er by the Turks and made a slave. In time, however, he escaped and
fled to Russia, and from thence at last found his way home to England
again.

[Illustration]

4. STRANGE TALES OF A STRANGE PEOPLE

Meanwhile Pocahontas, now grown to be a girl of some twelve years, often
listened eagerly to the stories of the old men of her tribe, who, on
these warm spring days, sat and smoked together, and told of the things
they had done and seen long ago. Some remembered a white-faced people
who, nearly twenty years before, had come to Roanoke Island from no one
knew where,--men with yellow hair, dressed from head to foot in cumbrous
garments, and bearing wonderful weapons which spat out fire, with much
noise. Many believed them gods, while others thought they were devils.
And Pocahontas listened in wonder, ever curious to hear of this strange
people so unlike her own. The old priest mournfully prophesied that the
strangers, being of some mighty race, would come again from out the
great waters and overrun the whole land.

[Illustration]

5. THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN

And scarcely had he spoken when it seemed that his warning had come
true, for runners, wildly excited, cried out that a fleet of mighty
winged canoes had been seen afar on the ocean, advancing like great
clouds.

Then Pocahontas, with many of her people, hurried to the hills, and
there, overlooking the sea, they saw in truth three strange craft slowly
sailing up the bay.

These were the ships from England, bringing a new colony, a band of
pioneers, and adventurers in search of gold, to take possession of the
broad lands of America.

[Illustration]

6. THE LANDING OF THE COLONISTS--1607

That night the ships dropped anchor in the bay. On the morrow the
colonists disembarked, and Captain Gosnold, their leader, claimed the
land in the king's name. Among the first, as one of the Council, was
Captain John Smith, who had again left home in quest of adventure and
glory, this time in the new world. To the eyes of the weary travelers,
after their long voyage across the sea, Virginia, on that bright April
day, seemed a land of promise. With great hopes and renewed courage they
set to work to build the town which they called Jamestown, in honor of
their king,--a town which lives to this day.

But after a time they grew dissatisfied, for they failed to find the
gold mines they had hoped for. And they became discouraged, and
quarreled, and things began to go