This mistake gave Paugus an advantage. He followed the track of the English, fell in with their packs, and learned their numbers. Encouraged by superiority, he having eighty men with him, he pursued the English, and courted a contest. Lovewell, after marching a considerable distance, during which time he took one scalp, and was mortally wounded by the last fire of the Indian who had been scalped, ordered his men to return for their packs. The wary Paugus expected this, and lay in ambush to cut them off. When the English were completely encircled, the Indians rose from the coverts, and advanced towards them with arms presented. They expected the English to surrender to their superior force, and accordingly threw away their first fire. But Lovewell, though wounded, led on his men to the attack. The Indians were driven back several rods, and many killed and wounded. But they soon returned and attacked their white foes vigorously; killed Lovewell and eight men, and wounded three others. The English then retreated to the shore of Saco Pond, so as to prevent their being surrounded. The banks afforded a kind of breastwork, behind which they maintained the contest until night, when the Indians drew off and they saw no more of them. Only nine of the English escaped unhurt, though several that were wounded lived to return to Dunstable.
Paugus was killed in the course of the fight by one John Chamberlain, a noted hunter. It is said that they both came to the shore of the pond to quench their thirst, when the encounter took place, in which Paugus was shot through the heart.
A son of the chief, after peace was restored, came to Dunstable, to revenge his father’s death, by killing Chamberlain; but not going directly to him his design was suspected by some one, and communicated to the intended victim, who kept himself upon his guard, and had a hole cut through the door of his house. Through this hole, Chamberlain one morning discovered an Indian, behind a pile of wood, with his gun pointed toward the door. Making use of his advantage, he fired upon and killed the son of Paugus.
In the ballad, in which the events of Love-well’s fight are commemorated, we find some singular details of the escape of the wounded white men. Solomon Keyes, having received three wounds, said he would hide himself and die secretly, so that the Indians could not get his scalp? As he crawled upon the shore of the pond, a short distance from the battle-ground, he found a canoe, into which he rolled himself, and was drifted away by the wind. To his astonishment, he was cast ashore near Fort Ossippee, to which he crawled, and there found several of his companions, with whom he returned home. The most of those who escaped did not leave the battle-ground till near midnight. When they arrived at the fort, they expected to find refreshment, and the few men they had left in reserve. But a deserter had so frightened the men left in the fort, that they fled in dismay towards Dunstable.
Fifty New Hampshire volunteers afterwards marched to the scene of action, and buried the dead. They found but three Indians, one of whom was Paugus. The remainder were supposed to have been taken away when they retreated. The pond, on the banks of which the battle was fought, has ever since received the name of Lovewell’s Pond. Some rural Homer, the author of the ballad to which we have alluded, thus pathetically concludes his narrative:
Ah, many a wife shall rend her hair,
And many a child cry, “Woe is me,”
When messengers the news shall hear,
Of Lovewell’s dear-bought victory.
With footsteps slow shall travellers go,