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ders* concerning the fort, and withal an order for Captain Fuller with six files to cross the river to the side so much insisted on, and to try if he could get speech with any of the Pocasset or Sogkonate Indians, and that Mr. Church should go [as] his second.

Upon the Captain's receiving his orders, he asked Mr. Church whether he were willing to engage in this enterprise; to whom it was indeed too agreeable to be declined; though he thought the enterprise was hazardous enough for them to have [had] more men assigned them. Captain Fuller told him, that for his own part, he was grown ancient and heavy, [and] he feared the travel and fatigue would be too much for him. But Mr. Church urged him, and told him [that] he would cheerfully excuse him his hardship and travel, and take that part to himself, if he might but go; for he had rather do any thing in the world, than to stay there to build the fort.

Then they drew out the number assigned them, and marched the same night† to the ferry, and were

* From Major Cudworth, who did not go with the rest of the army into the country of the Narragansets. Hub. 84.

† No author that I have seen, excepting Mr. Hubbard, fixes any date to this memorable part of Philip's War. Neither Hutchinson nor Trumbull takes any notice of it. Hubbard, 84, says, "Upon Thursday, July 7, Captain Fuller and Lieutenant Church went into Pocasset to seek after the enemy," &c. But he is in an errour about the day of the week or month, and perhaps both; for I find that the 7 July falls on Wednesday; an errour which might easily have happened in some former edition of his Narrative. Though this scrutiny may seem unimportant, yet, the transaction, it must be allowed, merits particular attention; for history without chronology may be compared to the trackless desert over which we may wander in vain for relief. Most authors since Mr. Hubbard's time, pass lightly over this event, and either think it not worth fixing a date to, or doubting the authority of Mr. Hubbard. But I am induced to believe, that the day of the month is right, and that the day of the week is wrong. If this be the case, we are able to fix the date of the battle of the Peasfield on July 8.

+ Bristol ferry.

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transported to Rhodeisland, from whence, the next night they got passage over to Pocasset side in Rhodeisland boats, and concluded there to dispose themselves in two ambuscades before day, hoping to surprise some of the enemy by their falling into one or other of their ambushments. But Captain Fuller's party being troubled with the epidemical plague of lust after tobacco, must needs strike fire to smoke it.* And thereby discovered themselves to a party of the enemy coming up to them, who immediately fled with great precipitation.

This ambuscade drew off about break of day, perceiving [that] they were discovered, the other continued in their post until the time assigned them, and the light and heat of the sun rendered their station both insignificant and troublesome, and then returned unto the place of rendezvous; where they were acquainted with the other party's disappointment, and the occasion of it. Mr. Church calls for the breakfast he had ordered to be brought over in the boat, but the man that had the charge of it, confessed that he was asleep when the boat's men called him, and in haste came away and never thought of it. It happened that Mr. Church had a few cakes of rusk in his pocket, that Madam Cranston,† (the

It is customary with many to this day in Rhodeisland, to use this phrase. If a person tells another that he smoked tobacco at any particular time, he will say that he smoked it, or "I have smokt it."

has

†I am sorry to acknowledge the want of information of so conspicuous a character as a Governour of Rhodeisland, but the histories of Newengland do not tell us there ever was such a Governour. Probably the town of Cranston perpetuates his name. From Allen, Biog. 196, it appears that Mr. William Coddington was Governour this year, 1675; yet there may be no mistake in the text, though this name been written with variation. From Trumbull's Conn. I, 356, I find that "JOHN CRANSTON, Esq., Governour of Rhodeisland, [in 1679] held a court in Narraganset, in September, and made attempts to introduce the authority and officers of Rhodeisland, into that part of Connecticut. The general assembly therefore, in October, protested against

Governour's Lady of Rhodeisland) gave him when he came off the island, which he divided among the company, which was all the provisions they had.

Mr. Church after their slender breakfast, proposed to Captain Fuller, that he would march in quest of the enemy, with such of the company as would be willing to march with him, which he complied with, though with a great deal of scruple; because of his small numbers, and the extreme hazard he foresaw must attend them.*

But some of the company reflected upon Mr. Church, that notwithstanding his talk on the other side of the river, he had not shown them any Indians since they came over; which now moved him to tell them, that, if it were their desire to see Indians, he believed he should now soon show them what they should say was enough.

