Dutch, who were settling among them, were unwilling to harbor their enemies, and consequently attacked a considerable body of them on the 5th March; the engagement was a severe one-the fugitive Indians being furnished with fire-arms, repelled the attack of the Mohawks with a becoming spirit, but were at length overpowered and completely defeated. The loss on both sides was very great.

On the 20th, the Indians took a Mr. Willet prisoner, near Swanzey, and after cutting off his nose and ears, set him at liberty! On the 23d they made prisoners of the family of a Mr. Barney, of Rehoboth, consisting of himself, his wife, and six children; two of the youngest of the latter they killed and scalped, and threw their mangled bodies to their dogs to devour!

On the 28th, a negro man who had been for several months a prisoner among the savages, escaped from them and returned to the English, to whom he gave the following information, to wit:-That the enemy were concerting a plan to attack Taunton, and the villages adjacent; that for this purpose there were then embodied, near Worcester, one thousand of them, at the head of whom was Philip, and that near one hundred of them were furnished with fire-arms : that a few days previous to his escape, a scouting party arrived, and brought in with them two prisoners and three human scalps! To frustrate the intentions of the enemy, the Governor of Massachusetts colony despatched three companies of cavalry for the defence of Taunton.

The English of Connecticut colony, although but little troubled with the enemy since the destruction of the Pequots, were not unwilling to afford their brethren all the assistance possible in a protracted and bloody war with the common enemy-they accordingly furnished three companies of cavalry, who, under command of the experienced Major Talcott, on the 5th April proceeded to the westward, in search of the enemy: on the 11th they fell in with, attacked, and defeated, a considerable body of them. Apparently, by the special direction of Divine Providence, Major Talcott arrived in the neighborhood of Hadley in time to preserve the town, and save its inhabitants from total destruction! The savages, to the number of five hundred, were on the eve of commencing an attack, when they were met by the Major, with the troops under his command; this unexpected relief animating the few inhabitants which the town contained, they hastened to the assistance of the cavalry, who at this moment were seriously engaged with the whole body of the enemy. The savages having gained some signal advantages, victory for a considerable length of time appeared likely to decide in their favor-fortunately, the inhabitants of Hadley having for their defence a few weeks previous procured from Boston an eight-pounder, it was at this critical period loaded by the women, and being mounted, was by them conveyed to the English, which (being charged with small shot, nails, &c.) was by the latter discharged with the best effect upon the enemy, who immediately thereupon fled in every direction.Thus it was that the English in a great measure owed the preservatino of their lives to the unexampled heroism of a few women!

The Governor and Council of the United Colonies, taking under serious consideration the miraculous escape of the inhabitants of Hadley from total destruction, and the recent success of the arms of the English in various parts of the country, appointed the 27th day of August 1679, to be observed throughout the Colonies as a day of Public Thanksgiving and Praise to Almighty God. This, it may be well to observe, was the commencement of an annual custom of our forefathers, which to the present day is so religiously observed by their descendants throughout the New England States.

On the 3d September, the Connecticut troops, under command of Major Talcott and Captains Dennison and Newbury, proceeded to Narraganset in quest of the enemy, who, to the number of about three hundred, had been discovered in a piece of woods; the English were accompanied by their faithful friend Oneco, with one hundred Mohegans under his command. In the evening of the 5th they discovered the savages encamped at the foot of a steep hill, on which Major Talcott made arrangements for an attack. The Mohegans were ordered to gain the summit of the hill, by a circuitous route, to prevent the flight of the enemy; two companies of cavalry were ordered to flank them on the right and left, while Major Talcott, with a company of foot stationed himself in their rear. Having thus disposed of his forces a signal was given by the Major for the Mohegans to commence the attack, which they did and with such spirit, (accompanied by their savage yells) that had the enemy been renowned for their valor, they must have been to the highest degree appalled at so unexpected an onset. After contending a few moments with the Mohegans, the enemy were attacked on the right and left by the cavalry, who, with their cutlasses, made great havoc among them:-they were, however, unwilling to give ground until they had lost nearly one-half their number, when they attempted a flight to a swamp in their rear; but here they were met by Major Talcott, with the company of foot, who gave them so warm a reception, that they once more fell back upon the Mohegans, by whom they were very soon overpowered and would have been totally destroyed, had not Major Talcott humanely interfered in their behalf, and made prisoners of the few that remained alive. Among the latter was their leader, a squaw, commonly termed the queen of Narraganset; and among them an active young fellow who begged to be delivered into the hands of the Mohegans, that they might put him to death in their own way, and sacrifice him to their cruel genius of revenge, in which they so much delighted! The English, although naturally averse to acts of savage barbarity, were not in this instance unwilling to comply with the voluntary although unnatural request of the prisoner, as it appeared that he had in presence of the Mohegans exultingly boasted of having killed nineteen of the English with his gun, since the commencement of the war, and after loading it for the 20th (there being no more of the latter within reach) he levelled at a Mohegan, whom he killed; which completing his number, he was willing to die by their hands. The Mohegans accordingly began to prepare for the tragical event.

