feet and hands
bound, he had no hope of being able to save his own life, for there was
no longer any chance for him to struggle against those who had him in
their power.
POCAHONTAS BEGS FOR SMITH'S LIFE
He was forced down on the earth, with his head upon a great rock, while
two half naked savages came forward with heavy stones bound to wooden
handles, with which to beat out his brains, and these weapons were
already raised to strike, when the girl Pocahontas ran forward, throwing
herself upon my master, as she asked that Powhatan give him to her.
Now, as we afterward came to know, it is the custom among savages, that
when one of their women begs for the life of a prisoner, to grant the
prayer, and so it was done in this case, else we had never seen my
master again.
It is also the custom, when a prisoner has thus been given to one who
begged for his life, that the captive shall always be held as slave by
her; but Pocahontas desired only to let him go back to Jamestown. Then
it was she told her father how she had been treated when visiting us,
and Powhatan, after keeping Captain Smith prisoner until he could tell
of what he had seen in other countries of the world, set him free.
THE EFFECT OF CAPTAIN SMITH'S RETURN
It was well for us of Jamestown that my master returned just when he
did, for already had our gentlemen, believing him dead, refused longer
to work, and even neglected the hunting, when game of all kinds was so
plentiful. They had spent the time roaming around searching for gold,
until we were once more in need of food.
The sickness had come among us again, and of all our company, which
numbered an hundred when Captain Newport sailed for England, only
thirty-eight remained alive.
Within four and twenty hours after Captain Smith came back, matters had
so far mended that every man who could move about at will, was working
for the common good, although from that time, until Captain Newport came
again, we had much of suffering.
With the coming of winter Nathaniel and I were put to it to do our work
in anything like a seemly manner. What with the making of candles, or
of rushlights; tanning deer hides in such fashion as Captain Smith had
taught us; mending his doublets of leather, as well as our own; keeping
the house and ground around it fairly clean, in addition to cooking
meals which might tempt the appetite of our master, we were busy from
sunrise to sunset.
Nor were we wit
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