On the tenth of February, 1675, came the Indians with great numbers
upon Lancaster [_Massachusetts_]. 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 [_the_] 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 [_fortifications_] 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 in 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 an
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 to 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 sister’s children (named William) had then
his leg broken, which the Indians perceiving they knocked him on the
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.
Of the thirty-seven persons in the house, twelve were killed and only
one escaped. Mrs. Rowlandson and her baby were among the remaining
twenty-four taken captive.