Peace existed in Nova Scotia for about 20 years, when in 1689 the English in Boston sent forces against Nova Scotia, destroying the forts and taking many of the inhabitants prisoner.
Without the forts to defend them, the Acadians were harassed by pirates who came ashore in the neighbourhood of Port Royal. The pirates killed cattle, hanged some of the people, and set fire to a dwelling house, burning the whole family inside. The English considered Nova Scotia conquered, and annexed it to Massachusetts, but the French were still in possession of it. The French Government continued to send ships with supplies of ammunition for the Natives. The English were unsuccessful in stopping the French vessels from transporting “power and ball” to the Natives.