The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-11-23
True Romance of Pocahontas

|
From the Century, ,s,
FROM her first meeting with Smith she h,
came devotedly attached to the English. an
} rendered the settlers many services. She ofte
secured supplies for them, and indeed seem
TO have haunted the fort. utterly naked as sh
was, after the manner of little girls anon,
her people, who wore no clothes and Shove,
no modesty until they were 12 or 10 wears o
age, at which time they put on a deerski,
apron, and were very careful not to be seel
without it, The agile little barbarian woult
persuade The English lads to make wheels O
themselves by turning upon their hands apt
feet, whereupon she would follow them wheel
ing as she did, all through the fort.
F. Her real name was Matoax but by order q
FoWhatan, this was carefully concealed from
the whites, lest by their supernatural encbant
ments they should work her some harm
When Richard Wyffin was sent from James.
town to apprise the endangered Capt Smith
enVlroned by foes among Powlatan's peop]e
OF the death OF his deputy, Mr.. Scrivener, and
his 10 companions, by drowning, Pocahontas
hid him, inisdirected those who sought him
and by extraordinary brides and name yres
brought him safely to Smith, after three days'
travell In the midst of extreme peril. So also,
when Ratclitie was cut off with 30 men, she
saved the lad Spilman, who was then living
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 DIFF
ncult adventure among PoWhatan's people. in
which Capt. Smith was engaged when Scriv-
ener was drowned the treacherous chief had
arranged to surprise Smith at supper, and cut
OH the whole party, when Pocahontas, the
dearest jewel and daughter, of the aged
chief, IN that dark night came through the
lrksome woods" to warn the captain of Pow
hatan's design. Capt. Smith offered to repay
her kindness with such trinkets as the heart
OF an Indian maiden delights in "but with
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 Potomac
Indians Capt. Argall, man of much shrewd-
ness 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 negotia-
lions with Powhatan for the return OF the
white prisoners held by him, If he could Sc
cure so valuable a hostage as the chefs
daughter. With a copper kettle he bribed
Japawaws, the chief with whom she was STAY
ing, 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 jamestown, where She had
frolicked as child, and whittier she had so
often come as a friend with food, she was now
carried as an enemy and prisoner. She had
refused to enter the town since the debarture
of Capt Smith i ir' feni3
This transaction, not very creditable to the
gratitude of the English, accomplished its
purpose in causing lPowhatan to return the
white men held in slavery by him, with the
least useful of the stolen arms. But he still
contrivedto. evade some of the demands of
the English, who therefore retained his
daughter until the affair took a new turn
John Rolfe, who seems to have been a wild
over, became enamored of Pocahontas, now
growing to womanhood, and wrote formal
letter TO Sir. Thomas Dale, proposing to con-
vert her to Christianity and marry her, which
pleased the Governor, as tending TO promote
peace with the Indians, and was likewise ac-
ceptable to Powhatan., The chief sent an old
uncle OF Pocahontas and two of her brothers
to witness the marriage, This. snarriage
brought about peace during the life Of Powha-
tan,who on one occasion at least sent 4 present
of buckskins 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. b. q
In 1916, more than two wears after their
marriage, Rolfe and Pocahontas went to Eng
land with Sir Thomas Dale Powhatan sent
some Indians with his daughter, one of whom
was commissioned to count the number of the
English The arrival Of the Lady Rebecca as
Pocahontas was called after her baptism, pro-
duced great sensation. She was received by
the king and many distinguished people, went
to see a play and, by help of her naturally
quick wit, bore herself very we'll. But it be-
came necessary to desst 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 daugh-
ter Of foreign potentate without the kings
consent, Rofe had not committed treason
The climate of London, and perhaps also
theuncongenial habits of civilization, affected
Pocahontas very unfavorably, and she was
taken to Brentford, where Smith, then busy
with his preparations to aiifSf New England
visited her. In the successful eHortsNof Rolfe
and others to win'her to the Christian faith
and to marriage, they had not scrupled' to de-
ceive her by telling her that Capt. Smith was
dead, probably because they knew she would
not marry another white man while she be-
ieved that great warrior alive. When, there
fore, she saw the "brave" who had been the
object of her maiden]y admiration, she turned
her face away and refused to speak for the
space of two or three hours. When she did,
it was to claim the privilege of calling him
father, which Smith granted only after impor-
tunity, afraid perhaps, of mourning the kings
displeasure. Pocahontas went to Gravesend
to take ship for her return to America, much
against her will, for she had become weaned
from her savage life and greatly attached to
the English. At GraveseDd she died of small
DOX three wears after har marriou e 1pavinp
one son, from whom some of the most prom
inent Virginia families trace their descent.
..,..= Impure Breath. 4
Among all the disagreeable consequences
that follow the decay of the teeth, an impure
breath must be the most Notifying and I'M
pleasant to its possessor aud it is the most in
eXcusable and offensive in society; and vet