the forty-three tribes occupying Virginia between the mountains and the sea, about thirty, numbering eight thousand souls, were under the rule of Powhatan,* the most warlike and powerful chieftain of the whole eastern shore. He had two places of abode, one called Powhatan, at the falls, where Richmond now stands, and the other, Werowocomoco, on the north side of York River. With the Mannahoacs, consisting of eight tribes, and the Monacans, of five, the power ful confederacy over which he ruled was often engaged in warfare.

After a voyage of six days, the explorers, twenty in num ber, arrived at the falls, where they were received by the great chief with much apparent courtesy. "He is of personage," writes Captain Smith, "a tall, well-proportioned man, with a sower looke, his head somwhat gray, his bearde so thinne, it seemeth none at all, his age neere sixtie; of a very able and hardy body to endure any labor." He was attended with much state, being always guarded by forty or fifty of the tallest men of his country. Four sentinels were planted around his house at night, who, in token of their vigilance, were com pelled every half hour to give the shrillest of whoops-"if any faile," says the captain, "they presently send forth an officer that beateth him extremely. * * It is strange," he proceeds, "to see with what great feare and adoration all these people doe obey this Powhatan. For at his feete they present whatsoever he commandeth, and at the least frowne of his brow, their greatest spirits will tremble with feare; and no marvell, for he is very tyrannous, and terrible in punishing such as offend him." The accounts of his cruelty are revolting in the extreme-"Yet when he listeth, his will is a law, and must be obeyed; not onely as a king, but as halfe a God they esteeme him.”

"A mile from Orapakes," continues the same narrator, “in a thicket of woode, he hath a house in which he keepeth his

*The real name of this famous Indian king was Wahunsonacock, but, like a European grandee, he took his title from the chief place of his residence.

kinde of Treasure, as skinnes, copper, pearle, and beades, which he storeth vp against the time of his death and buriall. Here also is his store of red paint for oyntment, bowes and arrowes, Targets and clubs. This house is fiftie or sixty yards in length, frequented onely by Priests. At the foure corners of this house, stand foure Images as Sentinells, one of a Dragon, an other a Beare, the third like a Leopard, and the fourth like a giant-like Man, all made evill favoredly, according to their best workmanship."

The natives of Virginia, at this time, appeared to have dif fered little in their appearance, manners, and customs, from the remainder of the great Indian race which once inhabited our land. They lived by fishing and the chase, with some aid from their plantations, more comfortably than those dwelling in the less genial regions of New England. Their dresses were of skins, but they seem to have been exceedingly hardy in enduring the rigor of winter. Their children, from the earli est age, they were accustomed to wash in the rivers, "and by painting and ointment so tanne their skinnes, that after a yeare or two, no weather will hurt them."

Tattooing was commonly practised, and all manner of ingeniously savage devices were used for ornament. "In each eare," says one of the early settlers, "commonly they haue 3 great holes, whereat they hang chains, bracelets, or copper: some weare in those holes a small Snake, coloured green and yellow, neare halfe a yard long, which crawling about his neck offereth to kisse his lippes. Others weare a dead rat tied by the taile." The rattles of rattlesnakes were common appendages, and much red paint was used, both for adornment and protection to the person. "Many other formes of painting they vse, but he is the most gallant that is the most monstrous to behold."

Some of the tribes, as the Susquehannas, presented splendid specimens of manly figures. Sixty of these warriors once presented themselves before Captain Smith, in one of his excursions. "Such great and well-proportioned men," he says,

"are seldome seene, for they seemed like Giants to the English, yet seemed of a honest and simple disposition, with much adoe restrained from adoring vs as gods, * * for their language it may well beseeme their proportions, sounding from them as a voyce in a vault. Their attire is the skinnes of Beares and Woolues, some haue Cassacks made of Beares heads and skinnes, that a mans head goes through the skinnes neck, and the eares of the Beare fastened to his shoulders, the nose and teeth hanging downe his breast, another Beares face split behind him, and at the end of the nose hung a Pawe, the halfe sleeues coming to the elbowes were the neckes of Beares, and the armes through the mouth with pawes hanging at their noses. One had the head of a Wolfe hanging in a chaine for a lewell, his Tobacco pipe, three quarters of a yarde long, prettily carued with a Bird, a Deere, or some such devise at the great end, sufficient to beat out ones braines. * The picture of the greatest of them is signified in the Mappe. The calfe of whose leg was three quarters of a yard about, and all the rest of his limbs so answerable to that proportion, that he seemed the goodliest man we ever beheld."

