466 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



beai's, wolves and other ferocious animals, with 

 which the country every wherp abounded ; and 

 at the same time to raise their provisions and 

 make their raiment. In the best possible state 

 of thijig-s this was a scene of hard living, of hard 

 labor and great suffering ; and it was not in a 

 less period than five or six years, that the new 

 settlers could procure tlie necessaries of life in 

 such quantities as to be comfortable ; or in any 

 considerable degree to be free from the danger 

 and suffering of hunger and nakedness. 



Against these difficulties however, they 

 •truggled with success, and in a few years found 

 their circumstances more comfortable and en- 

 couraging. But when a war broke out, their 

 dangers and their sufferings often seemed to be 

 without measure, and without end. An attack 

 was suddenly made upon one of their scttle- 

 inents, when the inhabitants were unprepared 

 fon defence, and without suspicion of danger. 

 The first notice of the approach of an enemy, 

 would be about break of dav : the Indians would 

 assault every house at the same time, slay slicIi 

 of the inhabitants as made any resistance, lead 

 the others av/ay prisoners, burn the houses and 

 buildings, and slaughter all their cattle. In this 

 way, several of the plantations were destroyed, 

 rebuilt, destroyed again and then resettled. 

 These vere scenes to which every part of the 

 frontiers were exposed, at the breaking out of 

 every war. The effect was, the most advanced 

 settlements were broken up every war ; the in- 

 habitants returned to the old towns, and all that 

 tlieir labor and sufferings had procured for many 

 years, was often sv/ept avv'ay in one day. It was 



