The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-11-21

snip was expected soon VITA supplies
for the colony. Newport was the
great Merowames, king Of the sea.
When Newport arrived lie was fear
fully pleased at being the great Merow-
anes, but shared the disgust of the of.
ficials at Captain Smiths importance.
When he went to trade with the tribes
he Travelled in state, with Smith for In
terpreter, and began by presenting TO
Powhatan a red suit, a hat and a white
dog-gifts from the king Of England.
Then, to show his own Importance, he
heaped up all his trading goods and
offered them for such maize as Pow
hatan cared to sell, expecting tons and
getting exactly four bushels. Smith,
seeing that the colony would starve,
produced some bright blue beads, very
precious Jewels" he told ~PoWhatan,
composed of a most rare substance.
and Of the color of the skies, of a sort,
indeed, only to be worn by the great
est kings Of the world"
After hard bargaining Powhatan
managed to get a very few beads for a
hundred bushels of grain.
The Virginia company sent out more
idlers from England, and some indus
trious Dutchmen who stole most Of
their weapons from the English TO arm
the Indian tribes; James l had Pow
hatan treated as a brother sovereign,
and crowned with all solemnity, so
that he got a swollen head and tried TO
starve the settlement. The colonists
staggered, squabbled and loafed. in
stead of storing granaries; but all par
ties were united in one ambition-plan-
ming unpleasant surprises for Captain
Smith.
Once his trading party was trapped
for slaughtertin a house at Powhatan's
camp, but Poeahontas. at the risk of
her life. warned her hero, so that all
escaped. Another tribe caught Smith
In q house where he had called to buy
grain of their chief. Smith led the
chief outside, with a pistol at his ear
hole, paraded his fifteen musketeers,
and frightened seven hundred warriors
1T laying uOhA iAiEiI AIMS. aitu llEb
he made them load his ship with corn.
This food he served out in daily ra-
tons TO working colonists only. After
the next Indian attempt on his life,
Smith laid the whole country waste
until the tribes were reduced to sub
mission. So his loafers reported him
to the company for being cruel to the
Indians, Inc seven shiploads of Off
Gals and MASTERS were sent out from
England to suppress the captain.
This was in September of the third
year of the colony, and Smith, as it
happened, was returning to James
town from work %up-country. He lay
asleep In the boat against a bag of
powder, on which one of the sailors
was pleased to knock out the ashes of
his pipe. The explosion failed TO kill.
but almost mortally wounded Captain
Smith, who was obliged to return TO
England in search of a Doctors aid.
After his departure the colony fell into
its customary ways, helpless for lack
of leadership. butchered by the Indi-
ans, starved, until, when relief ships
arrived, there were only sixty surviv-
ors living on the bodies of the dead.
The relieving ships brought Lord Della
ware to command, and with him, the
beginnings of prosperity.
When the great captain was recov-
cred, his next expedition explored the
coast farther north, which he named
Nau- Epnland HE third rovaU a t~ac
to have planted a colony, but for
Smiths capture, charged with piracy.
by a French squadron. His escape in
a dingey seems almost miraculous, for
it was on that night that the flagship
which had been his prison foundered
in a storm and the squadron was cast
away on the coast of France.
Meanwhile, the Princess Pocahontas
had been treacherously captured as a
hostage by the Yirginian %colonists,
which led to a sweet love story. and
her marriage with Master John Rolfe.
With him she went on u visit to Eng
land, and everywhere the Lady Re
becca Rolfe was received with royal
honors as a kings daughter, winning
all hearts by her beauty. her gentle
ness and dignity. In England she
again met Captain Smith, whom she
had ever reverenced as a god. But
then the bitter English winter struck
her down, and she died before a ship
could take her home, being buried in
the churchyard in Gravesend.
The captain never again was able to
adventure his life overseas, but for six
teen years, broken with his wounds
and disappointment, wrote books com
mending America TO his countrymen.
To the New England which he explored
and named, went the Pilgrim Fathers,
inspired by his works to sail with the
Mayfower. that they might found the
colony which he projected. Virginia.
and New England were called his chill
dren, those colonies which since have
grown into the giant republic. So the
old captain finished such a task as
''God. after His manner, assigns to His
~Englishmen.'