Captivity and Restoration | Page 4

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.
The First Remove
Now away we must go with those barbarous creatures, with our bodies
wounded and bleeding, and our hearts no less than our bodies. About a
mile we went that night, up upon a hill within sight of the town, where
they intended to lodge. There was hard by a vacant house (deserted by
the English before, for fear of the Indians). I asked them whether I
might not lodge in the house that night, to which they answered, "What,
will you love English men still?" This was the dolefulest night that ever
my eyes saw. Oh the roaring, and singing and dancing, and yelling of
those black creatures in the night, which made the place a lively
resemblance of hell. And as miserable was the waste that was there
made of horses, cattle, sheep, swine, calves, lambs, roasting pigs, and
fowl (which they had plundered in the town), some roasting, some
lying and burning, and some boiling to feed our merciless