together, thought it proper to make another Retreat about half a Mile farther, believing, as it afterwards happen'd, that the farther they ftroul'd, the fewer would be together.

Their next Halt was at the Entrance into á very thick grown Part of the Woods, and where an old Trunk of a Tree ftood, which was hollow and vaftly large, and in this Tree they both took their standing, refolving to fee there what might offer.

They had not stood there long, but two of the Savages appear'd running directly that Way, as if they had already had Notice where they ftood, and were coming up to attack them; and a little way farther, they fpy'd three more coming after them, and five more beyond them, all coming the fame Way, befides which, they faw leven or eight more at a Distance, running another Way; for in a word, they ran every Way, like Sports-men beating for their Game.

The poor Men were now in great Perplexi ty, whether they should stand and keep their Pofture, or fly: But after a very fhort Debate with themselves, they confider'd, that if the Savages ranged the Country thus before Help came, they might perhaps find out their Retreat in the Woods, then all would be loft; fo they refolv'd to ftand them there, and if they were too many to deal with, then they would get up to the Top of the Tree, from whence they doubted not to defend themfelves, Fire excepted, as long as their Ammunition lafted, tho' all the Savages that were landed, which was near gos were to attack them.. H 2

Having

Having refolv'd upon this, they next confider'd whether they fhould fire at the first two, or wait for the three, and fo take the middle Party, by which the two and the five that follow'd would be feparated, and they refolv'd to let the two firft pafs by, unless they should fpy them in the Tree, and come to attack them; the two firft Savages alfo confirm'd them in this Regulation, by turning a little from them towards another Part of the Wood, but the three and the five after them, came forwards directly to the Tree, as if they had known the English Men were there.

Seeing them come fo ftrait towards them, they refolv'd to take them in a Line, as they came; and as they refolv'd to fire but one at a time, perhaps the firft Shot might hit them all three, to which purpofe, the Man who was to fire, put three or four fmall Bullets into his Peice, and having a fair Loop-hole, as it were from a broken Hole in the Tree, he took a fure aim, without being feen, waiting till they were within about thirty Yards of the Tree, fo that he could not mifs.

While they were thus waiting, and the Savages came on, they plainly faw, that one of the three was the run-away Savage that had efcap'd from them, and they both knew him diftin&ly, and refolv'd that, if poffible, he should not efcape, tho' they fhould both fire, fo the other ftood ready with his Peice, that if he did not drop at the first Shot, he should be fure to have a fecond.

But

But the first was too good a Marks-man to mifs his Aim; for as the Savages kept near one another, a little behind in a Line, in a word, he fir'd, and hit two of them directly: The foremoft was kill'd outright, being fhot in the Head: The fecond, which was the run-away Indian, was shot thro' the Body, and fell, but was not quite dead: And the third had a little Scratch in the Shoulder, perhaps by the fame Ball that went thro' the Body of the fecond; and being dreadfully frighted, tho' not much hurt, fat down upon the Ground, skreaming and yelling in a hideous manner.

The five that were behind, more frighted with the Noife, than fenfible of the Danger, flood fill at firft; for the Woods made the Sound a thousand Times bigger than it really was; the Echo's rattling from one Side to another, and the Fowls rifing from all Parts skreaming, and making every Sort, a feveral Kind of Noife, according to their Kind, juft as it was when I fir'd the firft Gun, that perhaps was ever fhot off in that Place, fince it was an Inland.

However,all being filent again,and they not knowing what the Matter was, came on unconcern'd, 'till they came to the Place where their Companions lay in a Condition miferable enough: And here the poor ignorant Creatures, not fenfible that they were within Reach of the fame Mischief, flood all of a huddle over the wounded Man talking; and, as may be fuppos'd, enquiring of him, how he came to be hurt; and who,'tis very rational to believe, told them, that a Fiafh of Fire first, and immediately after that, Thunder from their Gods, had kill'd those two, and wounded him: This, Ifay,

is rational; for nothing is more certain than that, as they faw no Man near them, fo they had never heard a Gun in all their Lives, or fo much as heard of a Gun; neither knew they any Thing of killing or wounding, at a Distance, with Fire and Bullets; if they had, one might reafonably believe, they would not have food fo unconcern'd, in viewing the Fate of their Fellows, without fome Apprehenfion of their own.

Our two Men, tho' as they confefs'd to me, it griev'd them to be oblig'd to kill fo many poor Creatures, who at the fame Time had no Notion of their Danger; yet having them all thus in their Power, and the firft having loaded his Piece again, refolv'd to let fly both together among them; and fingling out by Agreement which to aim at, they fhot together, and kill'd or very much wounded four of them; the fifth frighted even to Death, tho' not hurt, fell with the reft; fo that our Men feeing them all fall together, thought they had kill'd them all.

The Belief that the Savages were all kill'd, made our two Men come boldly out from the Tree before they had charg'd their Guns again, which was a wrong Step; and they were under fome Surprize when they came to the Place, and found no less than four of the Men alive, and of them two very little hurt, and one not at all: This oblig'd them to fall upon them with the Stocks of their Muskets; and firft they made fure of the run-away Savage, that had been the Caufe of all the Mischief, and of another that was hurt in his Knee, and put them out of their Pain; then the Man, that was not hurt at all, came and kneel'd down to them, with his two Hands

held

held up, and made piteous Moans to them by Gestures and Signs, for his Life; but could not fay one Word to them that they could underftand.

However they fign'd to him to fit down at the Foot of a Tree thereby; and one of the English Men, with a Piece of Rope-Twine, which he had, by great Chance, in his Pocket, ty'd his two Feet fait together, and his two Hands behind him, and there they left him; and, with what Speed they could, made after the other two, which were gone before; fearing they, or any more of them, fhould find the Way to their cover'd Place in the Woods, where their Wives and the few Goods they had left, lay. They came once in Sight of the two Men, but it was at a great Distance; ever, they had the Satisfaction to fee them crofs over a Valley towards the Sea, the quite contrary Way from that which led to their Retreat, which they were afraid of; and being fatisfy'd with that, they went back to the Tree, where they left their Prifoner, who, as they fuppos'd, was deliver'd by his Comrades; for he was gone, and the two Pieces of Rope-Yarn, with which they had bound him, lay juft at the Foot of the Tree.

They were now in as great a Concern as before, not knowing what Courfe to take, or how near the Enemy might be, or in what Numbers; fo they: refolv'd to go away to the Place where their Wives were, to fee if all was well there, and to make them eafy, who were in Fright enough to be fure; for tho' the Savages were their own Country Folk, yet they were moft terribly afraid of them, and

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