Things grew from bad to worse. Various diseases broke out, resulting chiefly from the want of vegetable food; yet the people took little thought of labor, but led wild and dissolute lives. Siemering relates in his manuscripts that all family ties seemed to be loosened, the married men even exchanging wives. They danced and drank, and seemed as if trying to drown their despair in hilarity, and by engaging in a whirl of dissipation endeavored to blind themselves to the troubles of their situation.

In the midst of this Van Meusebach was notified by the society that there were more emigrants coming with a view to settling the society lands. This only added to the embarrassment of his position. New Braunfels was at that time situated on the Indian frontier, and between that colony and the land grant purchased from Fisher (the nearest point of which was distant 125 miles) the Indians were in undisputed possession, and not a white settler had dared to locate in such wild territory. No officer of the society even knew where the colonial lands were situated, and they were as ignorant of their quality and value. It had now become important to find out about this territory, and, if possible, clear a way to it; for the time allowed by the republic for the settlement of the first two hundred families was fast expiring, and the interests of the society were threatened with loss. Under such circumstances it behooved the Baron to be up and doing; he therefore determined on carrying out Prince Solms' plan of establishing a way station from whence they could operate on the north. He equipped an expedition for that purpose and set out on that journey. Eighty miles north-west of New Braunfels, and six miles from the little river, Perdinales, Meusebach secured a body of land in the centre of which he founded a new colony, calling it Fredricksburg, in honor of Prince Frederick of Prussia.

6. Hearby

[To be continued.]

THE SITE OF OLD FORT MASSACHUSETTS

As the morning of the 21st of August, 1746, dawned upon western Massachusetts, gradually lighting up the gloom of the forests, and dispelling the mists that rolled up the mountain sides, the smoke from the fire still smoldering among the logs and debris which but a few hours before had constituted the defense known as Fort Massachusetts, curled sluggishly upward until wafted away above the desolate scene. Securely nailed to a charred post which still remained erect upon the western boundary, was a letter which contained the following words written in a bold determined hand: "These are to inform you that yesterday about nine of the clock, we were besieged by, as they say, seven hundred French and Indians. They have wounded two men and killed one Knowlton. The general, De Vaudreuil, desired capitulation, and we were so distressed that we complied with his terms. We are the French's prisoners, and have it under the General's hand, that every man, woman and child, shall be exchanged for French prisoners."

To understand the import of these words, written in the moment of great suffering, anguish, and terror, we must turn to the causes that led to its production. Soon after war was declared between France and England, and consequently between their respective colonies with their allies, the Indians, a war which continued from 1644 to 1749, Governor Shirley of Massachusetts raised five hundred men to be stationed at points which seemed the most open to attack, and the General Court of Massachusetts ordered a line of forts to be constructed to extend from the Connecticut river to the boundary of New York. These were Fort Shirley in Heath, Fort Pelham in Rowe, and Fort Massachusetts in Adams, and they were for the special protection of the northwestern frontier. They were known as Province forts, being more elaborate and scientific in their construction than the usual blockade houses. One important feature consisted in the mounts or towers with bullet-proof walls for the use of sharp-shooters, and for watching the movements of the besiegers. They were furthermore provided with a regular garrison of enlisted men, who were under more or less strict discipline.

Fort Massachusetts was the most noted fort in the province with the exception of some upon the seacoast. It consisted of six blockade-houses or barracks surrounded by a high stockade of hewn logs, enclosing a

space of about two acres. To the command of these posts was assigned Capt. Ephraim Williams, the founder of Williams' College. Fort Frederic, afterwards Crown Point, upon Lake Champlain, was the rendezvous for the Canadian forces in their raids against New York and New England. From this point they still had canoe navigation for twenty-five miles in a southeasterly direction, where with a short "carry" they struck the Hudson River, which was followed to the junction of the Hoosac, and thence up that river. Larger expeditions left their canoes and batteaux at the termination of the lake navigation, and following a trail leading through the forests struck the Hoosac river twenty miles or more below the present town of North Adams. Following this valley eastward they crossed the Hoosac, and descending the Deerfield river, could fall upon the villages along the Connecticut river. For the especial defense of this valley, and of the scattered hamlets beyond, Fort Massachusetts reared a rude but sturdy front. With the exception of one or two attacks upon working parties in the vicinity of the fort in the spring of 1746, nothing had occurred to disturb the tranquillity of this outpost until the events which led to its destruction in August. The regular garrison consisted of fifty men, but from various causes this force had been greatly reduced-numbering only twentytwo, including the sergeant and chaplain, and eleven who were sick.

