vnder hatches, I watched my opportunitie to get a shore in their Boat, whereinto in the darke night I secretly got, and with a halfe Pike that lay by me, put a drift for Rat Ile; but the currant was so strong, and the Sea so great, I went a drift to Sea, till it pleased God the wind so turned with the tide, that although I was in all this fearefull night of gusts and raine in the Sea the space of twelve hours, when many ships were driuen a shore and diuers split,: (and being with skulling and bayling the water tired, I expected each minute would sinke me) at last I arriued in an Oazy Ile by Charowne, where certaine Fowlers found me neere drowned, and halfe dead, with water, cold, and hunger." The ship which he had so daringly quitted had been wrecked, and the captain and half the crew were drowned. Soon after, he returned to England.

His description of New England and of the voyages which he had made thither, was written on board the Frenchman, to alleviate the weariness of captivity, and was published soon after his return. To awaken an interest in that country, whose future greatness and prosperity his sagacious eye clearly foresaw, he travelled through the west of England, and distributed seven thousand copies of his book among different persons of note and influence. "But all," he says, despondingly, "availed no more than to hew rocks with oyster shells," though he received the most lavish promises, and, as a testimony of his merits, was invested by the Plymouth company with the honorable title of "Admiral of New England." The seed he had sowed with such unrequited pains, was, however, years afterwards destined to ripen into a goodly harvest.

CHAPTER XII.

ACCOUNT OF POCAHONTAS-HER TREACHEROUS CAPTURE BY THE ENGLISH-MARRIED TO MR. ROLFE-SAILS FOR ENGLANDSMITH'S LETTER IN HER BEHALF-THEIR INTERVIEWCOURT FAVOR-HER DEATH.

ALTHOUGH Captain Smith, to whom she was especially attached, had quitted Virginia, Pocahontas still remained the firm friend of the colony he had planted, and was still active in saving the lives of the English from the treachery or hostility of her countrymen. Despite the affection of her father, she had doubtless incurred his displeasure by her repeated interference in behalf of his foes; and it is probable that her gentle and feminine spirit was continually grieved with the scenes of warfare and massacre which, at the departure of Smith, ensued between the Indians and the settlers. In 1612, she had quitted his household, and was residing in great retirement, near the house of Japazaws, chief of the Potomacs.

Captain Argall, afterwards governor, on a trading expedition to that nation, resolved to get possession of her person, as a hostage for the fair dealing of Powhatan; and by the bribe of a copper kettle, induced Japazaws and his wife to enter into his scheme. By a most artful device, this treacherous old couple persuaded her to accompany them on board the English vessel, where Argall hospitably received them, "Iapazaws oft treading on the Captaine's foot to remember he had done his part." She was presently informed that she would be detained at Jamestown until peace should be made with her father; "whereat the old Iew and his wife began to howle and crie as fast as Pocahontas." Her tears, however, were soon dried by fair promises, and she went quietly to Jamestown. A message was dispatched to the king that he could ransom her only by the delivery of the numerous arms and other valuables which his people had stolen from the English.

"This vnwelcome newes," says the narrator, "much troubled

Powhatan, because hee loued both his daughter and our commodities well," and for a long time fruitless negotiations, varied by hostilities, were kept up. But the amiable princess, who had so often befriended the infant colony, was destined to render it one more and the greatest service in allying her race to that of the whites by the strong ties of family connection.

"Long before this," proceeds the narrative, "Master Iohn Rolfe, an honest Gentleman, and of good behavior, had beene in loue with Pocahontas and she with him, which resolution Sir Thomas Dale well approved; the brute" (report) "of this mariage soon came to the knowledge of Powhatan, a thing acceptable to him, as appeared by his sudden consent, for within ten daies, he sent Opachisco an old Vncle of hers, and two of his sons, to see the manner of the marriage, and to doe in that behalfe what they were requested, for the confirmation thereof as his deputie; which was accordingly done about the first of Aprill:" (1613) "And euer since wee haue had friendly trade and commerce as well with Powhatan himselfe, as all his subiects." An alliance with the Chickahominies was likewise the result of this auspicious union.

