who had
ventured to Jamestown had much discussed, assist him in his peril? She
had listened to much talk lately about the necessity of getting rid of
all the white faces who had dared come and build them houses on land
which had belonged to her people since the beginning of the world. Here
was the first chance her father had had to deal with the interlopers.
She determined to see and hear all that should take place, so she
hurried ahead to the ceremonial lodge, where she was sure to find her
father, and entered it unchallenged by the guards.

Once inside, she realized that the stranger's coming had been expected;
probably Opechanchanough had sent runners ahead whom she had not chanced
to see. All the chiefs were gathered there waiting and there also sat
the Queen of Appamatuck, the ruler of an allied tribe. She noticed that
her father, in the centre of a raised platform at the other end of the
lodge, had on his costliest robe of raccoon skin, the one she had
embroidered for him. All the chiefs were painted, as were the squaws,
their shoulders and faces streaked with the precious pocone red. She
regretted that she had not had time to put on her new white buckskin
skirt and her finest white bead necklace, since this was such a gala
occasion. On the other side of Powhatan sat one of his squaws, and her
brothers and her uncles Opitchapan and Catanaugh squatted directly
before him. She herself stood against the wall nearest to the mother of
her sister Cleopatra. She wished she had tried to bring in
Claw-of-the-Eagle with her. How interested he would have been; but it
was not likely that he would manage to get past the guards now, since
there were so many of his elders who must be excluded for lack of room.

While she was still looking around to see who the lucky spectators
were, the entrance to the lodge was darkened and a great shouting went
up from all the braves as Opechanchanough strode in, followed by his
prisoner.

Powhatan sat in silence until Smith stood directly before him, and then
he spoke:

"We have waited many days and nights to behold thee, wayfarer from
across the sea."

Smith, looking up at him, saw a finely built man of about sixty years,
with grizzled hair and an air of command. He smiled to himself at the
strangeness of his fancy's play, but the air of this savage chieftain,
this inborn dignity of one conscious of his power, he had seen in but
one other person--Good Queen Bess!

"I too have listen