of the
chief, when, at the head of the band, he beheld his enemy, the
Assistant Spikeman, leading as prisoners his friends and the little
Indian girl. Not waiting for the Knight and the Paniese to come up,
fitting an arrow, he drew the deer's sinew till the head of the
missile touched the hand that held the bow, and sent it whizzing
through the air. The cavalcade had passed on, so that the front ranks
were in advance of Sassacus, when he discharged the shaft, and the
back of the Assistant was turned to him. It entered just below the
right shoulder, and was sent with such vigor, that, passing between
the ribs, it stopped not until arrested on the other side by the steel
corselet which Spikeman wore on his breast. Shouting then his
war-whoop, and drawing his tomahawk from his girdle, the Pequot leaped
among the band. Like lightning it sunk into the head of one man, who
fell to the ground. The chief raised it again, but before it could
descend, a blow prostrated him, and, in an instant, he was overpowered
and disarmed. So rapidly followed these occurrences, that before the
Knight and Towanquattick came up, the chief was a prisoner, and every
man on his guard was prepared and watching for an enemy. To attack
would have been certain death or captivity; they, therefore, bitterly
lamenting the passionate impetuosity of the sagamore, kept themselves
concealed in order to take advantage of circumstances.

Having disposed his Company so as to face in every direction, to repel
attack, Lieutenant Venn approached to examine the fallen men. A corpse
was all that remained of Ephraim Pike, who must have instantly expired
on receiving the blow. His head was cleft to the neck, and portions of
the brain were lying on the leaves. He had probably been selected by
the sagamore (from his neighborhood to the Assistant, by whose side he
marched) as second in command, and thus expiated with his life his
evil devotion to his master. Spikeman lay upon his face, groaning,
while the blood slowly oozed from his wound. The lieutenant, with one
of the men, raised him up, while Lady Geraldine strove to stanch the
bleeding. An attempt was made to withdraw the arrow, but the pain it
occasioned and the amount of blood which followed were so great, that
it was abandoned. All that could be done was to carry the wounded man
as gently as possible home. Venn, now at the head of half a dozen men,
scoured the woods in the immediate vicinity all around; and, findi