L72] 



was Capt. Hackings' s Wife of Oy/ler-Rivcr. 1 ^ Maj. Church 

 proceeded to examine the Man taken, who gave him an 

 account that moft of their fighting men were gone to Win- 

 ter-harbour, to provide Provifions for the Bay of Fondy 

 Indians, who were to come and joyn with them to fight the 

 EnglifJi™ The Souldiers being very rude would hardly 

 fpare the Indians life, while in examination, intending 

 when he had done that he mould be Executed: but Capt. 

 Huckings Wife and another Woman down on their knees 

 beg-'d for him, faying, He had been a means to fave their 

 Lives and a great many more; and had helped feveral to 

 opportunities to run away & make their efcape; and that 



102 We found a prety deal of corn in 

 barnes under ground, and deftroyed it; 

 alio we found guns and amunition a 

 prety deal, with beauer, and we took 

 S Englifh captives, viz. Lieut. Robert 

 Hookins his widow of Oyiter River; 

 Benjamin Barnards wife of Salmon 

 Falls; Ann Heard of Cochecho ; one 

 Willifes daughter of Oyfter Riuer, and 

 a boy of Exeter." [Ibid. 92.] Oyftcr 

 River was originally a part of Dover, 

 N.H., now Durham. James Huckins 

 was ion of Robert, Conftable 1683 > lla( 3 

 eldeft fon Robert; was killed in the 

 onflaught of the Indians in Auguft, 1689. 

 [Farmer's Belknap's Nezv Hamfi. 131 ; 

 Savage's Gen. Did. ii : 487.] 



103 Dictating to his fon Thomas a 

 quarter of a century afterwards, it is 

 not ltrange that fome particulars mould 

 have faded from the memory of Capt. 

 Church. He here reprefents his hafte 

 to make the beft of his way back to 



Winter-Harbor to be for the purpofe 

 of intercepting and capturing thefe In- 

 dians, who were gone thither for pro- 

 vifions. But in his letter, written at 

 the time, he informs Gov. Hinckley 

 that — 



"Both Indians and Englifh informed 

 us that the enemy had lately had a con- 

 fultation. Many of them were for peace 

 and many againft it, and had hired and 

 procured about 300, and intended for 

 Wells with a flagg of truce and offer 

 them peace. If they could not agree 

 then to fall on. If they could not take 

 Wells, then they refolved to attack Pif- 

 cattaana." [p. 92]. 



He adds [p. 93] : " We made all hafte 

 imaginable, for fear fome of our towns 

 JJiould be attacked before zve came 

 home." 



This would feem to be the true expla- 

 nation of his hurried march back; that 

 he feared a maffacre in his abfence. 



