.

loaded gun into the fields, and placed it by his bedside before he went to sleep. This he did, that he might be ready to defend himself, at a moment's warning, against the Indians, if they should attack him.

9. No one could tell when the savages would be upon him. They commonly came in the night; and the first signal of their approach would be the frightful yells which they uttered. They would set fire to the houses, and kill or carry away the inhabitants. Many sad stories of this kind were once common in New England, and were told around the winter fires in the evening, till the roaring of the wind down the chimney sounded, to the fancy of the listeners, like the coming of Indians.

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10. In the year 1695, the town of Haverhill, in Massachusetts, was attacked by the savages: some persons were killed, and others carried into captivity. Among the latter were Mrs. Dustin, Mrs. Neff who lived with her, and a boy named Samuel Leonardson. They fell to the lot of an Indian family, consisting of twelve persons -two men, three women, and children. 11. They all came to an island in the Merrimac River, about six miles above Concord, New Hampshire. While there, the three captives, who had arranged the matter beforehand, arose early in the morning, seized the tomahawks of the Indians, and killed the whole party, with the exception of one woman who was wounded, and a child, whom they allowed to escape.

12. They then got on board one of the Indian canoes, and floated down the river to their home in Haverhill, where they arrived in safety. Mrs. Dustin, who had planned the whole affair, became quite famous all over the country; the General Court made her a

grant of money, and several persons sent her presents. The island from which they made their escape is now called Dustin's Island, in honor of her.

13. In the month of February, 1704, the town of Deerfield, in Massachusetts, was surprised by a band of Indians and Canadians. The village was burned, forty-seven of the inhabitants were slain, and a hundred carried into captivity. Among these latter were Mr. Williams, the minister of the place, his wife, and five of his children. Mrs. Williams was weak from recent illness, and unable to keep up with the rest; so she was despatched' by a blow from a tomahawk, as was the custom of the savages.

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14. Mr. Williams and his children were carried into Canada, suffering greatly in their toilsome' march through a trackless wilderness. But in the course of two or three years he and four of his children were ransomed, and brought back to their former home.

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15. One of his daughters, named Eunice, did not return. She was adopted into an Indian tribe, married an Indian, and spent her days in a wigwam. She once visited Deerfield, dressed as an Indian woman, and accompanied by her husband. She was kindly received by her friends, but could not be prevailed upon to remain with them. Mr. Williams, after his return, published" an account of his sufferings in a book, which was much read in New England.

1 INHABITED. Occupied as a place of settled residence.

2 FOUNDED. Laid the basis of, built,
established.

DESERTED. Forsaken, abandoned.
INTERIOR. The inland part.
BRIDLE-PATH. A path for travellers
on horseback.

6 TOMAHAWK. An Indian hatchet.
DESPATCHED. Sent away hastily-
means here, put to death.

8 CUSTOM. Practice, habit.
9 TOILSOME. Wearisome, fatiguing.
10 RANSOMED. Redeemed from captiv.
ity by a price or sum that is paid.
11 PUBLISHED. Issued to the public.

neighbor-hood (na'-) rec'og-nized 7

at-tach'ment 11

1. THE Indians were not all cruel or unfriendly to the whites. Many of them were uniformly kind and hospitable, and many showed amiable and excellent traits' of character. They were generally honest and truthful, and would do whatever they had promised. They had a great contempt for any body that lied or cheated. Some of them were converted2 to the Christian religion, and practised the Christian virtues.

2. There was one person of the Indian race whose memory is cherished with peculiar affection by the whites; and we will now tell you about her.

3. Virginia was settled in the year 1607. One hundred and five men came there in a vessel from England. The most active and energetic person among them was Captain John Smith, who was soon chosen president of the colony. Although then not quite thirty years old, he had been through many adventures and escaped many dangers.

4. He had fought against the Turks in the armies of the Emperor of Germany, and had slain three of their bravest champions in single fight. He had been taken prisoner, and carried away into Tartary, had risen against his cruel master, killed him with a threshing flail, made his way on horseback into Russia, and finally returned to England.

5. When Captain Smith and the other English colo. nists came to Jamestown, there were many tribes of Indians in Virginia, between the mountains and the sea. The principal chief among them was named Powhatan,* who had raised himself to this position by his courage, energy, and spirit.

6. He had two places of residence- one where the city of Richmond now is, and the other on York River, within the present county of Gloucester.† He had a guard of forty warriors in constant attendance upon him, and four sentinels kept watch during the night around his dwelling. He was not friendly to the whites, and did not want to have them living in & country which he regarded as belonging to him.

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7. It was in the spring of the year that the English came to Virginia; and early the next winter, Captain Smith took a few of his men and went off to explore the country in the neighborhood. He sailed up one of the rivers in a barge as far as it could float, and then paddled further up in a canoe, taking two Englishmen and two Indians with him. He then left the canoe in charge of the two Englishmen, and went some miles inland on foot, attended by the two Indians, where he occupied himself in shooting game.

8. While thus employed, he was attacked by three hundred Indians, under the command of the brother of Powhatan, who had already killed the two men left in charge of the canoe.

9. As soon as they discovered Captain Smith, they shot their arrows at him, and one of them wounded him in the thigh. Finding himself beset by rumbers, b

tied one of the Indians to his left arm, in order to use him as a shield, and defended himself so well with his gun that he killed three, and wounded many others. But they were too many for him, and he was at last obliged to surrender himself prisoner.

10. After some days, he was brought to the place where Powhatan lived, on the north side of York River. Powhatan was at that time about sixty years old a tall, strong man, with a stern and haughty countenance. He was seated on a kind of throne, raised above the floor of a large hut, in the midst of which there was a fire. He was dressed in a robe of raccoon skins.

11. Two young girls, his daughters, sat, one on his right and the other on his left; and on each side of the hut there were two rows of men in front; and two rows of women behind. These all had their heads and shoulders painted red, and many wore ornaments' of beads or feathers.

12. Soon after Captain Smith came in, one of the women brought him some water to wash his hands, and a bunch of feathers, instead of a towel, to wipe them on. They then had a feast; and after it they talked together a long while, as to what they should do with their prisoner. But it was at last determined that he should be put to death.

13. Two large stones were brought in and placed before Powhatan, and Smith was dragged up to them, and his head placed upon them, that his brains might be beaten out with clubs.

14. The fatal weapons were already raised, and about to descend upon the head of the victim, when Pocahontas, the chief's favorite daughter, at that time a child