The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1898-10-06
HISTORICAL STORY.
Pocahontas.
Omitted States,

one day PocahOntlS, and some other indian
girls, were out on the river in n canoe or boat
the skins of animals and hooks made of pieces
of bone. There was onlyo n man in the canoe,
and he was an old man, who went along to take
care OF his chiefs daughter.
/ cannot tell you the names OF the Indians,
and, II i could. you tould not pronounce
them properly; but most OF the Indian names
meant something that we can understand. so
/ shall call rs many OF them as | can by the
meaning OF their names, For instances; the
man in the boat was called StrOng-eyes, and
w Of the girls were called Hanglng-grapCS
and B~ounding-fawn.
Pocahontas was about twelve years old, Her
dress would seem strange to us. II was made
OF the soft skin Of n spotted faWn or yOunp
deer. This was gathered in q knot on the left
shoulder and passed around under her right
arm, leaving the left arm and the right arm
and shoulder bare. 1t then fell over her like a
sort OF tunic, reaching down a short distance
below her knees. She wore no stockings, but
had on a sort Of shoe or slipper made OF deer
skin and called. by the Indians. q moGcaSin.
Her long straight, black hair was hanging down
her back, but tied behind her neck, so as TO
keep it out OF her way, and in it were stuck
several feathers, taken from u young eagle.
The other girls were dressed very much like
PocahOntas, but old Strong-eyeS had on no
clothes at all, except u piece OF deer skin made
something like a boys knee pants. reaching
from his waist almost to his knees. He also
had moccaSinS on his feet,
Pocahontas had caught q large fish, and her
coppcr-colored face and bright black eyes were
full Of excitement, as she tried TO get 1t into
the boat, but without. success. At last she
said; 70, Strong-eyeS why do you not help mt
to catch this great fish? Do you not see that
it is pulling me into the rivery What are you
gazing at so over the WATER Do you see the
storm-spirit coming from the great sea;
Strong-eyes put out his hand, drew the fish
into the canoe, pointed down the stream and
said; Look, little princess, do you not sec
some things like birds, with great white wings
spread out, coming towards us On the water,
fhey seem to be half flying, half swimming, as
u swan lifts her beautiful white wings anC
sails along upon our river before the wind. ]
have never seen such things before.
PocahontaS and the other girls put theil
hands above their eyes, TO shade them from
the sun. and looked to where StrOng-eyeS wat
pointing. Then they too saw the great, strange
things and forgot all about their fishing. They
mad never seen such things before; and Poca-
hontas said in a half-frightened tone and al
most in a whisper: 20. Strong-eyes. tell Us
h those beautiful things are. Perhaps 1t is
the Great Spirit coming to take us 30 live witt
him in Che happy hunting grounds. The
strange things make me afraid. can you moi
tell us h they are?'
Then Strong-eyes said: "Our wise me1
have told me that, many, many moons ago
some things like those came to parts Of oul
country south of us, bringing on them white
men from lands beyond the great salt sea
Those things, they said, were large canoes
having great, white wings to make them sal
along upon the water. The white men haC
their faces covered with hair, wore curious
clothing on their bodies and strange mOccasin,
on their feet. They covered their heads with {
curious thing shaped SOmeUhinglke the earth,
en not in which we boil hominy. and carried II
their hands hollow rods that spoke like thundCl
and killed affair."
Now We know that Strong-eyes was speaking
OF ships, OF the white men from Europe, tina
knl Cni1n1 in thot,n n thu Af1Antin GnF
that the hollow rods were guns. The ships ht
was then looking at were English ships, com
ing up James River and bringing white men
who we're to make for themselves in the
New World. These white men were English.
men, or people who came from England, in
Europe, and they landed on the north bSnk Of
the river at . place tkey called JamebtowN
This was in virginia. nst very f@e from wh@c
the TOWNS OF Norfolk and Newport News nov
are. At that time there were no owns neal
that place, the land was covered with swamp>
and forests. and the ships sailing upon the riv.
er were as strange to P~ocahontas and the Other
indian girls as are wonderful fairy tales tC
children now.
