Whether their
courage or their beauty fascinated the Indians to suspend their fire,
does not appear. But it was so, that these generous women came and went
until the reservoir was amply supplied with crater. Who will doubt that
the husbands of such wives must have been alike gallant and
affectionate.
After this example, it was not difficult to procure some young
volunteers to tempt the Indians in the same way. As was expected, they
had scarcely advanced beyond their station, before a hundred Indians
fired a shower of balls upon them, happily too remote to do more than
inflict slight wounds with spent balls. They retreated within the
palisades, and the whole Indian force, seeing no results from stratagem,
rose from their covert and rushed towards the palisade. The exasperation
of their rage may be imagined, when they found every thing prepared for
their reception. A well aimed fire drove them to a more cautious
distance. Some of the more audacious of their number, however, ventured
so near a less exposed point, as to be able to discharge burning arrows
upon the roofs of the houses. Some of them were fired and burnt. But an
easterly wind providentially arose at the moment, and secured the mass
of the habitations from the further spread of the flames. These they
could no longer reach with their burning arrows.
The enemy cowered back, and crouched to their covert in the weeds;
where, panther-like, they waited for less dangerous game. They had
divided, on being informed, that aid was expected from Lexington; and
they arranged an ambuscade to intercept it, on its approach to the
garrison.
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