ted Indian fighter of King Philip's War,
was at Tiverton in Rhode Island when he heard of Hertel de Rouville's
attack on Deerfield. Boiling with rage, he mounted his horse and rode to
Boston to propose a stroke of retaliation. Church was energetic,
impetuous, and bull-headed, sixty-five years old, and grown so fat that
when pushing through the woods on the trail of Indians, he kept a stout
sergeant by him to hoist him over fallen trees. Governor Dudley approved
his scheme, and appointed him to command the expedition, with the rank
of colonel. Church repaired to his native Duxbury; and here, as well as
in Plymouth and other neighboring settlements, the militia were called
out, and the veteran readily persuaded a sufficient number to volunteer
under him. With the Indians of Cape Cod he found more difficulty, they
being, as his son observes, "a people that need much treating,
especially with drink." At last, however, some of them were induced to
join him. Church now returned to Boston, and begged that an attack on
Port Royal might be included in his instructions,--which was refused, on
the ground that a plan to that effect had been laid before the Queen,
and that nothing could be done till her answer was received. The
governor's enemies seized the occasion to say that he wished Port Royal
to remain French, in order to make money by trading with it.

The whole force, including Indians and sailors, amounted to about seven
hundred men; they sailed to Matinicus in brigs and sloops, the province
galley, and two British frigates. From Matinicus most of the
sailing-vessels were sent to Mount Desert to wait orders, while the main
body rowed eastward in whale-boats. Touching at Saint-Castin's fort,
where the town of Castine now stands, they killed or captured everybody
they found there. Receiving false information that there was a large
war-party on the west side of Passamaquoddy Bay, they hastened to the
place, reached it in the night, and pushed into the woods in hope of
surprising the enemy. The movement was difficult; and Church's men,
being little better than a mob, disregarded his commands, and fell into
disorder. He raged and stormed; and presently, in the darkness and
confusion, descrying a hut or cabin on the farther side of a small
brook, with a crowd gathered about it, he demanded what was the matter,
and was told that there were Frenchmen inside who would not come out.
"Then knock them in the head," shouted the choleric