several awful strokes of thunder and lightning within the bounds of Ipswich, viz. the great oak in that called Scott's lane, which on a Saturday night in August, anno 1668, (or 1667,) was broken all apieces, and some logs rent off from it, as much and more than a man could lift, were flung several rods from the place. A man in the house next to the place was struck down with the crack of thunder, but had no other hurt.

In the year 1670, the barn of one Edward Allin, in Ipswich, was fired with lightning in the time of harvest, with sixteen loads of barley newly carried thereinto. Several of the harvest men were but newly gone out of the barn into the dwelling house, and so their destruction was prevented thereby.

May 18, 1671, the house of Sergeant Perkins in Ipswich, was smitten with lightning, while many were met together at the repetition of the sermon that day preached, it being the Lord's day; several breaches were made in the timber work, and some persons were struck down therewith, yet came to life again. Sergeant Perkins himself had his waistcoat pierced with many holes like goose shot, yet had no other considerable harm, only beaten down, as if he had been dead for the present.

In the year 1671, a whirlwind at Cape Anne passed through the neck of land that makes one side of the harbour towards the main sea; its space or breadth was about forty feet from the sea to the harbour, but it went with such violence that it bore away whatever it met in the way, both small and great trees, and the boughs of trees, that on each side hung over that glade, were broken off and carried away therewith. A great rock that stood up in the harbour, as it passed along, was scarce able to withstand the fury of it, without being turned over.

About that time, or not many years before, some of the inhabitants of Ipswich, on the northwest side of the river, in a thunder storm, saw a sheet of fire, as they imagined, fall down just before the house of Mr. W. H. but it reached not the house, only rent the body of an oak that stood not far from it,

CHAP. LXXIV.

A further continuation of the narrative of the troubles with the Indians in New England, from April 1677

to June 1680.

An attempt was made against our Indian enemies, by way of a diversion, in the spring of the last year, 1677, by treating with the Mohawks or Mawques Indians, partly to secure them to be our friends, as hitherto they had been, and partly to see if they could not be induced to prosecute their inbred antipathy against our Indian enemies, with whom they have had a long and deadly feud heretofore. Something was done that way by the help and advice of Maj. Andros, the governour of New York; and probably the fear thereof was the only thing that awed the Indians about Pemaquid into a stricter correspondency and more ready compliance with the English; but the truth of this will be judged by the event hereafter.

A long, troublesome, and hazardous journey was un. dertaken by the Hon. Maj. Pinchon, of Springfield, and Mr. Richards, of Hartford, in behalf of those two colonies: they were followed with as much success as they could expect. The Mawque Indians made a great shew of cordial friendship to the English, and bitter enmity to the Indians that have risen against them, making large promises of pursuing their quarrel against them, to the uttermost of their power; but distance of the place, and difficulty of the journey, hath prevented any great matter of effect in that kind, as was expected.

For though some of them armed themselves and came down within the territories of those Indians, that have of late so much infested the English plantations, yet the distance between their own place and that of the other Indians was so great, that they did little execution upon their own or our enemies. The most good it is hoped they did, was by the rumour of their coming down upon the backs of our enemies; it being known to be their nat ural temper to be very fearful of any evil while it is far off,

X I suppore the author meant this as an die to his "Indian Wars", a separate work.

and very stupid and blockish, whenever it actually falls upon them.

Some of the country were not well satisfied in the design, as questioning the lawfulness of making use of their help, as they were heathen; but the general court, and the most considerate of the country, apprehended it lawful to make use of any advantage Providence put into their hands, whereby to weaken or abate the force and power of their enemies.

Abraham entered into a confederacy with the Amorites, among whom he sojourned, and made use of their assistance to assist him in the vindicating of the quarrel of his kinsman, Lot, and recovering of him and his family out of the hands of the common enemy of them all. That which was now done by the general court of the Massachusetts was no other. And this further benefit did redound to them thereby, that blind Will, a sagamore at Pascataqua, that was a secret enemy of the English, and one contrived much of the mischief that was done by the Indians of those parts against the English, was killed by those Mohawks or Mawques, as they ranged through those woods in the beginning of the year 1677, which the English much rejoiced in, although they knew not well how to put him to death themselves, because he pretended a kind of friendship towards them, without provoking the other Indians, his neighbours, against whom they had no such cause of exception.

