The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-11-16
CAPTAINS OF
ADVENTURE
Copyright by Bobb merrill ompany
By ROGER POCOCK

threshing corn in a barn some three
miles distant from his castle. For
some time he amused himself fiogging
this starved and naked wretch who had
once been the champion of Christian
army; but Smith presently caught him
a clip behind the ear with his thresh-
ing bat, beat his brains out, put on
his clothes, mounted his Arab horse,
and fled across the steppes into Chris
tan Russia. Through Russia and Po-
land he made his way to the court Of
Prince Sigismund, who gave him a
purse of fifteen thousand ducats. AS
rich man he travelled In Germany,
friends with Captain Merstham, whose
ship lay at Saffee. He was dining on
board one day when a gale drove the
ship to sea, and there fell in with two
Spanish battleShips. From noon to
dusk they fought, and in the morning
Captain Merstham said, THE dons
mean to chase us again today. They
shall have some good sport for their
palms,"
"Oh, thou old fox!" cried Smith,
Shaping him on the shoulders. So after
prayers and breakfast the battle began
again, Smith in command of the guns,
and Merstham pledging the Spaniards
in silver cup of wine, then giving a
dram to the men. Once the enemy man
aged to board the little merchantmen,
hut nd tnnahaI off N
few bags of powder, blowing away the
forecastle with thirty or forty Span
iards. They set the ship on fire, but
the English put out the flames and still
refused to parley. So afternoon wore
into evening and evening into night,
when the riddled battleships sheered
off at last, their scuppers running with
| blood.
When Captain Smith reached Eng
land he was twenty-five years old, of
singular strength and beauty, learned
and most rarely accomplished soldier,
a man of sanity life with a boys
| heart.
Sir Walter Raleighs settlement in
Virginia had been wiped out by the red
| Indians, so the second expedition to
| that country had an adventurous fla
vor that appealed to Captain Smith
J He gave all that he had to the venture
but, being somewhat masterful, was
! put in irons during the voyage to
America and landed in deep disgrace
when every man was needed to work
In the founding of the colony. Had all
| the officers of the expedition been
| drowned, and most of the members
left behind, the enterprise would have
! had some chance of success, for it was
mainly an expedition of MASTERS led by
idiots. The few real workers followed
Captain Smith in the digging and the
building, the hunting and trading
while the idlers gave advice, and the
| leaders obstructed the proceedings
! The summer was one of varied inter
est, attacks by the Indians, pestilence
| famine and squabbles, so that the col
/ ony would have come to a miserable
end but that Captain Smith contrive6
to make friends with the tribes, and
induced them to sell him a supply OF
maize.
He was up-country In December
when the savages managed to scalr
his followers and to take him prisoner
When they tried to kill him he seemed
only amused, whereas they were terri
fed by feats of magic that made him
seem god. He was taken to the kine
| hot hn rQoniUn6 rlriSnn
er in state, gave him dinner, ther
ordered his head to be laid on BLOCK
and his brains dashed out. But before
the first club crashed down little In
dian maid ran forward, pushed the ex
ecutioners aside, taking his head in hel
arms, and holding on so tightly thai
she could not be pulled away. So Poca
hontas, the kings daughter, pleaded
for the Englishman and saved him.
King Powhatan, with an eye to bust
ness, would now give the prisoner hi:
liberty, provided that he might sent
two messengers with Smith for brace
of the demi-culverins with which the
white men had defended the bastion'
Of their fort. So the captain returned
in triumph to his own people, and glad
ly presented the demi-culverins. A
this the kings messengers were EN-
barrassed, because the pair of gun!
weighed four and half tons. More
over, when the weapons were fired Il
show their good condition, the Indians
were quite cured of any wish for cul
verins, and departed with glass toy
for the king and his family. In return
came Pocahontas with her attendant
laden with provisions for the starvin,
garrison.
The English leaders were so grateful
for succor that they charged Captain
Smith with the first thing that entered
their heads, condemned him on genera
principles, and would have hanged him
but that he asked what they would d.
for food when he was gone, thel
cheered the whole community by put
ting the prominent men in irons ant
taking sole command. Every five day
came the Indian princess and her fol
lowers with load of provisions TO
Captain Smith. The people called he
the Blessed Pocahontas, for she save,
them all from dying of starvation.
During the five weeks of his captiv
ity, Smith had told the Indians fair.
tales about Captain Newport, who's