rom the ancient
floor of the forest. When clouds gathered and storms burst, they amazed
the heart with their fearful thunderings and lightnings. The colonists
had no well, but drank from the river, and at neither high nor low tide
found the water wholesome. While the ships were here they had help of
ship stores, but now they must subsist upon the grain that they had in
the storehouse, now scant and poor enough. They might fish and hunt, but
against such resources stood fever and inexperience and weakness, and in
the woods the lurking savages. The heat grew greater, the water
worse, the food less. Sickness began. Work became toil. Men pined from
homesickness, then, coming together, quarreled with a weak violence,
then dropped away again into corners and sat listlessly with hanging
heads.

"The sixth of August there died John Asbie of the bloodie Flixe. The
ninth day died George Flowre of the swelling. The tenth day died William
Bruster gentleman, of a wound given by the Savages.... The fourteenth
day Jerome Alikock, Ancient, died of a wound, the same day Francis
Mid-winter, Edward Moris, Corporall, died suddenly. The fifteenth day
their died Edward Browne and Stephen Galthrope. The sixteenth day their
died Thomas Gower gentleman. The seventeenth day their died Thomas
Mounslie. The eighteenth day theer died Robert Pennington and John
Martine gentlemen. The nineteenth day died Drue Piggase gentleman.

"The two and twentieth day of August there died Captain Bartholomew
Gosnold one of our Councell, he was honourably buried having all the
Ordnance in the Fort shot off, with many vollies of small shot....

"The foure and twentieth day died Edward Harrington and George Walker
and were buried the same day. The six and twentieth day died Kenelme
Throgmortine. The seven and twentieth day died William Roods. The eight
and twentieth day died Thomas Stoodie, Cape Merchant. The fourth day of
September died Thomas Jacob, Sergeant. The fifth day there died Benjamin
Beast...."*

* Percy's "Discourse."

Extreme misery makes men blind, unjust, and weak of judgment. Here was
gross wretchedness, and the colonists proceeded to blame A and B and
C, lost all together in the wilderness. It was this councilor or that
councilor, this ambitious one or that one, this or that almost certainly
ascertained traitor! Wanting to steal the pinnace, the one craft left by
Newport, wanting to steal away in the pinnace and leave the mass--small
enou