e. The adventures which he relates of
himself are those of a paladin. Born in 1579 or 1580, he was at this
time still a young man. But already he had fought in France and in
the Netherlands, and in Transylvania against the Turks. He had known
sea-fights and shipwrecks and had journeyed, with adventures galore, in
Italy. Before Regal, in Transylvania, he had challenged three Turks in
succession, unhorsed them, and cut off their heads, for which doughty
deed Sigismund, a Prince of Transylvania, had given him a coat of arms
showing three Turks' heads in a shield. Later he had been taken in
battle and sold into slavery, whereupon a Turkish lady, his master's
sister, had looked upon him with favor. But at last he slew the Turk
and escaped, and after wandering many days in misery came into Russia.
"Here, too, I found, as I have always done when in misfortune, kindly
help from a woman." He wandered on into Germany and thence into France
and Spain. Hearing of wars in Barbary, he crossed from Gibraltar. Here
he met the captain of a French man-of-war. One day while he was with
this man there arose a great storm which drove the ship out to sea. They
went before the wind to the Canaries, and there put themselves to rights
and began to chase Spanish barks. Presently they had a great fight with
two Spanish men-of-war, in which the French ship and Smith came off
victors. Returning to Morocco, Smith bade the French captain good-bye
and took ship for England, and so reached home in 1604. Here he sought
the company of like-minded men, and so came upon those who had been to
the New World--"and all their talk was of its wonders." So Smith
joined the Virginia undertaking, and so we find him headed toward new
adventures in the western world.

On sailed the three ships--little ships--sailing-ships with a long way
to go.

"The twelfth day of February at night we saw a blazing starre and
presently a storme.... The three and twentieth day [of March] we fell
with the Iland of Mattanenio in the West Indies. The foure and twentieth
day we anchored at Dominico, within fourteene degrees of the Line,
a very faire Iland, full of sweet and good smells, inhabited by
many Savage Indians.... The six and twentieth day we had sight of
Marigalanta, and the next day wee sailed with a slacke sail alongst the
Ile of Guadalupa.... We sailed by many Ilands, as Mounserot and an Iland
called Saint Christopher, both uninhabited; about two a clocke in the
afternoone