But to return to the other part of the narrative, concerning the further mischief acted by the Indians eastward against the English in those parts.

It was hoped in the beginning of that year, 1677, that the warfare of New England had been accomplished, but it appeared by the sequel that the storm was not yet over, nor were they as yet called to put on beauty for ashes, or the garments of praise for heaviness. For early in the spring that year, the country was alarmed with the uncomfortable news of the slaughter of nine of the garrison left before winter at Kennebeck, who going securely to Arowsick island to inter some of the English, that were left unburied before winter, and not having

seen an Indian stir for many weeks together, were apprehensive of no danger till they fell into the same; for as they went to perform the funeral obséquies to their christian friends, they were suddenly surprised by a number of Indians that intercepted them, before they could recover their boat, and so all cut off but three or four that hardly escaped by some other way than they came; which doleful accident put the governour and council upon a resolution to fetch off the rest of the garrison, not accounting it worth the while to run so much hazard to secure it; so that poor remnant returning back, arrived at Boston with Capt. Hunting, who was sent for them, -April the 19th, 1677.

The soldiers being thus drawn off from the garrison, more mischief was done by the barbarous enemy in scattering parties down lower towards Pascataqua, for April 6th three were killed at the town of Wells, and April the 12th two more, the one named John Weld, the other Benjamin Storer.

About the same time a man and a boy were fowling in the marshes, and suddenly the boy espied seven Indians coming near them, while the man was mending his flint; but at the notice, suddenly rising, he presently scared them away by holding out his gun and saying, you rogues, I have been looking for you."

About April the 7th, six or seven men were slain by the Indians near York, while they were at work two miles from the town, whereof one was the son of Lieut. Smith of Winnisimet, near Boston, a very hopeful young man, who went in his brother's room, yet his brother's turn is to come soon after. April the 14th, Simon and Andrew, the two brethren in iniquity, with a few more, adventured to come over Pascataqua river on Portsmouth side, when they burnt one house within four or five miles of the town, and took a maid and a young woman captive; one of them had a young child in her arms, with which not willing to be troubled they gave leave to her that held it to leave it with an old woman, whom the Indian Simon spared because he said she had been kind to his grandmother; yet one of the two cap

tives escaped from their hands two days after, as did the other April 22, who giving notice of the Indians, (being not so narrowly looked to as they used to do others,) thirty soldiers were sent in that pursuit into three places, by one of which the Indians that had done the mischief were to pass, but discovering the English at a distance they escaped away through the woods.

Soon after three more were slain in those woods near Portsmouth, whereof one was riding to give notice of the danger to others in the outparts of the town, which himself it seems could not escape. Two of the men slain were very much lamented, being sober, active young men; but the sword, when it hath its commission, will devour one as well as another.

April 29, an Indian discovered himself near Wells, on purpose, as was judged, to draw out the English into a snare. Lieut. Swett, that commanded the garrison, at that time left for securing the town, sent out eleven of the soldiers under his command to lie in wait in some convenient place; but as they passed along they fell into an ambush of the Indians, who shot down two of them and mortally wounded a third. The lieutenant hearing the guns, sent with all speed upon the enemy, and shot down five or six of them; but was prevented of doing any considerable spoil upon them by the folly of an Irishman that was in his company, who gave the notice of the lieutenant's approach, by calling out aloud, "here they be, here they be;" for upon that alarum they presently ran all away out of sight, and too fast to be pursued.

May 16, another party of the enemy resolved to try their valour once again upon the garrison at Blackpoint, not doubting but to carry the place with a bold onset, which they made with much resolution and courage, for they assaulted the garrison three days together, in which space of time they killed three of the English and took one prisoner, whom, as is said, they miserably tormented. The garrison, on the other hand, as stoutly defended themselves, by the courage and valour of Lieut. Tippin, that commanded them, and at last made a successiul shot upon an Indian, that was observed to be very busy