s, who was a born missionary, soon found occasion to exert her
talents. In the fort there were gathered not only men, but also women
and children, and the latter she gathered into little groups and
instructed them in the Bible. For this the mothers were very grateful,
for the children now had something worthwhile to do, and quarrels and
strifes were thus obviated. In short, everybody said that the three
children proved themselves valuable to the inhabitants of the fort in
many ways, and soon the topic of general conversation was nothing else
than their varied and useful activity.

But the longer John Mason waited, the less could he repress the strong
desire of his men to go and fight the Indians. News arrived every day
of settlers captured and tortured to death, and the blood of the
soldiers boiled with wrath as they heard of this.

So finally when October came, and the ground was frozen and covered with
snow, the troops set out, led by faithful Mohican guides, to attack the
Pequots in their own village. From a European point of view the army
presented a pitiable appearance, being little more than a rabble of men.
But they all burned with a desire to punish the Indians, and every one
of them could handle his gun with precision.

Slowly and carefully the whites proceeded to the Indian village at
Mystic, where the fierce Pequot chief Sassacus had gathered almost a
thousand Indians, the majority of whom could fight.

The Indian village was well concealed in a huge swamp, and had not the
ground been frozen, the white men could never have approached it. But
the cold winter, of which usually the colonists stood in dread, now
proved their best friend, for they could march over the hard ground
with ease and reach the Indian village in spite of the swamp which
surrounded it.

One day, at noon, it was reported to Captain Mason that they had almost
reached the village of Mystic. The troops were gathered in the thick
woods, in a little valley, which shut them off from the inquisitive eyes
of the Pequot scouts. It was a cold, unpleasant day, and a fierce storm
was raging, which drove the sharp, icy flakes into the faces of the men
as they moved forward.

Hurriedly John Mason called together his officers and discussed with
them the matter of attack. Both the officers and the men desired to go
forward at once, since the Indian village was only about seven miles
away.

"We can make that in two hours," one of the men sa