After they had looked at the ships-a short
time, Strong-eyes said: MY little princess
our old men say that the white men are crue.
and dangerous, so we must leave the river
hide our boat in the bushes on it's bank and &c
INTO the forest before they see us
With o few strokes of his strong arms, ht
padded the canoe to the shore iwhereithe gin
l1a ped upon the bank, and Strong-eyts fagJeIi-
ed the boat to a tree among the thick willows
Then the whole party walked very fast to theil
camp in the forest, where they found some
Sqaws. or Indian women, drying the flesh o.
deer in the smoke from their fires, Ok
Strong-eyeS at once covered up the fires witt
earth and ashes, lest the white men should SEE
smoke rising above the trees and SO find on
where the amp was, and then the Indians sal
upon the ground, while PocahOntas and the
others told ali about the wonderful things
they had seen on the river,
A little while before it got dark some Indi
an hunters came in, with two or three deel
that they had killed, and Strong-eyes sent
| OF them Town to the river to watch the ships
When it got dark these watchers came bacl
and told him that all was quiet about tn,
great canoes, as they called the ships, and tina
no white men had left them, so he told tn,
| SQuaWS to uncover their fires and finish Smok
ing the meat. for the night was too dark TO
the white men to see the smoke, and they wer
too far off for the fire to be seen through tn
thick bushes.
TIL Indians slept that night on beds OF leave
and skins. under the green boughs of the grea
trees and, when morning anne, they put gu
their fires and went farther back into the fO1
est. Here they left the SqawS and the children
or pappooseS, with SOM of the men to tax
care of them, while Strong-eyes and the rest
the men went to watch the whites. But PocG
hoEtaS declared that she would go with StronE
ewes wherever he went and, as she was the %,
l v vi AA3 1hANl Atlh al NAlh h1 %
pleased. and as he did not think she would g
int any danger, he consented for her to go al
let her take Bounding-fawn along with them.
The Indians crept through the forest like
many cats-soS softly and carefully that'they q
not even rattle a leaf or break a stick und
their feet. On and on they stole along. the o.
after the other, each one steppingi in theltracl
!, of the one in front OF him. AT last they reac
ed a point where they could see the ships al
stopped. The Indians could see the white m,
moving about and hid where they cou
see what was going on, without being theI
selves seen. PocahOntaS and Bounding-fay
climbed into o high tree, where they hid thel
selves. like squirrels, among the leaves q
branches and watched the white people 1
hours. /,
They saw them let some boats down from \
ships into the water and put many things In
them. Next the men the boats t. '.hCrhC
and unloaded them, Then some OF the IN
staid on the shore, while the boats went ba
and brought more men and things from t
ships. They saw the whites cut down tire
and clear away places to build cabins.
day long the whites worked with their ak
saws and hammers, while the Indians watch
and wondered what they were doing. b
when the sun set, the whites went back
their ships and the indians to their camp in
forest,
After their supper. Pocahontas said: :
Strong-eyes, what were the white men doins
he answered: Little princess. they w
building wigwamS, or homes, to live in. "
father does not love them lie mas neard ma
evil things of the white men and may want
drive them away, so we must make haste
find him and tell him what we have seem
Pocahontas said: why should he drive tn
away? The forests are large and full OF gar
The rivers are full of fish. We have plenty {
to spare. Why not give these men a home q
make them our brothers? They ale beauti
like the children of the Great Spirit. Sur
they cannot be wicked. will plead with
father for them"
'~Pocahontas, . said Strong-eyeS,' youdo
know the pale-face men. Your heart Is yOl
and tender and too full Of innocence and /
fol you to be a judge in these matters, CO
sleep now and, when yOnGer star stand strai
over head, we will awake. load our canoes
paddle them back to the own Of the Or
Chief"
So it happened that, att little after midniG
the hunting and fishing party, with which
cahontas had come down nearly to the mo
- of the IamAs River. started bach to their 10.