Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-10-27
miscellaneous.
"a frue Romance II Pecahentas.

nc 1rue k00Abee NJ HOCSoOus~bs
From her first meeting with Smith she
hecspne deyotedly attached to the Eng
lish. and rendered the settlers many ser
vices. She often secured supplies for
them. and indeed seems to have haunted
The fort. utterly naked as she was, after
he manner of little girls among her peo-
ple. who wore no clothes and showed no
modesty until they were twelve or thir-
teen years of age, at which time they put
on a deerskin apron, and were very care
ful not To be seen without it. The agile
little barbarian would persuade the Eug-
fish lads 10 make wheels of themselves by
turning upon their hands and feet, where
upon she would follow them, wheeling as
they did. all through the fort.
Her real name was MatOax: but. ny
order of Powhatan, this was carefully
concealed from the whites. lest by their
supernatural entertainments they should
work her some harm. When Richard
Wyfin was sent from jamestown to APP
prise the endangered Capt. Smith. envi-
roned BY toes among Powbatan's people,
Of the death OF his deputy. Mr.. Scrivener,
and his ten companions. by drowning.
Pocahontas hid him. misdirected those
who sought him, and. by extraordinary
brides and maneuvers, brought him safely
to Smith, after three days travel in the
midst of extreme peril. So, also. when
Radcliffe was cut off with thirty men, she
saved the lad Spilman, who was then liv
ing with Powhatan, and sent him to
the Potomacs. But the most touching story
of all precedes In order Of time the other
two. In the same difficult adventure
amOngPowhatan' people in which Captain
Smith was engaged when Scrivener was
drowned, the treacherous chief had ar
ranged to surprise Smith at supper, and
cut Of the whole party, when Pocahontas,
the dearest jewel and daughter" of the
aged chief, .'in that dark night came
through the irksome woods to warn the
captain of Powhatan's design. Captain
Smith offered to repay her kindness with
such trinkets as the heart Of an Indian maid
en- delights in "but, with the tears running
down her cheeks, she said she burst not
be seen to have any, for, If Powhatan
should know it, she were but dead; and
SO she ran away by herself as she came"
In 1913 Pocahontas was among the Po-
t0mac Indians. Captain Argall, a man of
much shrewdness and executive force but
Infamous for his dishonest practices. hap
pened to be trading in the river at that
time. He quickly saw the advantage the
English would gain in negotiations with
POwhatan for the return Of the white pris
oners held by him, if he could secure SO
valuable hostage as the chiefs daughter.
With a copper kettle he bribed Japazaws,
the chief with whom she was staying, to
entice her on board the vessel, where he
detained her, much to the sorrow of the
daughter of the wilderness. whose life
hitherto had been as free as that of the
wild creatures OF the woods. To James
town. where she had frolicked as a child,
and whittier she had so often come as
friend with food. she was now carried as
an enemy and a prisoner. She had re-
fused to enter the town since the depar-
ture of Captain Smith.
This transaction. not very creditable to
the gratitude Of the English. accomplished
its purpose in causing Powhatan to re-
turn the white men held in slavery by him
with the least useful of the stolen arms.
But he still contrived to evade some ofthe
demands of the English, who therefore re-
tanned his daughter until the affair took
a new turn. John Rolfe, who seems to
have been a widower, became enamored
of Pocahontas. now growing to woman
hood, and wrote formal letter to Sir
Thomas Dale. proposing to convert her
to Christianity and marry her, which
pleased the governor, as tending to pro-
mote peace with the Indians. and was
likewise acceptable to Powhatan. The
chief sent an old uncle of Pocahontas and
two other brothers to witness the marriage.
This marriage brought about peace dur
ing the life of Powhatan. who. on one oc-
nosinn n lnalf aanf nrpSapf nj hncE-
skins to his daughter and her husband.
A free intermingling of the two races took
place, and Englishmen were accustomed
to hire Indians to live in their houses and
hunt for them. This amity lasted eight
years.
In 1916. more than two years after their
marriage. Rolfe and Pocahontas went to
England with Sir Thomas Dale. Powha-
tan sent some Indians with his daughter.
one of whom was commissioned to count
the number of the English. The arrival
Of Lady Rebecca, as Pocahontas was
called after her baptism. produced great
sensation. She was received by the king
and many distinguished people. went to see
. play, and. by help of her natural
" quick wit, bore herself very wells
But il became necessary to desist from
calling her the wife of John Rolfe, for the
king was very Jealous. and it was serious
" debated in the privy council whether.
BY marrying the daughter Of foreign
potentate without the kings consent,
Rolfe had not committed treason.
The climate of London. and perhaps
also the uncongenial habits of civilization.
affected Pocahontas very unfavorablv. and
she was taken to Brentford. where Smith.
then busy with his preparations to sail Tor
New England, visited her. In the sue
cessful efforts of Rolfe and others to win
her to the Christian faith and to marriage,
they had not scrupled to deceive her. by
telling her that Captain Smith was dead.
probably because they knew she would
not marry another white man while she
believed that great warrior alive. When.
therefore, she saw the brave" who had
been the object of her msidenly admira-
ton, she turned her face away and refused
to speak tor the space OF two or three
hours. When she did, 1t was to claim the
privilege of calling him father, which
Smith granted only after importantly.
afraid. perhaps, of mourning the kings
displeasure. Pocahontas went to Graves
end to take ship tor her return to America.
much against her will. for she had become
weaned from her savage life and greatly