The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-11-18
The True Romance Of POcahOntas.

The True Romance Of PGcahOntas.
From her first meeting with Smith she
became devotedly attached to the En-
glish, and rendered the settlers many
services. She often secured supplies for
them, and indeed seems to have haunted
the fort, utterly naked as she was, after
the manner of little girls among her
people, WhoWor no clothes and showed
no modesty until they were twelve or
thirteen years of age, at which time they
put on deerskin apron, and were very
careful not to be seen without it. The
agile little barbarian would persuade the
English lads to make wheels of them
selves by turning upon their hands and
feet, whereupon she would follow them,
wheeling as they did, all through the fort
Her real name was Matoax; but, by
order of Powhatan, this was carefully
concealed from the whites, lest by their
supernatural entertainments they should
work her some harm. When Richard
Wytfin was sent from jamestown to APP
prise the endangered Captain Smith,
environed by foes among Powhatan's
people, of the death of his deputy, Mr..
Scrivener, and his ten companions, by
drowning, Pocahontas hid him, misdi-
rected 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 living with Pow
hatan, and sent him to the PotomacS.
But the most touching story of all pre-
cedes in order of time the other two. In
the same difficult adventure among
Powhatan's people, in which Captain
Smith was engaged when Scrivener was
drowned, the treacherous chief had ar
ranged to surprise Smith at supper, and
cut off the whole party, when Pocahon-
tas, the dearest jewel and daughter"
of the aged chief, sin that dark night
came through the irksome woods" to
warn the Captain of Powhatan's design.
Captain Smith offered to repay her kind
ness with such trinkets as the heart of an
Indian maiden 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 il; she
NClS DlI ACdlt, ttlli ~ Suc IAN away W
herself as she came
In 1913 Pocahontas was ;rnong the
Potomac Indians. Captain Argall, q
man of much shrewdness and executive
force, but infamous for his dishonest
practices, happened to be trading in the
river at that time. He quickly saw the
advantage the English would gain in
negotiations with Powhatan for the re-
turn of the white prisoners 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 de-
tanned 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 de-
parture of Captain Smith.
This transaction, not very creditable
to the gratitude of the English, accom-
plished its purpose in causing Powhatan
to return the white men held in slavery
by him, with the least useful of the
stolen arms. But he still contriyed to
evade some of the demands of the En-
glish, who therefore retained his daughter
until the affair took new turn. John
ROlfe, who seems to have been a widOwer,
became enamored of Pocahontas, now
growing to wOmanhoOd, and wrote a
letter to Sir Thomas Dale, proposing to
convert her to Christianity and marry
her, which pleased the Governor, as
tending to promote peace with the In
dians, and was likewise acceptable to
Powhatan. The chief sent an old uncle
of POcahOntas and two of her brothers
to witness the marriage.
This marriage brought about peace
during the life of Powhatan, who, on one
occasion at least, sent a present of buck
skins to his daughter and her husband.
A free intermingling of the two races
took place, and Englishmen were accus-
toned to hire Indians to live in their
houses and hunt for them. This amity
lasted eight years. ... s...'
In 1916, more than two years after
| tuGlI UldIIld0c, IOllt anu OCdllphl"0
went to England with Sir Thomas Dale.
| Powhatan sent some Indians with his
daughter, one of whom was commits
stoned to count the number of the En-
glish. The arrival of the Lady Rebecca,
as Pocahontas was called after her bap-
tism, produced great sensation. She
was received by the King and many dis
tinguished people, went TO see play,
and, by help of her naturally quick wit,
bore herself very we'll But it became
necessary to desist from calling her the
wife of John Rolfe, for the King was very
jealous, and it was seriously debated in
the privy council whether, by marrying
the daughter of foreign potentate with
out the Kings consent; Rolfe had not
committedueason "l
The climate of London, and perhaps
also the uncongenial habits of civiliza-
ton, affected Pocahontas very unfavor-
ably, and she was taken to Brentford.
where Smith, then busy with his prep
arations to sail for New England, visited
her. In the successful 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 that she would not
marry another white man while she be-
lieved that great warrior alive. When,