Soldiers in King Philip's war. Containing lists of the soldiers of ...

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from them, they were so frightened thereat that they fled, leaving
much of their plunder. They were pursued by the English at this
time and tracked far into the woods by means of a light snow, but
finally escaped into a swamp. This latter service was probably
under the direction of Major Walderne, although we have no record
of its details. For some time after this they continued to harass the
settlements, but near the end of November, when it is said that they
had killed or captured one hundred and fifty people from the Kennebec
to the Piscataqua, they withdrew to their winter quarters,
mostly at Ossipee and Pequaket. Gen. Denison designed, and had
given orders to the officers in those parts to draw out all available men
in their command to pursue the enemy to their homes and there at-
tack and destroy them. This design fell through on account of the
early and severe setting in of winter and the lack of proper snow-shoes
in sufficient numbers. But the fierceness of the season, and the un-
usual numbers huddled together, with the probable neglect to secure
their usual supply of food from harvests, hunting and fishing, so
pinched them by famine, that they were forced to attempt a
reconciliation, and came to Major Walderne and expressed sorrow
for all the evil that had been done, and with him concluded a treaty*
of peace, early in January, which remained unbroken until August,
1676.
Before June, 1676, the southern Indians, scattered and pursued
from their tribes and homes, and fearing extermination, had hidden
themselves amongst these eastern Indians, and hoped to escape thus
the vengeance of the English. In the mean time the eastern tribes
themselves, through the mediation of Wannalancet and Major Walderne,
were trying in various ways to atone for past crimes. June
3, 1676, Wannalancet came in with several others of his sachems
and brought some English captives, and also the Indians who had
been encased in the killing of Thomas Kembal of Bradford, a month
before, and the capture of his family. This Indian was called
" Symon " in the petition of Kembal's widow for redress, August 1,
1676. Two others were taken and delivered up at this time, "Andrew,"
who was implicated with Symon, and Peter, engaged in another
crime ; these were delivered by Wannalancet and his chiefs, and
the captives, among them Kembal's family, were offered as a token
of their repentance and as an atonement for their crime. But our
magistrates, a little doubtful that the price was sufficient, threw
these three Indians into prison at Dover for the time, from which
they soon escaped, and going to the eastward joined the Kennebec
and Ammoscoggins in the renewed hostilities later on.
23
* See Council Minutes, Mass. Archives, Vol. 68, p. 122.