The number allowed him† soon drew off to him, which could not be many; because their whole company consisted of no more than thirty-six.

They moved towards Sogkonate, until they came to the brook that runs into Nunnaquahqat neck, where they discovered a fresh and plain track, which

nis usurpation, and declared his acts to be utterly void." Thus the spirit of feeling between the two colonies at this period is discovered.

* Captain Fuller had not proceeded far, before he fell in with a large number of the enemy, but fortunately he was in the vicinity of the water, and more fortunately, near an old house, in which he sheltered himself and men until a vessel discovered and conveyed them off, with no other loss, than having two men wounded. He had 17 men in his company.

† Nineteen. Hubbard, 85, says, that Mr. Church had not above 15 men.

This brook is that which empties into the bay nearly a mile southward from Howland's ferry. The road to Little Compton, here, follows the shore of the bay, and crosses said brook where it meets the bay.

§ Now called Quaucut, a small strait near the brook just mentioned.

they concluded to be from the great pine swamp, about a mile from the road that leads to Sogkonate. "Now," says Mr. Church, to his men, "if we follow this track; no doubt but we shall soon see Indians enough." They expressed their willingness to follow the track, and moved [on] in it; but [they] had not gone far, before one of them narrowly escaped being bit with a rattlesnake; and the woods that the track led them through was haunted much with those snakes, which the little company seemed more to be afraid of, than the black serpents they were in quest of; and therefore bent their course another way to a place where they thought it probable to find some of the enemy. Had they kept the track to the pine swamp, they had been certain of meetng Indians enough, but not so certain that any of them should have returned to give [an] account how

many.

Now they passed down into Punkatees* neck, and in their march discovered a large wigwam full of Indian truck, which the soldiers were for loading themselves with, until Mr. Church forbid it; telling them they might expect soon to have their hands full and business without caring for plunder. Then crossing the head of the creek into the neck, they again discovered fresh Indian tracks; [which had] very lately passed before them into the neck. They then got privately and undiscovered unto the fence of Captain Almy's† peas field, and divided into two parties; Mr. Church keeping the one party with

* A point of land running south nearly two miles between the bay and Little Compton, and a little more than a mile wide. On Lockwood's map of Rhodeisland it is called Puncatest. It is the southern extremity of Tiverton, and has been known by the name of Pocasset neck.

+ Captain John Almy, who lived on Rhodeisland; the same, I presume, mentioned in the beginning of this history. The land is now owned by people of the same name, and Mr. Sanford Almy, an aged gentleman, lives near the spot.

who was ac

himself, sent the other with Lake,* quainted with the ground, on the other side. Two Indians were soon discovered coming out of the peas field towards them, when Mr. Church and those that were with him, concealed themselves from them by falling flat on the ground, but the other division, not using the same caution, was seen by the enemy, which occasioned them to run, which, when Mr. Church perceived, he showed himself to them, and called; telling them he desired but to speak with them, and would not hurt them. But they ran and Church pursued. The Indians climbed over a fence, and one of them facing about, discharged his piece, but without effect, on the English. One of the English soldiers ran up to the fence and fired upon him that had discharged his piece, and they concluded by the yelling they heard, that the Indian was wounded. But the Indians soon got into the thickets, whence they saw them no more for the present.

Mr. Church then marching over a plane piece of ground where the woods were very thick on one side, ordered his little company to march at a double distance to make as big a show, (if they should be discovered,) as might be. But before they saw any body they were saluted with a volley of fifty or sixty guns. Some bullets came very surprisingly near Mr. Church, who starting, looked behind him to see what was become of his men, expecting to have seen half of them dead; but seeing them all upon their legs, and briskly firing at the smokes of the enemies' guns; (for that was all that was then to be seen.)† He blessed God, and called to his men

* As the name of Lake is not mentioned any where else in this history, I cannot determine who this was.

†This was indeed very remarkable, as it appears tnat nothing prevented the Indians from taking deliberate aim. The truth of the text must not be doubted, but certainly Jove never worked a greater miracle in favour of the Trojans at the siege of Troy, than Hesper now did for our heroes.

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