ith shells. King Philip hated the
white people because, in the first place, he believed that they had
murdered his brother; and next, because he saw that they were growing
stronger in numbers every year, while the Indians were becoming
weaker.

[Illustration: THE BELT WHICH KING PHILIP WORE FOR A CROWN.]

When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massasoit, Philip's father,
held all the country from Cape Cod back to the eastern shores of
Narragansett Bay; that is, a strip about thirty miles wide. The white
settlers bought a small piece of this land. After a while they bought
more, and so they kept on until in about fifty years they got nearly
all of what Massasoit's tribe had once owned. The Indians had nothing
left but two little necks of land, which were nearly surrounded by
the waters of Narragansett Bay. Here they felt that they were shut
up almost like prisoners, and that the white men watched everything
that they did.

89. How King Philip felt; signs of the coming war; the "Praying
Indians"; the murder.--King Philip was a very proud man--quite as
proud, in fact, as the king of England. He could not bear to see his
people losing power. He said to himself, if the Indians do not rise
and drive out the white men, then the white men will certainly drive
out the Indians. Most of the Indians now had guns, and could use them
quite as well as the whites could; so Philip thought that it was best
to fight.

The settlers felt that the war was coming. Some of them fancied that
they saw the figure of an Indian bow in the clouds. Others said that
they heard sounds like guns fired off in the air, and horsemen riding
furiously up and down in the sky, as if getting ready for battle.

But though many Indians now hated the white settlers, this was not
true of all. A minister, named John Eliot, had persuaded some of the
red men near Boston to give up their religion, and to try to live
like the white people. These were called "Praying Indians." One of
them who knew King Philip well told the settlers that Philip's
warriors were grinding their hatchets sharp for war. Soon after, this
"Praying Indian" was found murdered. The white people accused three
of Philip's men of having killed him. They were tried, found guilty,
and hanged.

90. Beginning of the war at Swansea;[3] burning of Brookfield.--Then
Philip's warriors began the war in the summer of 1675. Some white
settlers were going home from church in the town of Swansea,
Massa