`number, to whom, in the following year, were added as many more. At Oyster River, a garrison-house was attacked, which hap- 1706. pened at the moment to be occupied by April 27. none but women. "They put on hats, with their hair hanging down, and fired so briskly that they struck a terror in the enemy, and they withdrew." Two days after, near Kittery, two men, a father and son, fell in their way. They killed the father, and took the son along with them. "In their march they were so inhumanly cruel that they bit off the tops of his fingers, and to stanch the blood, seared them with hot tobacco-pipes." In the excitement that existed, the government offered a reward to regular soldiers of ten pounds for every Indian scalp they should bring in, of twenty pounds to volunteers in the service, and of fifty pounds to volunteers not under pay. Yet so difficult was the pursuit of these cunning enemies, that, according to the computation of the time, "every Indian we had killed or taken cost the country at least a thousand pounds. While they continued in great bodies, they did not commit the like spoil and rapine, in proportion as they did in smaller."

By the time when the fourth year of this desultory and harassing conflict was drawing to a close, the people of Massachusetts had come to understand at what a disadvantage they were conducting it. Their superiority to the French. in numbers and strength gave very partial pro

tection, while, standing on the defensive, they presented to their enemy an extended frontier, which he could choose his own time and place for assailing. The actual distress in Massachusetts and New Hampshire was grievous. By

1704. special commissioners Dudley applied to November. Rhode Island and Connecticut for reinforcements of troops. It was still hoped that the Confederacy of the Five Nations might be persuaded to undertake hostilities against the native adherents of the French, and a joint commission from Massachusetts and Connecticut was sent to endeavor to engage them in such a movement. "They promised to take up the hatchet whenever the governor of New York should desire it." Lord Cornbury could not be brought to interest himself in behalf of the suffering NewEnglanders, being apprehensive, as was thought, of a disturbance of "the vast trade between the Dutch and Indians." Yet under all these discouragements, when Vaudreuil, apprehensive, perhaps, that the fickle Iroquois might be brought into closer relations with the English, proposed a truce, 1705. the General Court advised the governor Nov. 30. against the measure.

When the English undertook to conduct the war on a system better according with their own. position, it was still generally with more courage than good management, and rarely with good success. It was rightly thought that to attack the Indians, and yet more rightly that to attack

the French, in their strong-holds, was the true way to obtain tranquillity. But some fatality seemed to attend the conduct of expeditions of this sort. The spirited veteran, Major Church, not thought to be yet too old for effective service, was placed in command of an expedition expected to operate vigorously in the Eastern country. Three ships of war convoyed 1704. thirty-six whale-boats, besides fourteen May. transports, which conveyed five hundred and fifty men. John Gorham, son of the officer of the same name who led one of the two Plymouth companies in Philip's war, was second in command, and had charge of the whale-boats.

Church, with abilities not equal to his self-confidence, accomplished but little towards the main object of the war. He landed on the banks of the Penobscot and of Passamaquoddy Bay; but the natives kept out of his way, and he only took some prisoners, and brought away a quantity of "goods and stores," burning what he had not the

means to carry off. Next he crossed the June 20. Bay of Fundy, and destroyed a little town called Menis near Port Royal in Nova Scotia. He had wished to attack Port Royal, but the governor, to whom before leaving Boston he had proposed that step, had forbidden it, on the ground that it was under consideration in England, and had not as yet been authorized. Church, however, submitted it to the consideration of a council of war, who

July 4.

determined that the country had been so widely alarmed that it could not be attempted with a prospect of success. The expensive expedition had no important consequence. The people of Massachusetts were disappointed and angry. Dudley was suspected of having played false. Church's reception at home was cold, though, both to save appearances to the public, and avoid mortifying a well-intentioned and on the whole well-deserving man, the General Court judged it expedient to gratify him by a formal vote of thanks and approbation.

Not so soon as might have been expected, offensive operations were resumed. The government of Massachusetts resolved to make a descent on Nova Scotia, and solicited help from the other colonies for that purpose. New Hampshire and Rhode Island engaged in the enterprise, in . the measure of their small ability. Connecticut, little annoyed by the continuance of the existing state of things, did not see reason to take a part. Under the convoy of a frigate of the royal navy, and an armed vessel belonging to the province, a thou1707. sand men commanded by Colonel March May 13. sailed from Boston and landed before May 26. Port Royal. After a skirmish the French shut themselves up in their fort, which was well provided. They kept up a constant fire upon the besiegers, who were at the same time attacked on the other side by a force of Indians from the interior. The English made

May 29.

regular investments and approaches, and feebly attempted an assault. But, except personal courage and some experience in a small way, March appears to have had no qualification for command. He became bewildered, and his troops became discouraged and disorderly. A council of war resolved "that the enemy's welldisciplined garrison in a strong fort was more than a match for our raw, undisciplined army," and, in less than two weeks from the time of landing, the troops were re-embarked on board the transports. The fleet came to Casco Bay, whence a message was sent to Boston for further orders. Boston was thrown into a rage, in which the characters of the commanders received ungentle treatment. Dudley, reluctant to acquiesce in so discreditable a termination of his undertaking, sent a message to March to await further orders where he was.

June 6, 7.

To supersede him by a superior officer would have been imprudent, for he was a favorite with the soldiers, and, if he had not acquitted himself well in this instance, there was no reason to suppose that he had failed to do his best. Three members of the Council were despatched, with a reinforcement of a hundred men, and with authority to represent the governor. After acquainting themselves with the state of things in the camp, they wrote back that they only persisted because such were the governor's positive commands. They reported that the

July.