Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to MassachusettsBradford, William
History
Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation': From the Original Manuscript. With a Report of the Proceedings Incident to the Return of the Manuscript to Massachusetts
Bradford, William
Massachusetts -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
I shall not take upon me exactly to describe their proceedings in these
things, because I expecte it will be fully done by them selves, who best
know the carrage & circumstances of things; I shall therfore but touch
them in generall. From Connightecute (who were most sencible of y^e hurt
sustained, & y^e present danger), they sett out a partie of men, and an
other partie mett them from y^e Bay, at y^e Narigansets, who were to
joyne with them. Y^e Narigansets were ernest to be gone before y^e
English were well rested and refreshte, espetially some of them which
came last. It should seeme their desire was to come upon y^e enemie
sudenly, & undiscovered. Ther was a barke of this place, newly put in
ther, which was come from Conightecutte, who did incourage them to lay
hold of y^e Indeans forwardnes, and to shew as great forwardnes as they,
for it would incorage them, and expedition might prove to their great
advantage. So they went on, and so ordered their march, as the Indeans
brought them to a forte of y^e enimies (in which most of their cheefe
men were) before day. They approached y^e same with great silence, and
surrounded it both with English & Indeans, that they might not breake
out; and so assualted them with great courage, shooting amongst them,
and entered y^e forte with all speed; and those y^t first entered found
sharp resistance from the enimie, who both shott at & grapled with them;
others rane into their howses, & brought out fire, and sett them on
fire, which soone tooke in their matts, &, standing close togeather,
with y^e wind, all was quickly on a flame, and therby more were burnte
to death then was otherwise slain; it burnte their bowstrings, and made
them unservisable. Those y^t scaped y^e fire were slaine with y^e sword;
some hewed to peeces, others rune throw with their rapiers, so as they
were quickly dispatchte, and very few escaped. It was conceived they
thus destroyed about 400. at this time. It was a fearfull sight to see
them thus frying in y^e fyer, and y^e streams of blood quenching y^e
same, and horrible was y^e stinck & sente ther of; but y^e victory
seemed a sweete sacrifice, and they gave the prays therof to God, who
had wrought so wonderfuly for them, thus to inclose their enimise in
their hands, and give them so speedy a victory over so proud & insulting
an enimie. The Narigansett Indeans, all this while, stood round aboute,
but aloofe from all danger, and left y^e whole [224] execution to y^e
English, exept it were y^e stoping of any y^t broke away, insulting over
their enimies in this their ruine & miserie, when they saw them dancing
in y^e flames, calling them by a word in their owne language, signifing,
O brave Pequents! which they used familierly among them selves in their
own prayes, in songs of triumph after their victories. After this servis
was thus happily accomplished, they marcht to the water side, wher they
mett with some of their vesells, by which they had refreishing with
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