Soon after the conclusion of peace with the Pequots the English, to put their fair promises to the test, sent a small boat into the river, on the borders of which they resided, with the pretence of trade; but so great was the treachery of the natives, that after succeeding by fair promisses in enticing the crew of said boat on shore, they were by them, inhumanly murdered.

The Pequots despairing of again deceiving the English in the manner they had late done, now threw off the mask of friendship, and avowing themselves the na tural enemies of the English, commenced open hostilities against them, barbarously murdering all that were so unfortunate as to fall into their hands.-A few families were at this time settled at or near Weathersfield, (Con.) the whole of whom were carried away captives by them; two girls, the daughters of a Mr. GIBBONS, of Hartford, were in the most brutal manner put to death; after gashing their flesh with their knives, the Indians filled their wounds with hot embers, in the mean time mimicking their dying groans.

The Pequots, encouraged by the trifling resistance made by the English to their wanton acts of barbarity, on the 20th June, 1636, besieged fort Saybrook, in which there were about twenty men stationed; the Indians were to the number of about one hundred and fifty, they surrounded and furiously attacked the fort at midnight, horribly yelling and mimicking the dying groans of such as had fallen victims to their barbarity but the English being fortunately provided with a piece of cannon or two, caused their savage enemies to groan in reality, who, after receiving two or three deadly fires from the besieged, retreated, leaving behind them dead or mortally wounded about twenty of their number; the English sustained no loss in the attack.

The Governor and Council of Massachusetts colony,

alarmed at the bold and daring conduct of the Pequots, on the 20th August dispatched Capt. ENDICOT, of Salem, with ninety men, to avenge the murders committed by them, unless they should consent to deliver up the murderers, and make reparation for the injuries which the English had sustained. Capt. ENDICOT was directed to proceed first to Block Island (then inhabited by the Pequots) put the men to the sword and take possession of the island-the women and children were to be sparedthence he was to proceed to the Pequot country, demand the murderers of the English, a thousand fathom of wampum, and a number of their children as hostages.

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Capt. ENDICOT sailed from Boston on the morning of the 20th, when he arrived at Block-Island, about sixty Indians appeared on the shore and opposed his landing ; his men soon however effected a landing and after a little skirmishing drove the Indians into the woods, where they could not be found. The English continued two days on the island, in which time they destroyed 100 wigwarms and about 50 canoes, when they proceeded for the Pequot country,-When they arrived in Pequot harbour, Capt. ENDICOT acquainted the enemy with his designs and determination to avenge the cruelties prac- ticed upon his countrymen-in a few moments nearly 500 of the enemy collected upon the shores, but as soon as they were made acquainted with the hostile views of the English, they hastily withdrew, and secreted themselves in swamps and ledges, inaccessible to the troops; -Capt. ENDICOT landed his men on both sides the har bour, burnt their wigwarms and destroyed their canoes, killed an Indian or two, and then returned to Boston! Enough indeed had been done to exasperate but nothing to subdue a haughty and warlike enemy.

SASSACUS (chief sachem of the Pequots) and his captains, were men of great and independent spirits; they

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had conquered and governed the nations around them without controul-they viewed the English as strangers and mere intruders, who had no right to the country, nor to controul its original proprietors, independent princes and sovereigns-they had made settlements at Connecticut without their consent, and brought home the Indian kings whom they had conquered, and restored to them their authority and lands-they had built a fort, and were making a settlement without their approbation in their very neighborhood-indeed they had now proceeded to attack and ravage the country;-the Pequots in consequence breathed nothing but war and revenge; they were determined to extirpate or drive all the English from New-England. For this purpose they conceiv ed the plan of uniting the Indians generally against them; they spared no art nor pains to make peace with the Narragansets, and to engage them in the war against the English, to whom they represented that the English, who were merely foreigners, were overspreading the country, and depriving the original inhabitants of their ancient rights and possessions; that unless ef fectual measures were immediately taken to prevent it, they would soon entirely dispossess the original proprietors and become the lords of the continent; they insisted that by a general combination they could either destroy or drive them from the country, that there would be no necessity of coming to open battles, that by kil ling their cattle, firing their houses, laying ambushes on the roads, in the fields, and wherever they could sur prize and destroy them, they might accomplish their wishes ;-they represented that if the English should effect the destruction of the Pequots, they would also soon destroy the Narragansets. So just and politic were these representations, that nothing but that thirst for revenge, which inflames the savage heart, could have re

sisted their influence, indeed it is said that for some time the Narragansets hesitated.

The governor of the colonies, to prevent an union between these savage nations, and to strengthen the peace between the Narraganset Indians and the colonies, dispatched a messenger to invite MIANTINOMI, their chief sachem, to Boston.-The invitation was accepted by MIANTINOMI, and while at Boston, with the Governor and Council entered into a treaty, the substance of which was as follows, (viz.)-That there should be a firm peace maintained between the English and Narragansets, and their posterity :-That neither party should make peace with the Pequots without its being first mutually assented to:-That the Narragansets should not harbour the enemies of the English, but deliver up to them such fugitives as should resort to them for safety;-The English were to give them notice when they went out against the Pequots, and the Narragansets were to furnish guides.

In February 1637, the English in Connecticut colony, represented to the Governor and Council their desire to prosecute more effectually the war with the Pequots, who yet continued to exercise toward them the most wanton acts of barbarity. They represented that on the 10th January, a boat containing three of their countrymen was attacked by the enemy as it was proceeding down the river; that the English for some time bravely defended themselves, but were at length overpowered by numbers; that the Indians, when they had succeeded in capturing the boat's crew, ripped them up from the bottom of their bellies to their throats, and in like manner split them down their backs, and thus mangled hung them upon trees by the river side!—they represented that the affairs of Connecticut colony at this moment wore a most gloomy aspect that they had sustained great losses in cattle

and goods the preceding years but were still more unfor tunate the present; that a most dreadful and insidious enemy were now seeking opportunity to destroy themthat they could neither hunt, fish or cultivate their fields, nor travel at home or abroad but at the peril of their lives

that they were obliged to keep a constant watch by night and day, to go armed to their daily labours and to the houses of public worship!-and although desirous to prosecute the war more effectually with the common enemy, they were not in a situation to do it, and therefore humbly prayed for assistance.

The report of the horrid and unprovoked cruelties of the Pequots, practised upon the defenceless inhabitants of Connecticut colony, roused the other colonies to harmonious and spirited exertions against them-Massachusetts determined to send 200 and Plymouth 40 men to assist their unfortunate brethren in prosecuting the war. -Capt. PATRICK with 40 men was sent forward before the other troops, in order that he might be enabled seasonably to form junction with the troops in Connecticut, who, notwithstanding their weak and distressed state had engaged to furnish 90 men.

On Wednesday the 10th May, the Connecticut troops proceeded for their fort at Saybrook; they consisted of 90 Englishmen and 70 Mohegan and river Indians-the latter commanded by UNCUs, sachem of the Mohegans, and the former by Capt. JOHN MASON, who was accompanied by the Rev. Mr. STONE, of Hartford, as chaplain. The Mohegans being detached from the Englsh, on their way to Saybrook, fell in with a considerable body of the enemy, whom they attacked and defeated, they killed 22 and took 18 of them prisoners.

Among the prisoners there was one who was recog nized as a perfideous villian; he had lived in the fort with the English some time before and well understood their