Forming themselves into a circle (admitting as many of the English as were disposed to witness their savage proceedings) the prisoner was placed in the centre, when one of the Mohegans, who in the late engagement had lost a son, with his knife cut off the prisoner's ears, then his nose, and then the fingers of each hand; and after the lapse of a few moments, dug out his eyes, and filled their sockets with hot `embers! Although the few English present were overcome with a view of a scene so shocking to humanity, yet the prisoner (so far from bewailing his fate) seemed to surpass his tormentors in expressions of joy. When nearly exhausted with the loss of blood, and unable longer to stand, his executioner closed the tragic scene by beating out his brains with a tomahawk!

The few Indians that now remained in the neighborhood of Plymouth colony, being in a state of starvation, they surrendered themselves prisoners to the English; one of whom being recognised as the person who had, a few days previous, inhumanly murdered the daughter of a Mr. Clarke, was, by order of the Governor, publicly executed; the remainder were retained, and treated as prisoners of war. By the assistance of one of the prisoners, who served as guide, twenty more of the enemy were, on the succeeding day, surprised and taken prisoners by the English.

The troops under the command of Major Bradford, and Captains Mosely and Brattle, on the 15th September surprised and took one hundred and fifty of the enemy prisoners near Pautuxet, among whom was the squaw of the celebrated Philip: and on the day succeeding, learning that the enemy in considerable bodies were roving about in the woods near Dedham, Major Bradford despatched Capt. Brattle with fifty men to attack them; who, the day following, fell in with about one hundred of them. As hatchets were the only weapons with which they were provided, they made but a feeble defence, and were soon overpowered by the English, who took seventy-four of them prisoners, the remainder having fallen in the action. The loss of the English was two killed and five wounded. The above party was commanded by a blood-thirsty Sachem, called Pomham, renowned for his bodily strength, which exceeded that of any of his countrymen ever met with. He bravely defended himself to the last, being wounded in the breast, and unable to stand, he seized one of the soldiers while in the act of despatching him with the butt of his gun, and would have strangled him, had he not been fortunately rescued by one of his comrades.

A general famine now prevailing among the enemy, in consequence of being deprived of an opportunity to plant their lands, numbers were daily compelled by hunger to surrender themselves prisoners to the English, among whom was a Nipnet Sachem, accompanied by one hundred and eighty of his tribe.

On the 12th October, Capt. Church, with fifty soldiers and a few friendly Indians under his command, attacked and defeated a party of the enemy near Providence, and on the day following (conducted by Indian guides) discovered a considerable body of the enemy en

camped in a swamp near Pomfret a friendly Indian first espying them, commanded them to surrender, but the enemy did not appear disposed to obey, and being sheltered by large trees, they first discharged their arrows among the English, and then with a terrible yell, attacked them with their long knives and tomahawks. The English, meeting with a much warmer reception than they had expected, gave ground, but being rallied by their old and experienced commander, Capt. Church, they rushed upon them with such impetuosity, that the enemy were thrown into confusion, and dislodged from their coverts. The action continued about an hour and a quarter. The English had seven men killed, and fourteen wounded; among the latter their brave commander, who received an arrow through his left arm. The loss of the enemy was thirty-two killed, and between sixty and seventy wounded.

