The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-04-26

ana StTOte 10 uUu Out All IQdl he GOulu
about the country around.
Not many weeks passed after a fort
had been built and a settlement formed
before Lane commenced exploring the
| country to the north, south n west
of Roanoke. With a party Of explorers
he went toward the south from Roam
| oke island, as he tells US himself, -four
score miles," passing throughout the
length of Pamlico sound and up Neuse
| river as far as the present site of New
| Berne. On this trip the adventures
explored portions Of the present coun-
ties Of Pamlico, Carteret. Craven and
Jones.
Tt the northward," Lane says, our
furthest discovery was to the Chest
peans, distant from Roanoke about 40
miles; the passage to 1t was very shall
low and most dangerous, by reason OF
the breadth of the sound, and the little
succor that, upon flaw, was there to be
had" This country of the Chesipeans
was near the present site of Norfolk,
Va, so that we infer that Lane ira
versed the whole part OF
North Carolina and came to the banks
of the Elizabeth river in Virginia.
ITO the northwest, the farthest place
of our discovery was to ChowanoOk,
distant from Roanoke about 40 miles"
J This place, as the name implies, was
on the ChOwan river, about the point
where the Nottaway and Meherrin riv-
ers unite. 1t will be seen then that
| Lane passed by the present counties
Of Chowan, BERTHE, HEREFORD and
| Gates, thus viewing one of the finest
| sections in the state.
On this journey he found out from
Menatonon, the chief of that. country,
| the existence of Chesapeake bay, though
ne did not visit it. He became thor
oughly convinced that somewhere on
the banks of that bay the colony would
be more prosperous than on Roanoke
island, and resolved to remove thither,
as soon as possible. In his narrative,
Lane says he was satisfied that a bet
ter site could be found farther north.
Before he could put his plan of re-
nova into execution, an event happen
ed which changed his whole p
This was the conspiracy of PemiSa-
pan for the destruction Of the colony.
The feelings of this chief had under
gone a complete change toward the
colonists. He had never been so friend
1y, however, toward the whites as had
been his brother, G~ranganimeo, and
his father Ensinore. Granganimeo had
died August and Ensinore in March,
and thus the two strong friends of the
English were removed. Wingina, upon
the death of his brother, changed his
name to Pemisopan, and became a
deadly enemy of the settlers. His
father, however, restrained him and
liClUu O"1 llio ~ oOllAS SZA-
tent. But when the aged chief had
died there was no one to offer restraint.
Manteo staid with the English as one
Of them, while Wanchese, the other In
dian who had gOne to England with
AmadaS and BarlOwe, was with Pc
misopan, aiding and abetting every
movement against the whites. He was
one of the chief c~onspirators and help
ed to set the trap in which he expect
ed Lane would be caught.
Pemisapan was artful and laid his
plan well. Pretending undying friend
ship for the English, he volunteered to
give Governor Lane some Information
concerning the country along the
Roanoke river, representing hat river
as rising in a vast rock near a great
sea to the west, so near indeed that
the briny waves of the sea sometimes
beat over into the headwaters of the
river. Along that river, near it's source,
were a people, rich in minerals and
other things, and that gold could be
gotten almost for the asking.
Unfortunately the governor believed
this tale of the artful savage, and set
out upon another voyage of discovery
up the MOratOc river, as the Roanoke
was called by the natives. Meanwhile
PemiSapan sent word to the ChaoniSts
and MOngOakS, Indian tribes on the
Roanoke, that Governor Lane vas COM
ing against them with hostile intent,
and stirred them up against him. 1t
was, therefore, with delight that Pc
misapan and Wanchese saw the Eng
lish go deliberately into the trap set
for them, expecting them to fall easy
victims into the hands of these power
| full aVage
| 1t was another case, however, of the
intended victim turning the tables up
on the plOtter. Lan sailed up the riv-
er about 1870 miles, vanquished the saw
| ooac in ~, otfooG ,,rOp hirp 49, ~
turned in safety. He was gone a week.
His journey took him along the borders
Of the counties of Washington, BERTHE,
Martin, Halifax and Northampton.
AS he approached the Indians fled far
Their up the river, believing that he
came to bring war upon them.
After proceeding up the river four
days, and having reached the locality
near the present town of Weldon, they
first saw the savages. About night On
that day they heard Indians on the
shore calling to them. Manteo, who
was along, answered them, and they
began to sing a song. Manteo, under
standing their meaning to be hostile,
informed Governor Lane of their de-
signs in time to escape a shower of ar
rows that were shot among them with
out injury. Immediately Lam dis
patched a body of men that he calls
the light-horsemen" ashore to charge
the enemy. They reached the shore,
charged up the hill, n put the Indians
to flight, chasing them some distance
into the forest. Then they returned to
the boats.
By this time their provisions had
given out entirely, and they had to re-
turn to camp, reaching there only af-
ter enduring the severest hunger, hav-
ing Toasted one day upon boiled dog
and sassafras leaves. Their return was
a great surprise to Pemisapan and
Wanchese, who had industriously cir
culated the report that the English had
been completely destroyed by the In
dams of the upper Roanoke. They even
began, during the absence of Lane, to
ridicule the Christian religion which
the settlers had tried to establish
among the Indians, saying to their fol-
overs that the God of the Englishmen
was no god, because he had allowed
them to be destroyed in the forest.
Pemisapan was not completely dis
cnrnortal hv tho ra<,,rp of oro HOW