coast, where he found
that the Indians were prepared for a general rising against him, in a
confederacy formed of the surrounding tribes, headed by a subtle chief
called Pemisapan. In the mean time, however, the captive became attached
to the English, warning them of the coming danger, and naming the day
for the attack. Lane, resolving to strike the first blow, suddenly
assailed the Indians and dispersed them; afterward, at a parley, he
destroyed all the chiefs with disgraceful treachery. Henceforth the
hatred of the savages to the English became intense, and they ceased to
sow any of the lands near the settlement, with the view of starving
their dangerous visitors.

The colonists were much embarrassed by the hostilities of the Indians;
the time appointed by Raleigh and Greenville for sending them supplies
had passed; a heavy despondency fell upon their minds, and they began
earnestly to wish for a means of returning home. But, suddenly, notice
was given that a fleet of twenty-three sail was at hand, whether
friendly or hostile no one could tell: to their great joy, it proved to
be the armament of Sir Francis Drake. Lane and his followers immediately
availed themselves of this opportunity, and with the utmost haste
embarked for England, totally abandoning the settlement. (1586.) A few
days after this unworthy flight, a vessel of 100 tons, amply provided
with aid for the colony, arrived upon its deserted shores; the crew in
vain searched the coast and neighborhood for their fellow-countrymen,
and then steered for England. A fortnight after Sir Richard Greenville
arrived with three well-appointed ships, and found a lonely desert where
he had expected a flourishing colony: he also returned to England in
deep disappointment, leaving, however, a small party to hold possession
of the country till he should return with ampler resources.

The noble Raleigh was not discouraged by this unhappy complication of
errors and disasters; he immediately dispatched another expedition, with
three ships under the command of John White. But a terrible sight
presented itself on their arrival: the fort razed to the ground, the
houses ruined and overgrown with grass, and a few scattered bones, told
the fate of their countrymen. The little settlement had been assailed by
300 Indians, and all the colonists destroyed or driven into the interior
to an unknown fate. By an unfortunate error, White attacked one of the
few tribes that were friendly to