Forward he sprang, whirling his heavy tomahawk round his head, as if it had been a child’s toy, and preparing to bring it down on the white man’s skull with a force that must have cloven it in two.  But Standish saw the impending blow, and, quick as thought, he drew a pistol from his belt, and fired it at the savage.  The ball passed through his arm, and the tomahawk fell bloodless to the ground.  Had it but drunk the life-blood of Rodolph, Coubitant would have been content to die.  But his foe still lived unharmed; and quickly he saw that three of his own followers were also severely wounded, and that his party of naked warriors were altogether incapable of resisting the fierce and well-sustained attack of their civilized assailants.  His only chance of safety, and of future vengeance, lay in flight; and to that last resource of a brave spirit he betook himself.  He was quickly followed by all his band, who were dismayed at the sound and the fatal effects of the British fire-arms and, leaving Squanto behind them, they were soon concealed from view by the thick underwood of the forest.  The object of the expedition having been attained, Standish did not pursue the fugitives, but returned in triumph to the settlement, well satisfied that he had given the Indians a salutary impression of the decisive conduct, and the powerful measures, that would ever be adopted by the white men, when their honor was insulted in the slightest degree.

That such an impression had been made on the red men was soon evident, from the anxiety which was manifested by several of the neighboring tribes to be admitted into the semblance, at least, of an alliance with the mighty strangers.  Nine Sachems intimated their desire to acknowledge themselves the subjects of the white men’s king, who dwelt on the other side of ‘the great water’; and a paper was accordingly drawn up by Captain Standish to that effect, and subscribed with the uncouth autographs of the copper-colored chieftains.  Among these—­ strange to say—­the mark of Coubitant, who had been raised to the rank of Sachem by the Narragansetts, was to be seen; but the sincerity of his friendly professions will be shown hereafter.  At present, it suited him to unite with the other chiefs in their pledge of allegiance to King James, and of amity towards his British subjects; but he never openly approached their settlement, or made the slightest advance towards becoming better acquainted with them.  His evil designs slept, indeed, but they had not expired.  They only waited the fitting opportunity to be as actively pursued as ever.

CHAPTER XII.

’Calm on the bosom of thy God,
    Young spirit! rest thee now! 
E’en while with us thy footsteps trod
    His seat was on thy brow.

Dust to its narrow house beneath! 
    Soul to its place on high! 
They that have seen thy look in death,
    No more may fear to die.