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where he had a tract of land, which is now known by the name of the Captain's Hill. He had one son, Alexander, who died in Duxbury; a grandson of his, deacon Joseph Standish, settled in Norwich, Connecticut, a great grandson of whom, is the junior compiler of this volume. A house of deacon Standish was burned, in which was destroyed the sword of the captain, which fought the first battles of New England. Those are certainly deceived, who imagine they have it in possession. His name will be long venerated in New England. He was one who chose to suffer affliction with the people of God, who subdued kingdoms, and put to flight the armies of the aliens.

CHAP. XX.

Comet. Phillip's War.

THE people of New England were sur

prised by the appearance of a comet, from the 17th of November, 1664, till the 4th of February following. They deemed it ominous, (as they af terward did the Aurora Borealis,) of some ea◄ lamity which was shortly to befal them.

In the year 1675, a war with the Indians, by the name of Phillip's war, broke out, and endan、

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gered the existence of the colony. Some doubted whether the Indians would not succeed in the total extirpation of the English. This distressing war lasted more than a year.

This was the first hostile attack from the natives, which had been really alarming to the country. In 1637, the troops of Massachusetts and Connecticut had destroyed the Pequots. In 1643, there were some disturbances with the Narragansets, but matters were settled without shedding blood. In 1646, a plot was formed by Sequasson, a sachem near New Haven, to assassinate the magistrates of that colony, but he effected nothing. In 1647, there were some transient difficulties with the Narragansets and Mohegans. The next year, the Narragansets hired the Mohawks to assist them against the Mohegans, but were detect ed. The following year, some persons were murdered by the Indians at New Haven and Long Island.

In the year 1653, the public mind was agitated,. a general panic seized the country, from an apprehension, that there was a conspiracy of the Indians. through the country to cut off the English. These rumours and terrors of the day appeared, afterward, to have no just foundation.

In 1662, Alexander, the son of Massasoit, invited the Narragansets to join with him in revolting from the English; general Winslow went

Phillip's War.

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with only ten men, and brought him to Plymouth, where, though he was treated very civilly, his vexation and madness threw him into a fever, of which he died. His brother Phillip succeeded him, and renewed his covenant with the English; yet in 1671, he commenced hostilities against the English, but was soon subdued, and promised never to begin war again, before he had made complaint himself to Plymouth colony. Excepting these slight difficulties, for almost forty years, the English had enjoyed peace with the Indians.

In 1674, John Sausaman, an Indian whom the English had employed as a missionary to instruct his brethren, informed the governor of Plymouth, that Phillip, with several other tribes, was plotting the destruction of the English. Soon after this, Sausaman was found murdered; three Indians were arrested, tried, convicted, and hung for the murder. Phillip now more offended, sent away his women, armed his men, and robbed several houses in the vicinity of his own dwelling. June 24, 1674, the colony observed as a day of humiliation and prayer. As the people of Swanzey were returning from public worship, the Indians, lying in ambush, fired a volley, killed one man and wounded another. Two men, who went for a surgeon, were shot, and at the same time, in another part of the town, six persons more were killed. Immediately, a company of horse and

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foot, marched from Boston, and another company of foot from Plymouth, and arrived the 28th near Phillip's seat; twelve men the same evening reconnoitred his camp, were fired upon, one was killed, and one wounded; the next morning a resolute assault was made, when the savages fled, leaving their camp and their country to the conquerors.

The troops of Massachusetts then marched into the country of the Narragansets, to renew the treaty with them, sword in hand, and engage them not to join in the war with Phillip. This they effected and returned home. Phillip fled to the Nipmuck Indians, in Worcester county, who were persuaded to assist him. August 2, captains. Wheeler and Hutchinson went into that country to renew a treaty with them according to an appointment, but the Nipmucks, instead of attending the treaty, from an ambush fired on them, killed eight men, and mortally wounded capt. Hutchinson. The rest fled to Quaboag, where all the inhabitants had collected in one house.

Immediately they were surrounded by a host of enemies, Nipmucks, and Phillip with the men, who had fled with him. They soon burned every house in the place, except the one in which the people and soldiers were collected. Here they directed their whole force; upon this cottage they pouredastorm of musket balls for two days; count

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less numbers pierced through the walls, yet only one person was killed ;* with long poles they thrust against it brands and rags dipped in brimstone; they shot arrows of fire; they loaded a cart with flax and tow, and with long poles fastened together, they pushed it against the house. Their destruction now seemed inevitable. The house was kindling, the surrounding savages stood ready to destroy the first that opened the door to escape. In this awful moment of terror, God sent a "mighty" shower of rain, which extinguished the kindling flames. August 4, major Willard came to their relief and raised the seige, destroying many of the enemy.

The savages went to Decrfield and burned most of the houses; the next day they were at Northfield, where they killed eight men; Capt. Beers went, with thirty six men, to fetch off the inhabitants; on his march he was assaulted by the enemy, himself and twenty of his men were killed. September 18, Capt. Lathrop, with a number of teams and eighty young men, the flower of Essex county, went to bring a quantity of grain from Deerfield; on their return they stopped to gather grapes at Muddy Brook; when, instantly, 7 or 800 Indians rushed upon them, and dreadful was the slaughter; confined among the trees, resistance was almost in vain; 70 sons of New England

X

* Fisk, HUBBard, Mather.

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