On the 20th, information was forwarded the Governor and Council that the famous Philip, who had been for a long time skulking about in the woods near Mount Hope, much disheartened by the ill success of his countrymen, was the morning preceding discovered in a swamp near that place, attended by about ninety Seaconet Indians; on which the brave Capt. Church, with his little band of invincibles, were immediately despatched in pursuit of him. Captain Church was accompanied as usual by a number of the Mohegans, and a few friendly Seaconet Indians. On the 27th they arrived in the neighborhood of the swamp, near the border of which he stationed several of the Mohegans, to intercept Philip in case he should attempt an escape therefrom. Capt. Church, at the head of his little band, now with unconquerable resolution plunged into the swamp, and wading nearly to his waist in water, discovered and attacked the enemy. The Indians were nearly one hundred strong, but being unexpectedly attacked, they made no resistance, but fled in every direction; the inaccessible state of the swamp, however, prevented the English from pursuing them with success. Their dependence was now upon their friends stationed without; nor did it appear that those faithful fellows suffered so good an opportunity to pass unimproved. The reports of their muskets convinced Capt. Church that they were doing their duty; in confirmation of which, he was very soon after presented with the head of King Philip.

Philip, it appeared, in attempting to fly from his pursuers, was recognised by one of the English who had been stationed with the Mohegans to intercept him, and at whom he levelled his piece, but the priming being unfortunately wet, and preventing the discharge thereof, the cunning Sachem would yet have escaped had not one of the brave sons of Uncus at this instant given him the contents of his musket. The ball went directly through his heart; and thus fell by the hands of a faithful Mohegan, the famous Philip, who was the projector and instigator of a war, which not only proved the cause of his own destruction, but that of nearly all his tribe, once the most numerous of any inhabiting New England.

It was at this important period the English were made witnesses

of a remarkable instance of savage custom. Oneco, on learning that Philip had fallen by the hand of one of his tribe, urged that, agreeable to their custom, he had an undoubted right to the body, and a right to feast himself with a piece thereof, which the English not objecting to, he deliberately drew his long knife from his girdle, and with it detached a piece of flesh from the bleeding body of Philip, of about one pound weight, which he broiled and eat; in the meantime declaring that "he had not for many moons eaten anything with so good an appetite!" The head of Philip was detached from his body and sent by Capt. Church to Boston, to be presented to the Governor and Council, as a valuable trophy.

The few hostile Indians that now remained within the United Colonies, conscious that if so fortunate as even to evade the vigilance of the English, they must soon fall victims to the prevailing famine, fled with their families far to the westward. The English were disposed rather to facilitate than prevent their flight: having been for a number of years engaged in a destructive and bloody war with them, they were willing that the few that remained alive should escape to a country so far distant, that there was no probability of their returning to resume the bloody tomahawk. Impressed with this idea, and that the enemy were completely exterminated, they were about to bury the hatchet and turn their attention to agricultural pursuits, when by an express they were informed that the natives in the eastern part of the country (Province of Maine) had unprovokedly attacked and killed a considerable number of the English in that quarter.

To quench the flame which appeared to be enkindling in the east, the Governor despatched four companies of cavalry to the relief of the unfortunate inhabitants. The enemy, who were of the Kennebeck and Amoscoggin tribes, first attacked with unprecedented fury the defenceless inhabitants settled on Kennebeck river, the most of whom were destroyed or dispersed by them.

On the 2d November, about seven hundred of the enemy attacked with their accustomed fury, accompanied by their savage yells, the inhabitants of Newchewannick, an English settlement, situated a few miles from the mouth of the river Kennebeck, but before they had fully accomplished their hellish purposes, they were surprised by the troops sent from Boston, between whom a most bloody engagement now ensued. The Indians, encouraged by their numbers, repelled the attack of the English in so heroic a manner, that the latter were very soon thrown into disorder and driven out of town, where they again formed, faced about, and in turn charged the enemy with unconquerable resolution. The contest now became close and severe, the savages, with their terrific yells, dexterously hurled their tomahawks among the English, while the latter, with as much dexterity, attacked and mowed them down with their cutlasses. Each were apparently determined on victory or death. The English at one moment, unable to withstand the impetuosity of the savages, would give ground; at the next, the latter hard pushed by the cavalry would fall back; thus for the space of two hours did victory appear balanc