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them. In this difficulty he proposed to Opechancanough a single combat for a stake of corn on one side and copper on the other. But the wily chief had no fancy for such an encounter. Standing before the door of the house with forty or fifty of his chief men, he tried to draw Smith out to receive a great present which they pretended to have brought for him. "The bait was guarded by two hundred men, and thirty lying under a great tree, that lay athwart as a barricado, each with his arrow nocked ready to shoot," so the president was wisely cautious, and ordered one of his men to go out and see" what kind of deceit this was." The man refused, whereupon Smith, wrathful at his cowardice, rushed out, caught Opechancanough by his long scalp lock, clapped a pistol to his breast, and dragged him among his people, who were so astonished and overawed by this bold treatment of the sacred person of their chief that they not only made no attempt to rescue him, but were induced to throw down their arms. Then Smith, still holding the chief fast, rated them soundly, vowing that he had put up too long with them, that if they shed a single drop of English blood he would exterminate their nation, and that if they did not choose to freight his ship with corn he would load it with their dead carcases.

This vigorous language had such effect that they now crowded back unarmed, bringing their corn and other commodities. But when the president, tired out by his watchfulness and exertions, went into the house to take a sleep, they thought again to have surprised him. Forty or fifty men,

John Smith Luckily the feet, snatched

armed with clubs and swords, rushed in, with a larger force behind to back them up. had almost been caught napping. noise awoke him; he sprang to his up his sword and target, and charged with a few men upon the dusky mob, who ran out faster than they had entered. "The house thus cleansed," it was thought well to keep the chief and a few of his old councillors as hostages; and of course they had many fine speeches to excuse this last attempt. So the rest of the day was "spent with much kindness," and presents were given on each side.

The Indians, however, were not at the end of their resources. They still seemed to wait for opportunity and courage to attack the strangers, and above all to kill Smith. Indeed he and some others had reason to believe themselves poisoned; but they were quit for a fit of sickness, and the man suspected of bringing the poison was treated no worse than by being beaten and kicked like a dog. At last, partly to get rid of their visitors, and partly from the fear that more men were coming from the fort, the natives brought in liberal supplies. In parts where it was evident that they themselves were suffering from scarcity Smith did not press them; but after visiting several tribes, he contrived to get his ship pretty well loaded.

Though he had set out meaning to deal fairly by way of trade, on his return he fully intended to surprise Powhatan and cut off his stores, by way of punishment for this king's treachery. Powhatan

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however, warned in time, had fled to the woods, carrying away or hiding all his provisions. The people left behind showed themselves unfriendly, but the president did not molest them, seeing "there was nothing now to be had, and therefore an unfit time to revenge their abuses." And besides there was good reason for his returning home without delay.

While Smith was dealing with Opechancanough and had already enough trouble on his mind, a messenger, who with the greatest difficulty had passed through Powhatan's country, brought him news that his deputy Scrivener and some of the other chief men had been accidentally drowned by the upsetting of a boat. This misfortune he carefully concealed from his companions till the business of victualling was done; but he would probably have lost not a day in hastening back, if he had known all that was taking place in the fort.

Some Germans had been sent to Powhatan to build him a house in the European fashion. These men, won over by the king's promises, were induced to betray the colony, and resolved to cast in their lot with the Indians. While waiting for a favourable opportunity of declaring themselves, they managed by means of confederates in the fort to steal upon such a scale that when Smith returned he found most of the tools and a large part of the arms gone into the hands of the Indians.

This system of theft still went on, and it was long before the manner of it could be detected. The savages, encouraged by the treacherous Germans, and by finding the dead bodies of Scrivener and

K

his companions, began to be emboldened in their attempts against the settlement. Captain Smith himself narrowly escaped an ambush which was laid for him near the fort, and, as he was walking alone, had a desperate encounter with a chief called the king of Paspahegh, who was, so to speak, the landlord of the colonists, as it was on his territory that they had taken leave to settle. This Indian, seeing the captain unprovided with firearms, was about to shoot him with an arrow. Smith instantly grappled with him. He was strong enough not only to prevent the Englishman from drawing his falchion but to drag him into the river, where they wrestled in the water till Smith got his adversary by the throat and nearly strangled him, so that the chief, surrendering, was led to Jamestown and put in fetters.

One of the Germans was also arrested about this time, and the president having now strong reason to suspect their treachery, sent to ask Powhatan to give up the others in exchange for the king of Paspahegh. The answer returned was that the Germans were remaining of their own accord; and soon the prisoner found means to escape. After this Smith went to war with his tribe, burning the chief's house, taking their boats and their fishing tackle, and killing some six or seven; an amount of devastation which might well contrast favourably with the cruelties that the Spaniards would not have spared on such an opportunity. The Indians indeed appealed to his practical turn of mind, pointing out that if he drove them to extremities it would