h
the war.

The Indians attacked the English towns in the Connecticut Valley, and
the more exposed places on the frontier of the colony where the people
were few and scattered.

No battle was fought in the open field. The Indians did not fight in
that way. They secretly surrounded a town, rushed in from all sides,
killed as many people as possible, took what property they could carry
away, and burned all that remained.

They knew all the paths in the forests, swamps, and thickets. They were
fast runners, and went rapidly from town to town.

Their favorite method of fighting was in an ambuscade. That was
something peculiar to the Indians. The English had never heard of that
way of fighting before they came to America. The Indians would lie down
flat on the ground or stand behind trees or in a bush or thicket. When
the enemy came along with no suspicion that any one was near, the
Indians suddenly gave a yell and fired their arrows or guns at them.
This would startle them and generally cause them to run away.

[Illustration: HOUSE PROTECTED BY PALISADES]

The war was one of the most dreadful in the history of our country. A
farmer left his home in the morning not knowing whether he would ever
see his wife and children again. His gun was always in his hand.
Laborers were cut off in the field. Reapers, millers, women at home, and
people on their way to and from church were killed.

Nearly every town in the Connecticut Valley was destroyed by the
Indians, and the people suffered terribly. The Indians were very
successful during the first year of the war. They lost but few warriors
and did an immense amount of injury to the whites. This caused the young
warriors to believe that Philip and the old warriors were wrong, and
that it was really possible for them to drive the English from the
country.

XIII. THE LAST DAYS OF PHILIP

During the winter there was very little fighting. In the spring the
Indians did not fight with any spirit. They had begun to get tired of
the war. Many wished for peace. The Narragansetts who had been helping
in the war had suffered a terrible defeat from the English.

The English began to understand better the Indian method of fighting.
They attacked the Indians wherever they could find them. They surprised
several large forces of Indians in different places. Then it began to
look as if Philip and the old warriors were right and the young warriors
were wrong.

Several sachems had