Arizona republican., 1899-10-31

a well known story of disappointment
and sickness. disaster and death. Of
which only the literary side can be
touched upon here.
Reading the melancholy account OF
the encampment on the flats by the
tidewater OF the James river, it would
not be fair to expect great achieve
ments in literature amidst such sur
roundings.
Yet the redoubtable Smith, who had
hewn his way through the world with
g sword, does not hesitate to pick up
the quill OF a wild goose-the best OF
pens for the story of a chase for gold
such as he had to record. To be sure
he is as apologize as any new author.
and fortifies himself at the start with
the remark that other soldiers have
writ with their pens what their swords
have done" and fe counts it no dis
grace to follow their example as 9TH
ers since have followed his But his
manner of writing suggests the sword
rather than the pen. stabbinS upon pa
Per as with a dagger point his sharp
! sentences. 1t is not the clerlly style,
but that of a soldier, hrsute and brist-
/ ling with helmet, back ana breast
/ plate. sitting in a hut of logs and mud
armed and prepared for morning calls
Of aboriginal visitors on mischief bent,
interrupted on every page by business
or brawl of comrades. and for days to-
gether By expeditions of discovery OF
diplomacy in savage wilds. Yet out
OF this turmoil and distraction he con-
trives to wrest letters which Shall in
duce other Englishnen of spirit to join
the little company for its advantage
and their own. What is known IS the
True Relation or News from NiF
ginia.' doubtless contains the sub
stance of those early letters How
much it was tempered with later must
be left to the critics to settle among
themselves, but there are passages in
it that bear the ear mark of Captain
John. For example. The next day
came first an Indian, then another as
ambassador to speak with me. Our
discourse was that what spades SHOW
els swords or tools, they had stolen, tc
bring home Of not the next day they
should hang). The next news was
they had taken two of our men, rang
ing in the woods, which mischief no
punishment will prevent but hanging,
and these they should redeem with
their own. Sixteen or eighteen thus
Drawing US to our doors we desired to
what we burst to do, and at night
manned our barge and burnt their
towns and destroyed and spoiled what
we could, but they brought our men
and freely delivered them. The presi-
dent released one, the rest we brought,
well guarded. TO morning and evening
prayers. Our men all in arms, thelf
trembling fear then caused them much
sorrow which till then scOffed and
scorned at what we burst do. The
council concluded that I should terrify
them with some torture.
1t is interesting to observe here the
of an executive and a mis- |
spirit. and that the zeal of con- !
Guest was accompanied by compulsory |
attendance on the daily services. Also |
that religious observance prevailed III !
the planting of American civilization +
More to the present purpose it is TO
note the jagged style, which originally
was without Ineligible punctuation
and had lawless distribution OF CAPT
tais and divisions of sentences. But
the mixture of force and piety. of en-
-erprise and bad grammar belongs to
al our early history.
In his dedication of his History Of
Virginia to the duchess of Richmond
smith says: I have deeply hazarded
myself in doing and suffering. and why
should / stick to hazard my reputation
n recording. Where shall we look 10
ind Julius Caesar whose achieve
nents shine as clear in his own COM
nentaries as they did in the field? Bat
because 1 am no compiler by hearsaJ,
,ut have been a real actor, l have
therefore, been bold to challenge them
o come under the reach OF my rough
,en." He also lays the responsibility
f his writing his Travels and Adven-
ures'' upon Sir Robert Cotton, and
lso upon the perversion by contem-
oraries of his previous books. saying:
They have acted my fatal tragedies
pom the stage and racked my relations
t their pleasure" Doubtless this was
stroke at some of William Shake
peare's company at the Mermaid taF
m.
If in any OF the eight books large
nd small. which he wrote after the
News From Virginia. and six Of .
lem in England during d score of
ears: if in them he borders upon the I
at times, it must be remem-
cred that he was a strong man, with
le capacity of making the most and V
est of everything, himself included; h
nat he had an charging lens for facts. =
nd a royalty romantic imagination :
18th respect to distant events and f
lat he had Sir John Vaudeville 20 a
rccede him in stories of travel and q
aron Munchausen to follow him IN d
counts of exploits among the Turks =
is possible that a great romancer \
as spoiled when he threw aside his
achiavellis Art of War and Mar
is Aurelius and started to serve un-
az Rudolf of Hungary Nevertheless
$ principal sO-called fable of the
ocahontas episode has been fairly
ell established as true, his early sill <
ice being accounted for by a prudent
serve with regard to aboriginal GUS
ms toward intruders, lest English =
en- should be kept at home by visions
stony pillows and clubs This story 1
ice confirmed, Smiths other nara u
1fls and descriptions may be taken