ce the people, when they saw the Indians coming, all ran to a
strong building called a blockhouse. The Indians came whooping and
yelling around this, and tried to set it on fire by shooting arrows with
blazing rags on their points. Once the roof caught fire, but some of the
men ran up and threw water on the flames.

Then the Indians got a cart and filled it with hay. Setting this on
fire, they pushed it up against the house. It looked as if all the white
men and women and children would be burned alive. The house caught fire
and began to blaze. But just then came a shower of rain that put out the
fire, and the people inside were saved once more. Before the Indians
could do anything further some white soldiers came and the savages all
ran into the woods.

There were other wonderful escapes, but many of the settlers were
killed, and Philip began to think he would be able to drive them out of
the country, as he wished to do. He was called King Philip, though he
had no crown except a string of wampum,--or bits of bored shell strung
together and twined round his head,--and no palace better than a bark
hut, while his finest dress was a red blanket. It took very little to
make an Indian king. The white men knew more about war than the Indians,
and in the end they began to drive them back. One of their forts was
taken, and the wigwams in it were set on fire, like those of the
Pequots. A great many of the poor red men perished in the flames.

The best fighter among the white men was Captain Church. He followed
King Philip and his men to one hiding place after another, killing some
and taking others prisoners. Among the prisoners were the wife and
little son of the Indian king.

"It breaks my heart," said Philip, when he heard of this. "Now I am
ready to die."

He did not live much longer. Captain Church chased him from place to
place, till he came to Mount Hope, in Rhode Island, where Massasoit
lived when Roger Williams came to him through the woods. Here King
Philip was shot, and the war ended. It had lasted more than a year, and
a large number had been killed on both sides. It is known in history as
King Philip's War.

There were wars with the Indians in many other parts of the country. In
Virginia the Indians made a plot to kill all the white people. They
pretended to be very friendly, and brought them meat and fish to sell.
While they were talking quietly the savages drew their tomahawks or
hatchets and began to kill