THE VENGEANCE OF UNCAS. 125 



prisoner, and the unfortunate chief was accordingly left under 

 guard in Hartford. 



Upon the annual meeting of the Commissioners of the 

 Colonies, the whole affair of Uncas and Miantonimoh was laid 

 before them. The treachery and evil designs of the latter being 

 fully proved, it was decided that Uncas should be delegated to 

 put him to death. But with a remarkable degree of squeam- 

 ishness, they ordered that the murder (for it was little else,) 

 should not be committed in any of the English plantations ; 

 and they 'advised' that no torture or cruelty should be exercised 

 towards the victim. Uncas was therefore directed to repair to 

 Hartford with a band of trusty warriors to carry into effect the 

 decision of the judges. The haughty sachem obeyed the wel- 

 come summons. He received the prisoner, and, accompanied 

 by his warriors and also by " two Englishmen who were sent to 

 witness the execution, and to prevent all unnecessary torture," 

 (I use the words of the chronicler,) he silently marched his 

 enemy to the spot where he had captured him. The instant 

 they arrived at the ground, one of the warriors coming up be- 

 hind Miantonimoh split his head with a hatchet, killing him with 

 a single blow. In the quaint language of the same historian : 

 " he was probably unacquainted with his fate, and knew not by 

 what means he fell." The vindictive Uncas cut a large piece 

 of the dead sachem's shoulder, and ate it in savage triumph, 

 declaring it to be " the sweetest meat he had ever tasted, for it 

 made his heart strong /" 



The place of Miantonimoh's execution is about a mile and 



