id
aside, and their necessary defence neglected; so that the Indians taking
advantage of those divisions, formed a stratagem to destroy them root
and branch; and, indeed, they did cut many of them off, by massacreing
whole companies at a time; so that all the out-settlements were
deserted, and the people that were not destroyed, took refuge in
Jamestown, except the small settlement at Kiquotan, where they had built
themselves a little fort, and called it Algernoon fort. And yet, for all
this, they continued their disorders, wasting their old provisions, and
neglecting to gather others; so that they who remained alive, were all
near famished, having brought themselves to that pass, that they durst
not stir from their own doors to gather the fruits of the earth, or the
crabs and muscles from the water-side: much less to hunt or catch wild
beasts, fish or fowl, which were found in great abundance there. They
continued in these scanty circumstances, till they were at last reduced
to such extremity, as to eat the very hides of their horses, and the
bodies of the Indians they had killed; and sometimes also upon a pinch
they would not disdain to dig them up again, to make a homely meal,
after they had been buried.

Thus, a few months indiscreet management brought such an infamy upon the
country, that to this day it cannot be wiped away. And the sicknesses
occasioned by this bad diet, or rather want of diet, are unjustly
remembered to the disadvantage of the country, as a fault in the
climate; which was only the foolishness and indiscretion of those who
assumed the power of governing. I call it assumed, because the new
commission mentioned, by which they pretended to be of the council, was
not in all this time arrived, but remained in Bermuda with the new
governors.

Here, I cannot but admire the care, labor, courage and understanding,
that Capt. John Smith showed in the time of his administration; who not
only founded, but also preserved all these settlements in good order,
while he was amongst them; and, without him, they had certainly all been
destroyed, either by famine, or the enemy long before; though the
country naturally afforded subsistence enough, even without any other
labor than that of gathering and preserving its spontaneous provisions.

For the first three years that Capt. Smith was with them, they never had
in that whole time, above six months English provisions. But as soon as
he had left them to themselves,