The sovereignty and goodness of GOD, together with the faithfulness
of his promises displayed, being a narrative of the captivity and
restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, commended by her, to all that
desires to know the Lord's doings to, and dealings with her. Especially
to her dear children and relations. The second Addition [sic] Corrected
and amended. Written by her own hand for her private use, and now made
public at the earnest desire of some friends, and for the benefit of the
afflicted. Deut. 32.39. See now that I, even I am he, and there is no
god with me, I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, neither is
there any can deliver out of my hand.
On the tenth of February 1675, came the Indians with great numbers upon
Lancaster: their first coming was about sunrising; hearing the noise
of some guns, we looked out; several houses were burning, and the smoke
ascending to heaven. There were five persons taken in one house; the
father, and the mother and a sucking child, they knocked on the head;
the other two they took and carried away alive. There were two others,
who being out of their garrison upon some occasion were set upon;
one was knocked on the head, the other escaped; another there was who
running along was shot and wounded, and fell down; he begged of them his
life, promising them money (as they told me) but they would not hearken
to him but knocked him in head, and stripped him naked, and split open
his bowels. Another, seeing many of the Indians about his barn, ventured
and went out, but was quickly shot down. There were three others
belonging to the same garrison who were killed; the Indians getting up
upon the roof of the barn, had advantage to shoot down upon them over
their fortification. Thus these murderous wretches went on, burning, and
destroying before them.
At length they came and beset our own house, and quickly it was the
dolefulest day that ever mine eyes saw. The house stood upon the edge of
a hill; some of the Indians got behind the hill, others into the barn,
and others behind anything that could shelter them; from all which
places they shot against the house, so that the bullets seemed to fly
like hail; and quickly they wounded one man among us, then another,
and then a third. About two hours (according to my observation, in that
amazing time) they had been about the house before they prevailed to
fire it (which they did with flax and hemp, which they brought out of
the barn, and there being no defense about the house, only two flankers
at two opposite corners and one of them not finished); they fired it
once and one ventured out and quenched it, but they quickly fired it
again, and that took. Now is the dreadful hour come, that I have often
heard of (in time of war, as it was the case of others), but now mine
eyes see it. Some in our house were fighting for their lives, others
wallowing in their blood, the house on fire over our heads, and the
bloody heathen ready to knock us on the head, if we stirred out. Now
might we hear mothers and children crying out for themselves, and one
another, "Lord, what shall we do?" Then I took my children (and one of
my sisters', hers) to go forth and leave the house: but as soon as
we came to the door and appeared, the Indians shot so thick that the
bullets rattled against the house, as if one had taken an handful of
stones and threw them, so that we were fain to give back. We had six
stout dogs belonging to our garrison, but none of them would stir,
though another time, if any Indian had come to the door, they were ready
to fly upon him and tear him down. The Lord hereby would make us the
more acknowledge His hand, and to see that our help is always in Him.
But out we must go, the fire increasing, and coming along behind us,
roaring, and the Indians gaping before us with their guns, spears,
and hatchets to devour us. No sooner were we out of the house, but my
brother-in-law (being before wounded, in defending the house, in or near
the throat) fell down dead, whereat the Indians scornfully shouted, and
hallowed, and were presently upon him, stripping off his clothes, the
bullets flying thick, one went through my side, and the same (as would
seem) through the bowels and hand of my dear child in my arms. One of my
elder sisters' children, named William, had then his leg broken, which
the Indians perceiving, they knocked him on [his] head. Thus were we
butchered by those merciless heathen, standing amazed, with the blood
running down to our heels. My eldest sister being yet in the house, and
seeing those woeful sights, the infidels hauling mothers one way, and
children another, and some wallowing in their blood: and her elder son
telling her that her son William was dead, and myself was wounded, she
said, "And Lord, let me die with them," which was no sooner said, but
she was struck with a bullet, and fell down dead over the threshold. I
hope she is reaping the fruit of her good labors, being faithful to the
service of God in her place. In her younger years she lay under much
trouble upon spiritual accounts, till it pleased God to make that
precious scripture take hold of her heart, "And he said unto me, my
Grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Corinthians 12.9). More than twenty
years after, I have heard her tell how sweet and comfortable that place
was to her. But to return: the Indians laid hold of us, pulling me one
way, and the children another, and said, "Come go along with us"; I told
them they would kill me: they answered, if I were willing to go along
with them, they would not hurt me.
Oh the doleful sight that now was to behold at this house! "Come, behold
the works of the Lord, what desolations he has made in the earth." Of
thirty-seven persons who were in this one house, none escaped either
present death, or a bitter captivity, save only one, who might say as
he, "And I only am escaped alone to tell the News" (Job 1.15). There
were twelve killed, some shot, some stabbed with their spears, some
knocked down with their hatchets. When we are in prosperity, Oh the
little that we think of such dreadful sights, and to see our dear
friends, and relations lie bleeding out their heart-blood upon the
ground. There was one who was chopped into the head with a hatchet, and
stripped naked, and yet was crawling up and down. It is a solemn sight
to see so many Christians lying in their blood, some here, and some
there, like a company of sheep torn by wolves, all of them stripped
naked by a company of hell-hounds, roaring, singing, ranting, and
insulting, as if they would have torn our very hearts out; yet the Lord
by His almighty power preserved a number of us from death, for there
were twenty-four of us taken alive and carried captive.
I had often before this said that if the Indians should come, I should
choose rather to be killed by them than taken alive, but when it came
to the trial my mind changed; their glittering weapons so daunted
my spirit, that I chose rather to go along with those (as I may say)
ravenous beasts, than that moment to end my days; and that I may the
better declare what happened to me during that grievous captivity, I
shall particularly speak of the several removes we had up and down the
wilderness.