Fortunately we have a detailed account of these events preserved in "The Redeemed Captive," by Rev. John Norton, who had been settled in the ministry at Bernardston but was now chaplain of this fort. He was a man about thirty years of age. The valiant parson thus writes: "Tuesday, August 19, 1746. Between eight and nine o'clock in the morning, when, through the good providence of God, we were all in the fort, twenty-two men, three women and five children, there appeared an army of French and Indians eight or nine hundred in number, commanded by Monsieur Rigaud de Vaudreuil, who having surrounded it on every side, began with hideous acclamations to rush forward upon the fort, firing incessantly upon us from every side. Mr. Hanks, our officer, ordered that we should let them come without firing at all upon them until they should approach within a suitable distance, that we might have a good prospect of doing execution. We suffered them to come up in a body till they were within twenty rods of us, and then we fired, upon which the enemy soon betook themselves to tree-stumps and logs, where they lay and fired incessantly upon us. At the beginning of the engagement the General sent his ensign with his standard, which he, standing behind a tree about thirty rods distant from the fort, displayed; the General also walked up the hill within about forty rods of the fort and there he stood and gave his orders. . . . We were straitened for want of shot-therefore the sergeant ordered some of our sick men to make bullets. . . .This put him upon taking particular notice of the ammunition and he found it to be very short, so that we fired but very little. We saw several fall, who we are persuaded, never rose again. . . . Towards evening the enemy began to use their axes and hatchets. Some were preparing ladders in order to storm the fort in the night, but we afterwards found our mistake, for they were preparing faggots in order to burn it. When the evening came on, the sergeant gave orders that all the pails, tubs and vessels of every sort in every room, should be filled with water. . . . He distributed the men into the several rooms. . . . He kept two men in the northwest mount, and some in the great house, the southeast corner of the fort, to watch the enemy and keep them back. I was in the mount all the evening. . .. They continued to fire upon us until between eight and nine at night, when the whole army (as we supposed) surrounded the fort, and shouted or rather yelled with the most hideous outcries. This they repeated three or four times. We expected they would have followed this with a storm, but were mistaken, for they directly set their watch round the fort.

"Wednesday, August 20. As soon as it began to be light the enemy shouted and began to fire upon us for a few minutes. The sergeant

ordered every man to his place and sent two men up into the watch-box. A number of the enemy went up into the mountain north of the fort where they could shoot over the north side of the fort into the middle of the parade. About eleven o'clock Thomas Knowlton, one of our men, being in the watch-box was shot through the head.

"About twelve o'clock the enemy desired to parley. We agreed to it, and when we came to General De Vaudreuil, he promised us good quarters if we would surrender-otherwise he should endeavour to take us by force. The sergeant told him he should have an answer within two hours. We came into the fort and examined the state of it. The whole of our ammunition we did not judge to be above three or four pounds of powder, and not more lead, and after prayers unto God for wisdom and direction, we considered our case, whether there was any probability of our being able to withstand the enemy or not. . . . Had we all been in health or had there been only those eight of us that were in health, I believe every man would willingly have stood it out to the last. For my part I should, but we heard that if we were taken by violence, the sick, the wounded and the women, would most, if not all of them, die by the hands of the sav ages; therefore our officer concluded to surrender on the best terms he could get, which were. Ist. That we should be all prisoners to the French: the General promising that the savages should have nothing to do with any of us. 2d. That the children should all live with their parents during the time of their captivity. 3d. That we should all have the privilege of being exchanged the first opportunity that presented.

"The General also promised that all the prisoners should have Christian care and charity exercised toward them, that those who were weak and unable to travel, should be carried on their journey; that we should all be allowed to keep our clothing; and that we might leave a few lines to inform our friends what had become of us. About three of the clock we admitted the General and a number of his officers into the fort, upon which he set up his standard. The gate was not opened to the rest. But the Indians soon fell to pulling out the underpinning of the fort and crept into it, opened the gates, so that the parade was quickly full. After they had plundered the fort, they set it on fire and led us to their camp. Thursday August 21. In the morning I obtained liberty to go to the place of the fort, and get up a letter, which I did, with a Frenchman and some Indians in company. I nailed the letter on the west post. We then put up our things and set out on our march for Crown Point, going down the river on Hoosack road."

Space prevents us from quoting further from this quaint narrative. We