The Council of war decided that we could indeed cut it down, but were any more of our men wounded, how could they be removed having already one more than we had horses, and this one must be borne, with great trouble, on a litter by two. _ Resolved to let the maize stand for the present ; plundered the

houses wherein was considerable booty, such as bear skins, deer skins, notassen, blankets, elk hides, besides several other smaller articles many of which we were obliged to leave behind that we could not bring along with us, for we could well fill a sloop. We destroyed as much as we could ; broke the kettles into pieces ; got also twenty four or five guns, more than the half of

SECOND ESOPUS WAR 13

which we smashed and threw the barrels here and there in the stream, hacking and breaking in pieces as many as we could. Found, also, several horns and bags of powder, in all about twenty pounds ; got also thirty one belts and some strings of wampum ; took the best of the booty along and resolved to set off. Placed the wounded on the horses and had one carried ina blanket on poles by two soldiers in turns. Set out thus in good order on our return and marched that day full two miles from the fort. The fort was a perfect square with one row of palisades set all round being about fifteen feet above, and three feet under ground. They had already completed two angles of stout palisades, all of them almost as thick as a man's body, having two rows of portholes, one above the other; and they were busy at the third angle. These angles were constructed so solid and strong as not to be excelled by Christians.