*

Smith, in his description of the Indians, also gives an amusing account of a great sham fight, which for his amusement, and to show the peculiarities of Indian warfare, the people of Powhatan performed at Mattapanient. The two parties, he says, each a hundred strong, approached each other in regular array, "all duly keeping their orders, yet leaping and singing after their accustomed tune, which they onely vse in Warres. Vpon the first flight of arrowes, they gaue such horrible shouts and schreeches, as so many infernall hell-hounds could not haue made them more terrible. When they had spent their arrowes, they ioyned together prettily, charging and retyring, every ranke seconding the other. As they got advantage, they catched their enemies by the hayre of the head, and downe came he that was taken. His enemy with his wooden sword seemed to beat out his braines, and still they crept to the Reare to maintaine the skirmish. * * * All their

actions, voyces, and gestures, both in charging and retiring, were so strained to the height of their qualitie and nature, that the strangenesse thereof made it seeme very delightfull." Like every European adventurer of his day, the captain could see nothing in Indian theology but the direct service of Satan. "Their cheefe God they worship," he says, "is the Devil. Him they call Okee, and serue him more of feare than loue. They say they haue conference with him, and fashion themselues as neare to his shape as they can imagine. In their Temples they haue his Image evill-fauoredly carved, in such manner as the deformitie may well suit with such a God.

*

*

* Vpon the top of certain red sandy hils in the woodes, there are three great houses filled with Images of their Kinges, and Devills, and Tombes of their predecessors. * This place they count so holy as that but the Priests and Kings dare come into them; nor the Salvages dare not goe vp the river in boats by it, but they solemnly cast some peece of copper, white beads, or Pocones into the riuer."

The chief priest, according to the same authority, wore an extraordinary piece of attire. "They tooke," he says, "a dosen or 16, or more snakes skinnes, and stuffed them with mosse, and of Weesels and other Vermines skinnes a good many. All these they tye by their tailes, so as all their tailes meete in the top of the head like a great Tassell." Invested with this peculiar head-dress, and painted in diabolical fashion, that functionary went through his customary services—“sometimes he maketh invocations with broken sentences by starts and strange passions, and at euery pause, the rest giue a short groane"-probably the Indian "ugh!" signifying assent. "And in this lamentable ignorance," continues the worthy captain, "doe these poore Soules sacrifice themselues to the Deuill, not knowing their Creator; and we had not language sufficient, so plainly to expresse it as make them vnderstand it; which God grant they may."

They had some belief in the immortality of the soul, and Heriot, who ten years before had been on these coasts, tells a

pleasant story of an Indian, who in his day had been buried for dead, and afterwards was revived. According to the Indian narrators, he "shewed that although his bodie had layne dead in the graue, yet his soule liued, and had travailed far in a long broad way, on both sides whereof grew more sweet, fayre, and delicate trees and fruits, than euer he had seene before; at length he came to the most braue and fayre houses, neere which he met his Father, that was dead long agoe, who gaue him charge to goe backe, to shew his friends what goode there was to doe, to inioy the pleasures of that place; which when hee had done, hee should come againe."

CHAPTER V.

VINDICATION OF SMITH-FAMINE AND GREAT MORTALITY-SMITH'S EXERTIONS-HE SUPPORTS THE COLONY-HIS EXPEDITIONS AND

DEALINGS WITH THE INDIANS-LAZY COLONISTS-SMITH

CAPTURED BY THE INDIANS-CONJURATIONS OVER HIM

-CARRIED TO POWHATAN-SAVED BY POCAHONTAS.

THE savages, in Smith's absence, had attacked the English settlement, killing one and wounding many others. Jamestown was therefore fortified with palisadoes, and artillery was mounted for its defence. On his return, finding the arts of his enemies were still busily at work to secure his ruin, he demanded a trial, the result of which was satisfactory in the extreme. "So well," says one of the colonists, "he demeaned himselfe in this business, as all the company did see his innocency, and his adversaries malice, and those suborned to accuse him, accused his accusers; many vntruths were alleged against him; but being so apparently disproved, begatt a gen erall hatred in the hearts of the Company against such vniust Commanders, that the President was adiudged to giue him 2001. so that all he had was presently seized vpon, in part of satisfaction, which Smith presently returned to the Store for