ATTACK ON THE TOWN. 526

every man a fusil or musket, a bayonet, and every man a pistol ;
some of them had broad cutlasses, some of them hangers, and the
hoatswain and two more had pole-axes; besides all which, they
had among them thirteen hand-grenadoes. Bolder fellows, and
better provided, never went about any wicked work in the world.

When they went out their chief design was plunder, and they
were in mighty hopes of finding gold there; but a circumstance
which none of them were aware of set them on fire with revenge,
and made devils of them all. When they came to the few Indian
houses which they thought had been the town, which was not
above half a mile off, they were under a great disappointment ;
for there were not above twelve or thirteen houses, and where the
town was, or how big, they knew not. They consulted, therefore,
what to do, and were some time before they could resolve; for if
they fell upon these, they must cut all their throats, and it was
ten to one but some of them might escape, it being in the night,
though the moon was up; and if one escaped, he would run away,
and raise all the town, so they should have a whole army upon
them. Again, on the other hand, if they went away and left those
untouched (for the people were all asleep) they could not tell which
way to look for the town.

However, the last was the best advice; so they resolved to leave
them, and look for the town as well as they could. They went
ona little way, and found a cow tied toatree. This they presently
concluded would be a good guide to them, for they said the cow
certainly belonged to the town before them, or the town behind
them ; and if they untied her they should see which way she went:
if she went back, they had nothing to say to her, but if she went
forward, they had nothing to do but to follow her. So they cut the
cord, which was made of twisted flags, and the cow went on before
them. In a word, the cow Jed them directly to the town, which,
as they report, consisted of above two hundred houses or huts, and
in some of these they found several families living together.

Here they found all in silence as profoundly secure as sleep and
a country that had never seen an enemy of that kind could make
them ; and, first, they called another council, to consider what they
had to do; and, in a word, they resolved to divide themselves into