t
knew not their number.

The sight of their poor mangled comrade so enraged them, as before, that
they swore to one another that they would be revenged, and that not an
Indian that came into their hands should have any quarter; and to work
they went immediately, and yet not so madly as might be expected from the
rage and fury they were in. Their first care was to get something that
would soon take fire, but, after a little search, they found that would
be to no purpose; for most of the houses were low, and thatched with
flags and rushes, of which the country is full; so they presently made
some wildfire, as we call it, by wetting a little powder in the palm of
their hands, and in a quarter of an hour they set the town on fire in
four or five places, and particularly that house where the Indians were
not gone to bed.

As soon as the fire begun to blaze, the poor frightened creatures began
to rush out to save their lives, but met with their fate in the attempt;
and especially at the door, where they drove them back, the boatswain
himself killing one or two with his poleaxe. The house being large, and
many in it, he did not care to go in, but called for a hand grenado, and
threw it among them, which at first frightened them, but, when it burst,
made such havoc among them that they cried out in a hideous manner. In
short, most of the Indians who were in the open part of the house were
killed or hurt with the grenado, except two or three more who pressed to
the door, which the boatswain and two more kept, with their bayonets on
the muzzles of their pieces, and despatched all that came in their way;
but there was another apartment in the house, where the prince or king,
or whatever he was, and several others were; and these were kept in till
the house, which was by this time all in a light flame, fell in upon
them, and they were smothered together.

All this while they fired not a gun, because they would not waken the
people faster than they could master them; but the fire began to waken
them fast enough, and our fellows were glad to keep a little together in
bodies; for the fire grew so raging, all the houses being made of light
combustible stuff, that they could hardly bear the street between them.
Their business was to follow the fire, for the surer execution: as fast
as the fire either forced the people out of those houses which were
burning, or frightened them out of others, our people were ready at their
doors to