent and disastrous wars. They were seated in the southeast quarter of Connecticut, and possessed several fortifications, not easily to be carried by attacks with Indian weapons. Their chief sachem was the formidable Sassacus, who had under his command, twenty six petty captains, little inferior to himself in prowess, and he could bring into the field, on short notice, seven hundred fierce warriors, besides a considerable force from his allies, the Mohegans and Nehanticks. Viewing the English as intruders upon his lands, Sassacus was kindled into the highest resentment, and he determined to drive them from the Connecticut. His first hostile steps were upon the trading vessels, as has been related; but before committing further depredations, it was his inten

tion to have engaged the Narragansets in the war; but in this he was disappointed, by the treaty they had concluded with the English. This circumstance however did not deter the Pequots from their designs, and their next depredations were turned to the English fort at Saybrook, under the command of lieutenant Gardiner.

In the month of October, 1636, five men having been sent four miles up the river to gather hay in a meadow on the left bank, were suddenly attacked by a party of Pequots, secreted in the long grass; one man was captured, another received five arrows in different parts of his body, but escaped to the boat with three others, and put off without further injury. The captured man was one Butterfield, and the meadow where he was taken has since been called by his name. Fourteen days after this affair, six men were posted in a small hut to guard a cornfield about four miles from Saybrook fort: three of the party who ventured out some distance to shoot fowls, were suddenly surrounded by about one hundred Indians. One broke through the enemy's circle and escaped; the two others were captured. The Indians then approached the fort-destroyed a quantity of hay in the stack, and killed and wounded several cattle, feeding in the vicinity. Before the close of the year another attack was made on a party of English near the fort; ten or twelve men, under the commander of the fort, went out to burn the marshes upon a neck of land, not far distant; as soon as they had passed the isthmus, a party of Pequots rose from a covert place, and attempted to enclose the English and cut off their retreat; perceiving their danger, they made a rapid return, but before they gained the fort, several were killed-a few cannon shot soon drove the enemy into the woods. But they still hovered about the place, and kept the garrison in a constant state of alarm.

In the month of April, 1637, the enemy renewed their depredations on the English, higher up the river. A party of Weathersfield people, going to their labor in the fields, were attacked-nine killed, and two young women captured; twenty cows and some other property were destroyed before the enemy left the town.

Finding war unavoidable, the Connecticut people acted with vigour. A court was summoned to meet on the first

day of May, at which it was resolved, that an offensive war should be immediately commenced against the ferocious enemy; ninety men were ordered to be raised, from the three towns on Connecticut river, and captain Mason was appointed to command an expedition into the heart of the Pequot country. Application was made to Plymouth and Massachusetts, to join in the expedition, and those colonies ordered two hundred and fifty men to be raised, under captains Stoughton, Trask, and Patrick; the former was appointed commander. The Rev. John Wilson of Boston, was appointed chaplain of the Massachusetts and Plymouth forces.

The Connecticut troops were raised with great expedition, and on the tenth of May, Capt. Mason, with ninety men, and seventy Mohegan and river Indians, under the sachem Uncas, embarked on board several small vessels, and fell down the river to Saybrook fort. While at this place, forty of Mason's Indians, out some distance from the place, fell in with seven of the enemy, killed five and captured one, who was brought to the fort and executed by the English. Here the little army was joined by Capt. Underhill, with nineteen men, who, the preceding winter, had been sent by governor Vane of Massachusetts, to strengthen the garrison of Saybrook; and Mason ordered an equal number of his original force, to return home for the protection of the settlements, which he apprehended might be attacked, during his absence.

After remaining several days at Saybrook, to complete his arrangments, Mason sailed with his Connecticut forces for Narraganset bay, where he arrived on the nineteenth of May. At this place two hundred of Miantonimoh's Narragansets were engaged to accompany the English forces on the expedition. Information was now received from Capt. Patrick, that he had arrived at Roger Williams' plantation at Providence, with forty Massachusetts men, under orders to form a junction with the Connecticut troops. Apprehensive that the Pequots might gain intelligence of the expedition, Mason commenced his march, without waiting for Patrick's company, and soon reached Nihantick, the seat of one of the Narraganset sachems, where he was joined by an additional body of

Indians; the whole in the army amounting to about five hundred, with seventy seven Englishmen.

