communicating the following, undoubtedly true, account of the
destruction of the colony:

"One of the chiefs, seeing the glittering tin plate,
emblazoned with the arms of Holland, so conspicuously
exposed upon the column, apparently without any
consciousness that he was doing anything wrong, openly,
without any attempt at secrecy, took it down and quite
skilfully manufactured it into tobacco pipes. The commander
of the fort, a man by the name of Hossett, complained so
bitterly of this, as an outrage that must not pass
unavenged, that some of the friendly Indians, to win his
favor, killed the chief, and brought to Hossett his head, or
some other decisive evidence that the deed was done."

The commandant was shocked at this severity of retribution, so far
exceeding anything which he had desired, and told the savages that
they had done very wrong; that they should only have arrested the
chief and brought him to the fort. The commandant would simply have
reprimanded him and forbidden him to repeat the offence.

The ignorant Indians of the tribe, whose chief had thus summarily,
and, as they felt, unjustly been put to death, had all their savage
instincts roused to intensity. They regarded the strangers at the fort
as instigating the deed and responsible for it. They resolved upon
bloody vengeance.

A party of warriors, thoroughly armed, came stealing through the
glades of the forest and approached the unsuspecting fort. All the men
were at work in the fields excepting one, who was left sick at home.