“An army of a hundred and sixty men, under the command of Captain
Underhill, were despatched, and with them was Uncas, an Indian chief:
when they landed from the river, they were joined by five hundred
Narraganset Indians. We were now informed that the Indians had retired
into two impregnable forts, one of which was the hold of Sassacus, the
chief tyrant; that fierce tiger, at the very mention of whose name the
Narragansets trembled, saying, “He was all one a God, nobody could kill
him.” The council of war determined to fall first upon the fort which
they could first find; and on their silent march in the moon-shiny night,
an Indian spy brought them word that the Pequots were in a profound
sleep. Our guide was one Wequash, an Indian revolted from them; and
now the Narragansets retired into the wood, and behind the trees—they
were overcome with fear. The English advanced against the nearest fort,
when a dog, that stood sentinel like another Cerberus, barking, awoke
them all; their cry, when they sprung from their sleep, was dreadful to
hear in the silent night; and thereupon followed a bloody encounter;
many were killed; but we set fire to their huts, and a high wind caused
them to be quickly consumed; many of the Indians climbed to the tops
of the palisadoes, and were a mark for the bullets; some of the trees
also burning threw such a fiery light, that with the howlings, and
cries also, the place was like the pit of torment. Samson was not in
greater distress by thirst after his exploit upon the Philistines, than
was the mighty Sassacus when his strong holds were thus burned, and his
barbarians dismissed from a world that was burdened with them. The next
day, as we were returning, three hundred of the enemy again came up, like
bears bereaved of their young; they fought, and made a fort of every
swamp in the way, covering their bodies with the green boughs and the
long grass, so that we were sometimes in the very midst of them, and knew
it not, save by the sudden yell and the volley.”
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