The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-06-02
sicota, Aquasogoc and Dasamongen-


having perceived that of those fifteen
they could see but eleven only, two OF
those savages appeared to the eleven
Englishmen, calling to them by friend
ly signs that but two of their chief
men should come unarmed to speak
with these two savages, who seemed
also to be unarmed. Wherefore, two
of the chieiest OF our Engiishmen went
gladly to them but whilst one OF those
sayages traitorously embraced one OF
our men, the other with his sword OF
wood, which he had secretly hidden
under his mantle, struck him on the
head and slew him, and presently the
other eight and twenty sayages show
ed themselves, the other Englishman
percelving this, fled to his company,
whom the savages pursued with their
bows and arrows, so fast that the Eng
llshmen were forced to take the house,
wherein all their victuals and weapons
were but the savages forthwith set the
same on fire, by means whereof our
men were forced to take up such
weapons as first came to hand, and
without order to run forth among the
sayages, with whom they sklrmlshed
above an hour.
"In this skirmish another OF our men
was shot into the mouth with an ar
row. when he died /; and also one Of the
savages was shot into the side by one
of our men, with a wild fire arrow,
whereof he died presently.
"The place where they fought was OF
great advantage to the savages, by
means OF the thick trees, behind which
the savages through their nlmbleness
defended themselves, and so offended
our men with their arrows that our
men, being some of them hurt, retired
fighting to the water side where their
boat lay, with which they fled toward
Hatarash. By that time they had row.
ed but a quarter of mile, they es-
pied their four fellows coming from a.
creek thereby, where they had been
to fetch oysters these four they re-
ceived into their boat, leaving Roam
oke. and landed on a little Island On
the right hand Of our entrance into
the harbor Of Hatarash, where they re-
NAMED q while, bat aiterward depart
ed, whittier as yet we know not.'
In the foregoing paragraphs we have
clear recital OF the tragedy that was
enacted on the historic island Of Roam
oke. The account, however, still leaves
us in the dark as to the ultimate fate
Of the company. Only two were killed
in the combat with the Indians, and
the others :'retired fighting" to the
waters side, and embarked upon the
sea for safety, taking.on the four that
had gone off on foraging expedition,
and who were not present when the
attack was made.
What became of these thirteen men :?
This question is as pertinent as the
same question about the colony that
came over under White in 1887, col
ony which disappeared from civiliza-
ton so completely that the world has
been in darkness until now as to its
fate. The record of that lost colony,
however, will be more fully given later
Only surmises can be given as to
what became of these men. That,
however, is not worth anything to his
tory, and can only help to satisfy the
human mind in its vain attempt to c.
count for the mysterious.
It is certain that these men knew
that there were friendly Indians at
Croatoan, the home OF Manteo, for they
were we'll acquainted with that Indian
chief, and knew his fidelity to the Eng
lish. Alter being driven from Roam
olSe island by the hostile attacks of
the Indians, as related by Governor
White, they fled to the 'litt]e island"
near Hatteras and, endeayoring to
coast down to Croatoan, were overturn-
ed in their frail boat and engulfed in
the deep. That seems to be the opin-
ion adopted by most historians who
have written upon the subject. Ger
tain it is that they were not at Croa-
toan when the Englishmen visited that
island the next year and if they had
been living, in all probability they
would have been there.
Thus closes ore of the dark chapters
in the attempted settlements on the
North Carolina coast, chapter full of
mystery and disappointment. Moth
ing can be said to relieve the mystery
more than the fact that when the next
colony came, in 1857, a skeleton or
two were found on the island, supposed
to be those of Englishmeh. Also
there were Visible traces OF a desperate
struggle.
A darker chapter even than that is
yet to be related, chapter unique in