who discovered them hurried on to the settlement, and gave the alarm.
Ten men was all he could muster, for there were but a few families in
the town. These men armed themselves, and by the time they were ready
for action, the Indians had already begun their work of plunder.

"But the Indians were not cunning enough for the white folks, that
time. The settlers formed themselves into two parties--one of seven
and one of three men. The three men went down very cautiously to the
Indian's landing-place, and after cutting slits in their bark canoes,
they hid themselves, and awaited the result. While they were doing
this, the other party made such a furious and sudden attack upon the
enemy, that the Indians thought they were assailed by a force far
superior to their own, and so they fled as fast as they could. When
they reached the landing-place, they jumped pell-mell into their
canoes, and pushed out into the stream. Now they thought they would
soon be out of the reach of harm; but, to their astonishment, the
canoes began to fill with water, and were entirely unmanageable. The
three men in ambush now began to attack them, and pretty soon the other
seven came to their aid, and in a little while the Indians were all
shot or drowned, and not one of the party escaped, to inform their
kindred what had befallen them. The stream on which this happened is
called Laplot River. Laplot, they say, means 'the plot,' and a good
many people think the river got its name from the stratagem of the
settlers, but I don't know how that is."

After musing awhile in silence, Ralph called for another story.

"Let me see," said his grandmother; "did I ever tell you about Widow
Storey's retreat, in the Revolution!"