In the spring of 1616, Pocahontas, now called the Lady Rebecca, with her husband and child, ("which shee loued most dearely,") accompanied Sir Thomas Dale to England. She had learned English and Christianity, and, says the narrator, "was become very formall and civill after our English manner"--a great contrast, no doubt, to the little Indian princess who had presented Smith and his friends with the heathenish "anticke" at Werowocomoco. The captain, on learning of her arrival, lost no time in commending her merits to persons of rank and distinction, and, in a long letter to Queen Anne, (wife of James I.,) set forth the excellent qualities and valuable services of his preserver.

"If ingratitude," he premises, "bee a deadly poyson to all honest vertues, I must bee guiltie of that crime, if I should omit any meanes to bee thankfull. So it is,

"That some ten yeeres agoe being in Virginia, and taken prisoner by the power of Powhatan their chiefe king, I received from this great Salvage exceeding great courtesie, especially from his sonne Nantaquaus, the most manliest, comeliest, boldest spirit I euer saw in a Salvage, and his sister Pocahontas the King's most deare and wel-beloved daughter, being but a childe of twelve or thirteene yeeres of age, whose compassionate pitifull heart, of desperate estate, gaue me much cause to respect her: I being the first Christian this proud King and his grim attendants euer saw; and thus inthralled in their barbarous power, I cannot say I felt the least occasion of want that was in the power of those my mortall foes to preuent, notwithstanding al their threats. After some six weekes fatting among those Salvage Courtiers, at the minute of my execution, she hazarded the beating out of her owne braines to save mine, and not onely that, but so prevailed with her father, that I was safely conducted to Iames Towne, where I found about eight and thirtie miserable poore and sicke creatures, to keepe possession of all those large territories of Virginia, such was the weaknesse of this poore Commonwealth, as had the Salvages not fed vs, we directly had starved.

"And this reliefe, most gracious Queene, was commonly brought vs by this lady Pocahontas, notwithstanding all those passages when inconstant Fortune turned our peace to warre, this tender Virgin would still not spare to dare to visit vs, and by her our jarres haue beene oft appeased, and our wants supplyed; were it the policie of her father thus to imploy her, or the ordinance of God thus to make her his instrument, or her extraordinarie affection to our Nation, I know not: but of this I am sure; when her father with the vtmost of his policy and power sought to surprize mee, hauing but eighteene with mee, the darke night could not affright her from comming through the irksome woodes, and with watered eies gaue mee intelligence, with her best aduice to escape his furie; which had hee knowne, hee had surely slaine her. Iames Towne, with her wild train, she has freely frequented as her father's

habitation; and during the time of two or three yeeres, she next vnder God, was still the instrument to preserve this colonie from death, famine, and vtter confusion, which if in those times had once been dissolvd, Virginia might haue laine as it was at our first arrivall to this day."

In the like homely, but honest and eloquent strain, he conjures the queen to receive with all honor and kindness the brave and gentle-spirited princess, who had served her colonies so well. When he went to see his old friend, fearing, no doubt, to prejudice her court favor by too great a show of familiarity, the captain saluted her with ceremonious gravity, which, after so long a separation, gave evidently no small. pang to her affectionate heart. "Without any word," he says, "she turned about, obscured her face, as not seeming well contented." Despite of "formall and civill" education, the aggrieved Indian sullenness, and with good cause, now showed itself. "In that humour," proceeds the captain, "her husband, with diuers others, we all left her two or three houres, repenting myself to haue writ shee could speake English." (Much better have given at once that affectionate recognition, for which her honest heart was yearning).

"But not long after, she began to talke, and remembered mee well what courtesies shee had done; saying, 'You did promise Powhatan what was yours should bee his, and he the like to you; you called him father, being in his land a stranger, and by the same reason so must I doe you:' which though I would have excused, that I durst not allow of that title, because she was a King's daughter, with a well set countenance she said, 'Were you not afraid to come into my father's Countrie, and caused feare in him and all his people,

* Among the numerous pettinesses of James I., perhaps none is more ludicrous than his indignation against Mr. Rolfe, for having presumed, being a subject, to marry into the blood-royal! His absurd demeanor in this matter unquestionably made the friends of Pocahontas cautious of exhibiting a familiarity which he might have deemed both disrespectful to royal dignity, and indicative of dangerous influence with the native dynasty of Virginia.