Page:Massasoit's town Sowams in Pokanoket, its history, legends and traditions (IA massasoitstownso00bake).pdf/36

30 June 20th, a party of eight warriors fully armed, invaded the hamlet. They knocked at the door of a colonist and demanded permission to grind their hatchets. Upon being told that the grinding of hatchets on the Lord's Day was a sin they replied, "We know not who your God is and we shall grind our hatchets for all you or your God either." They then proceeded to another house where they helped themselves liberally to food. Continuing along the road they met an Englishman whom they took prisoner, but later dismissed, after enjoining him not to work on the Lord's Day and to tell no lies.

As they proceeded on they began to shoot the cattle in the fields, encountering no resistance as nearly all the settlers were in attendance at public worship. At length they reached a house whose owner was not at church. They killed his cattle, then entered the house and demanded liquor, which being refused they attempted to seize by violence. The Englishman infuriated, snatched up his gun and fired, seriously injuring one of the savages. The Indians immediately retired, bearing the wounded warrior with them, and breathing threats of vengeance. Back through Sowams they swiftly wended their way to their own territory. Tradition says that at Kickemuit Spring they met Philip, who wept when he heard their story, and there seems little reason to doubt the truth of the tradition. Though he had long meditated war, the sachem was not yet fully prepared for it. Events unforeseen had, however, hastened the crisis. He found it impossible to curb the impatience and fury of his younger warriors, and though he had failed to complete his cherished scheme for a general uprising of the red men, he could no longer delay open battle with the enemy. Perhaps a prophetic foreboding of defeat forced the tears from his eyes.

The raid upon Sowams was the beginning of a reign of terror that extended over every portion of Swansea. The