ished on the march. Some, growing weary and faint, were killed, scalped, and otherwise mangled, and left in the wilderness. Notwithstanding the weakness of Mrs. Dustan, she travelled twelve miles the first day, and thus bore up under a journey of near one hundred and fifty miles, in a few days. On their march the Indians divided, according to their usual custom, and each family shifted for itself with their share of prisoners, for the convenience of hunting. Mrs. Dustan, her nurse and an English youth, taken from Worcester eighteen months before, fell to the lot of an Indian family, consisting of twelve persons; two stout men, three women, and seven children. The captives were informed, that when they arrived at a certain Indian town, they were to run the gauntlet, through a great number of Indians. But on the thirtieth of April, having arrived at the mouth of Contoocook river, they encamped upon a small island, and pitched their tents. As all lay asleep but Mrs. Dustan, she conceived the bold design of putting the Indians to death, and escaping. Accordingly, she silently engaged Miss Neff, and the English youth, to act a part in the dreadful tragedy; infusing her heroism into them, each took a tomahawk, and with such deadly effect were the blows dealt, that all were slain save two; one a woman, who fled desperately wounded, the other a boy, whom they intended to have kept. They then took off their ten scalps, and returned home in safety. The government voted them fifty pounds reward, and Colonel Nicholson, the Governour of Maryland, made them a valuable present. The island on which this memorable affair happened, justly bears the name of Dustan's island.* *For the principal facts in this narrative I am indebted to the Magnalia. 27* "IN the dead of winter, three expeditions were planned, and parties of French and Indians despatched from Canada, on different routes, to the frontiers of the English colonies. One of these parties, on February the eighth, 1690, fell on Schenectada,* a village on the Mohawk river. Such was the fatal security of the people, that they had not so much as shut their gates. The enemy made the attack in the dead time of the night, when the inhabitants were in a profound sleep. Care was taken by a division of the enemy into small parties, to attack every house at the same instant. Before the people were risen from their beds, the enemy were in possession of their dwellings, and commenced the most inhuman barbarities. In an instant the whole village was wrapped in a general flame. Women were ripped up, and their infants dashed against the posts of their doors, or cast into the flames. Sixty persons perished in the massacre, and about thirty were captivated. The rest fled naked in a terrible storm and deep snow. In the flight, twentyfive of thesc unhappy fugitives lost their limbs, through the severity of the season. The enemy consisted of about two hundred French, and a number of Caghnuagat Indians, under the command of D'Aillebout, De Mantel, and Le Moyne. Their first design was against Albany, but having been two and twenty days on their march, they were reduced to such straits, that they had thoughts of surrendering themselves prisoners of war. The In *About 14 miles above Albany, on the west side of the Mohawk. The country around is a sandy barren, on which account it was called Schenectada. †This Caghnuaga is in Canada. Mohawk river, 6 miles below tants here spell it Caughnewaga. There is another on the Johnston, but the inhabi dians, therefore, advised them to Schenectada: and it seems that the accounts, which their scouts gave them of its fatal security, was the only circumstance which determined them to make an attempt, even upon this. The enemy pillaged the town, and went off with the plunder, and about forty of the best horses. The rest, with all the cattle they could find, were left slaughtered in the streets. The success of the enemy seems to have been principally owing to the dispute between Leisler* and the people of Albany, in consequence of which this post was neglect ed. The Mohawks joining a party of young men from Albany, pursued the enemy, and falling on their rear, killed and captivated nearly thirty."+ VIII.-SCHUYLER'S EXPEDITION, AND OTHER EVENTS. THE Success of the French and Indians against the rontier settlements of Newengland, had been great, and the inactivity of the people to repel them, had justly been an object of blame with the Sixnations; for their country must at all times afford a pass to them.. Steps, therefore, must now be taken to retain the confidence of those people. Major Peter Schuyler, the Washington of his day, lived at Albany, where with incredible industry and perseverance, he made himself acquainted with all the plans and undertakings of the Sixnations, and as • studiously maintained a friendship with them, which extended to all Americans. They had received repeated injuries from the French for a long time, and something was now necessary to prove to them, that the English were not afraid to meet them on their own ground. Accordingly, in 1691, Major Schuyler, "with about three hundred men, nearly half Mo * Afterwards executed for assuming the government of Newyork. See Smith's Hist. N. Y. 121 to 129. Trumbull's Hist. U. S. I, 215 to 217. hawks and Schakook* Indians, passed Lake Champlain, and made a bold attack on the French settlements north of the lake. Meanwhile, De Callieres, the Governour of Montreal, spared no pains to give him a proper reception. He crossed the river with twelve hundred men, and encamped at La Praire. Schuyler attacked and put to flight his out posts and Indians, pursued them to the fort, and on that commenced a brisk attack. He had a sharp and brave action with the French regulars, and afterward forcing his way through a body of the enemy, who intercepted him, on his return, made good his retreat. In these several conflicts, the Major slew of the enemy, thirteen officers, and in the whole three hundred men; a greater number than he carried with him into the field."+ Before this, in 1688, twelve hundred warriours of the Sixnations, made a descent on the island of Montreal, slew a thousand of the inhabitants, and carried off twentysix prisoners, whom they burnt alive. About three months after, they attacked the island again, and went off with nearly the same success. "These expeditions had the most dismal consequences on the affairs of the French in Canada." They had a garrison at lake Ontario, which they now abandoned, and fled in canoes down the Cadarackui in the night; and, in descending the falls, a great number of men were lost. The warriours then took possession of the garrison, and twentyseven barrels of powder fell into their hands. Nothing but the ignorance of the Sixnations, in the European art of war, saved Canada from total ruin; and, what will ever be lamented, the colonies, through the caprice of their European lords, were unable to lend them any assistance. With a little help from the English, a period would have been put to the torrents of blood that * Trumbull, I, 221, but at 301, he spells it as seen in Philip's war, page 68 except that he used but one t. † Ibid. 221-225. flowed until, the conquest by the immortal Wolf and Amherst, in 1760. IN 1703, the plan was laid to cut off the frontier inhabitants of Newengland, from one extremity to the other, but it was not fully executed. Though the eastern settlements from Casco to Wells were destroyed, and one hundred and thirty people killed and taken, the western frontiers remained unmolested, and were lulled into a fatal security. From the Indians that traded at Albany, Colonel Schuyler received intelligence of a design in Canada to fall upon Deerfield, of which the inhabitants were informed in May. "The design not being carried into execution in the course of the summer, the intelligence was not enough regarded. But the next winter, 1704, M. Vaudrieul, [Vaudreuil] Governour of Canada, resumed the project with much attention." The history of this affair from the accomplished historian of Vermont, Dr. Samuel Williams, is perhaps more particularly interesting, as he is an immediate descendant of a principal sufferer, the Rev. John Williams, I give it in his own words. "Deerfield, at that time, was the most northerly settlement on Connecticut river, a few families at Northfield excepted. Against this place, M. Vaudrieul sent out a party of about three hundred French and Indians. They were put under the command of Hertel de Rouville, assisted by four of his brothers; all of which had been trained up to the business by their father, who had been a famous partizan in their former wars. The route they took, was by the way of Lake Champlain, till they came to the French river, now called Onion river. Advancing up that stream, they passed over to Connecticut river, and travelled on the ice till they came near to Deerfield. Mr. Williams, their minister, had been much appre |