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81 Marlborough, and made dayly incursions upon us, and notwithstanding the Councill, had used many endeavors And raised forces & sent them forth to beat up their head quarters at Watchusett; But all those means prved ineffectual And the enimy still kept that station, the place being neare a very high mountaine & very difficult to have access to; by reason of thicke woods & rocks & word crossed out other fastnes? that our English Army thought ^ it not advisable to hazard themselves in that enterprise, word crossed out
In this Juncture of affayres, the Councill at last resolved to armd & send forth a company of the praying Indians from Deere Iland under the conduct of word crossed out Samuel crossed out Hunting & James Richardson, the on made a captaine & the other his Leiutenant, for this service, these two English men, were wel aquainted with these Indians & persons whome they tould. In pursuance wherof Capt Hunting had orders & a comission & did his best - endeavor but could (not (at that time) procure armes for more than forty Indians, Indeed those praying Indians had Generally Arms of their owne before the warre began, but they were taken from them by the English & swuandred away, many of them as at Marlborough 27 good Arms at on time before touched & some taken by Sudbury men at the falls on charles river & destroyed to this day, & others - from perticular persons, those were all taken from them witout order; And upward of twenty armes were taken from them after they were confyned to the Iland, those last were part of the armes wearwith they were now furnished.
1676 upon the 21 of Aprill capt Hunting had drawne up & ready furnished his company of 40 Indians at charlestowne, they were ordered by the Council at first to march up to merimack river neare chelmsford & there to setle a garison neare the great fishing places where it was expected the enimy could come at this season, to get fish for their necisary food & from this fort to keepe scouts abroad daily to sease the enimy & if they should bee oupourd by greater number