By information obtained from the Narragansets, it was found, that the Pequots occupied two forts, one at Mistic river about twenty four miles, the other twenty seven miles, from the camp at Nihantick; both in the eastern part of the present town of Groton. The forts were represented by the Indians as formidable works, and difficult to carry by asault; besides the dreadful Sassacus commanded. Mason was not intimidated by these representations; and as the weapons of his enemy consisted principally of bows and spears he entertained little doubt of success, with his fire arms; and though his Indians discovered much irresolution, and dreadful apprehensions of Sassacus, Mason detrmined to press on, and assault the strongest fort. After a march of about twelve miles, through forests, and over hills and morasses, in a very hot day, Mason reached the Pawcatuck, where he halted and refreshed his troops. At this place many of the Indians, overcame by their fears, left Mason, and returned home to Narraganset; but the determined leader resolving to advance with his diminished force, despatched a faithful Indian to reconnoitre the fort, who soon returned with information, that the Pequots were unapprised of their danger, and appeared to be resting in perfect security.

The march was immediately recommenced, under the guidance of Wequash, a revolted Pequot, towards Mistic river, where stood one of the forts, and on the night of the 26th of May, the whole body encamped at Porter's rocks, about three miles from the fort. Two hours before day, the next morning,the troops were in motion for the assault; and on approaching near the fort, it was found to be situated on the summit of a hill, in the centre of a handsome opening easily discerned through the gray of the morning, and intervening woods. Mason's Indians now entirely lost their resolution, and began to fall back, on which by much persuasion, he induced them to form an extended circle about the fort, at a safe distance, and there to, remain, witnesses of the resolution of his Englishmen. Forming these into two colums, one under captain Underhill, the other under himself, he ordered the attack to be made in opposite directions. The enemy had

spent the forepart of the night in a frolic, and were now in a profound sleep, and without their usual watch. On a close approximation of the English, a dog within the fort, began to roar, which awakened one of the Pequots, who perceiving the advance of the assailants, vociferated the alarm, Awannux! Awannux! (Englishmen! Englishmen!) which roused the others from their fatal security; and while they were rallying, Mason's troops advanced and poured in a fire through the apertures of the palisades, and wheeling off to a side barracaded only with brush, rushed into the fort sword in hand-Underhill with his party, entered at the same time. The enemy notwithstanding their great.confusion, made a desperate resistance; covering themselves in, and behind their wigwams, they maintained their ground with resolution against the English, who advanced in different directions, cutting, thrusting, or hewing them down with their swords without mercy. The victory hanging in suspense, Mason ordered the wigwams to be fired, and in a few moments the mats, with which they were covered, were in a blaze, and the flames spread in all directions, which compelled the assailants to retire to the exterior side, where they formed a circle about the fort, with the auxiliary Indians beyond them, in their former position. Driven from their covert by the fire, the distressed Pequots, climbed the palisades and presenting themselves in full view, more than one hundred were shot down; others sallying, and attempting to break through the surrounding troops, were shot or cut down by the English swords; if any were so fortunate as to break through the first circle, they were sure to meet death at the second, formed by the Indians. In the mean time many perished in the flames within the fort. The scene continued about an hour, and is hardly to be described; seventy wigwams were consumed, and between five and six hundred Pequots, of all descriptions, strewed the ground, or were involved in the conflagration. The victory was achieved with the loss of only two men killed, and sixteen wounded, on the part of the English. In the course of the attack. in the interior of the fort, captain Mason narrowly escaped death. Entering a wigwam to procure a firebrand, a Pequot drew his arrow to the head, with a design to pierce the captain's body;