When they went out, their chief Design was Plunder, and they were in mighty Hopes of finding Gold there; but a Circumftance which none of them were aware of, fet them on Fire with Revenge, and made Devils of them all. When they came to the few Indian Houfes which they thought had been the Town, which was not above Half a Mile off; they were under a great Difappointment, for there was not above twelve or thirteen Houfes, and where the Town was, or how big, they knew not; they confulted therefore what to do,and was fome Time before they could refolve; for if they fell upon thefe, they must cut all their Throats, and it was ten to one but fome of them might efcape, it being in the Night, tho' the Moon was up; and if one efcap'd, he would run away and raise all the Town, fo they fhould have a whole Army upon them; again on the other Hand, if they went away and left thofe untouch'd, for the People were all afleep, they could not tell which Way to look for the Town.

However, the laft was the best Advice, fo they refolv'd to leave them, and look for the Town as well as they could, they went on a little Way, and found a Cow ty'd to a Tree; this they prefently concluded would be a good Guide to them; tor they faid, the Cow certainly belong'd to the Town before them, or the Town behind them; and if they unty'd her they fhould fee which Way fhe went; if he went back, they had nothing to fay to her, but if the went forward, they had nothing to do but to follow her; fo they cut the Cord which was made of twifted Flags, and the Cow went on before

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fore them; in a Word, the Cow led them directly to the Town, which as they report, confifted of above 200 Houfes, or Huts; and in fome of these, they found feveral Families living together.

Here they found all in Silence, as profoundly fecure, as Sleep, and a Country that had never feen an Enemy of that Kind could make them; and firft, they call'd another Council, to confider what they had to do; and in a Word, they refolv'd to divide themfelves into three Bodies, and to fet three Houfes on Fire in three Parts of the Town; and as the Men came out, to feize them and bind them; if any refifted, they need not be ask'd what to do then, and fo to fearch the reft of the Houses for Plunder; but they refolv'd to march filently firft, thro' the Town, and fee what Dimensions it was of, and if they might venture upon it or no.

They did fo, and defperately refolv'd that they would venture upon them; but while they were animating one another to the Work, three of them that were a little before the reft, call'd out aloud to them, and told them they had found Thom. Jeffry they all run up to the Place, and fo it was indeed, for there they found the poor Fellow hang'd up naked by one Arm, and his Throat cut; there was an Indian Houfe juft by the Tree, where they found fixteen or feventeen of the principal Indians who had been concern'd in the Fray with us before; and two or three of them wounded with our Shot; and our Men found they were awake, and talking one to another in that Houle, but knew not their Number.

The

The Sight of their poor mangled Comrade fo enrag'd them, as before, that they fwore to one another they would be reveng'd, and that not an Indian that came into their Hands fhould have any Quarter, and to Work they went immediately, and yet not fo madly as by the Rage and Fury they were in might be expected: Their first Care was to get fomething that would foon take Fire; but after a little Search, they found that would be to no Purpose; but the most of the Houfes were low, and thatch'd with Flags or Rushes, of which the Country is full; fo they prefently made fome wild Fire, as we call it, by wetting a little Powder in the Palms of their Hands, and in a quarter of an Hour, they fet the Town on Fire in four of five Places; and particularly that Houfe where the Indians were not gone to Bed. As foon as the Fire began to blaze, the poor frighted Creatures began to rush out to fave their Lives, but met with their Fate in the Attempt, and especially at the Door, where they drove them back, the Boatfwain himself killing one or two with his Pole-Ax; The Houfe being large, and many in it, he did not care to go in but call'd for a Hand-Grenado, and threw it among them, which at firft frighted them, but when it burft, made fuch Havock among them, that they cry'd out in a hideous Manner.

In fhort, most of the Indians who were in the open Part of the Houfe, were kill'd or hurt with the Grenado, except two or three more whe prefs'd to the Door, which the Boatfwain and two more kept with their Bayonets in the Muzzles of their Picces, and difpatch'd all that came that Way: But there was another Apartment in the House where the Prince orKing, or whatever he was and feveral others were, and thefe they kept in till

the House, which was by this Time all of a light Flame, fell in upon them, and they were fmother'd or burnt together.

All this while they fir'd not a Gun, because they would not waken the People faster than they could mafter them; but the Fire began to waken them fast enough, and our Fellows were glad to keep a little together in Bodies; for the Fire grew fo raging, all the Houses being made of light combustible Stuff, that they could hardly bear the Street between them, and their Bufinefs was to follow the Fire for the furer Execution: As faft as the Fire either forc'd the People out of those Houses which were burning, or frighted them out of others, our People were ready at their Doors to knock them on the Head, ftill calling and hallowing to one another to remember Thom. Jeffries.

While this was doing, I muft confefs I was very uneasy, and especially when I faw the Flames of the Town, which, it being Night, feem'd to be just by me.

My Nephew, the Captain, who was rous'd by his Men too, feeing fuch a Fire, was very uneafy, not knowing what the Matter was, or what Danger I was in; especially hearing the Guns too; for by this Time they began to ufe their Fire-Arms; a thousand Thoughts opprefs'd his Mind concerning me and the Supra-cargo, what fhould become of us: And at laft, tho' he could ill fpare any more Men, yet not knowing what Exigence we might be in, he takes another Boat, and with 13 Men and himself, comes on Shore to me.

He

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He was furpriz❜d to fee me and the Supra-cargo in the Boat with no more than two Men; and tho' he was glad that we were well, yet he was in the fame Impatience with us to know what was doing; for the Noife continu'd, and the Flame encreas'd: In fhort, it was next to an Impoffibility, for any Men in the World, to reftrain their Curiofity, to know what had happen'd, or the Concern for the Safety of the Men: In a word, the Captain told me he would go and help his Men, let what would come. I argu'd with him, as I did before, with the Men, the Safety of the Ship, the Danger of the Voyage, the Interefts of the Owners and Merchants, &c. and told him, I would go and the two Men, and only fee if we could at a Distance learn what was like to be the Event, and come back and tell him.

It was all one, to talk to my Nephew, as it was to talk to the reft before; he would go he faid, and he only wifh'd he had left but ten Men in Ship; for he could not think of having his Men loft for want of Help, he had rather lofe the Ship, the Voyage, and his Life and all; and away

went he.

In a Word, I was no more able to stay behind now, than I was to perfuade them not to go; fo in fhort, the Captain order'd two Men to row back the Pinnace, and fetch twelve Men more, leaving the Long-Boat at an Anchor, and that when they came back, fix Men fhould keep the two Boats, and fix more come after us; fo that he left only 16 Men in the Ship; for the whole Ship's Company confifted of 65 Men, where

of