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121 by them. some of the pray Inds. planted among the Eng. plantations, as at Medfield, Concord, Cambridge, & Chelms'd & got supplies by their labor. Before the removed from Cavate there was a poor widow woman of the pray. Inds that went to gather some flags to make mats, about 2 or 3 miles. She being alone & her comp's. gone before her home, was met by an Eng'm of Sudbury named Custis who required her to go with him, she being unwilling made way to escape from him homeward to the wigwams, but he outran her & with his hatchet helm he wounded her very sore in several places about the head; leaving her all in her blood, but she being not mortally wounded (as it proved) made a shift to get to the wigwams, where she lay by a long time before she recovered. She knew who it was that had offered her this injury, but the man spake of it himself, & pretended the woman beat him, & what he did was in his own defence. It is probable she struggled what she cl'd when he was beating her. In the summer 1677 several of our Inds. solds. were employ'd some to scout with Lieut Richardson upon the borders of Merimack to watch the motions of the east'n eny. others were sent to keep garrison in the east parts, as Chochees, York, Wells & Black pt., others were sent with a small army to Black Pt. where 8 of them were slain in Sept. 1677 (2). The Mohawks or Maquas (contrary to their promises & agreement) came down in small parties among our pray. Inds. & put them into great trouble, a party of the Maquas took 2 widow women captives, being at Haddememesit (one of their plantations)) to make or fetch cider. The same party of Mohawks or another party came down within ½ a mile on an Eng. house belonging to Sudbury & mur-

(1) The Mohawks had been urged by ambassadors went by authority to come down upon the N. Eng. Ind's. this murder was among the first fruits of that misguided policy. (2) We have no particulars of this affair, & according to Williamson, ref. on next p. Hist Me. I, 552, a treaty had been made in August, & all was now tranquil.