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THE STORY OF POCAHONTAS
AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH

TOLD AND PICTURED BY E. BOYD SMITH



HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

BOSTON AND NEW YORK



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COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY E. BOYD SMITH
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

_Published November 1906._

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LIST OF COLORED PLATES

PLATE

1. POCAHONTAS

2. JOHN SMITH

3. HOW CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WON HIS SPURS

4. STRANGE TALES OF A STRANGE PEOPLE

5. THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN

6. THE LANDING OF THE COLONISTS--1607

7. THE AMBUSH

8. BATTLE WITH THE INDIANS

9. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH A PRISONER

10. THE DANCE OF VICTORY

11, 12. POCAHONTAS SAVES CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH'S LIFE

13. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AGAIN FREE

14. POCAHONTAS BRINGS FOOD TO THE COLONISTS

15. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH GOES IN SEARCH OF CORN

16. POCAHONTAS'S WARNING

17. CAPTAIN  JOHN  SMITH SAILS FOR ENGLAND

18. POCAHONTAS IS CAPTURED BY ARGALL

19. MARRIAGE OF POCAHONTAS

20. THE LANDING OF POCAHONTAS IN ENGLAND

21, 22. POCAHONTAS AT THE COURT OF JAMES THE FIRST

23. THE MEETING OF POCAHONTAS AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH

24. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH GOES TO SEA AGAIN

25. POCAHONTAS LONGS  FOR HOME

26. THE END OF THE STORY OF POCAHONTAS

THE STORY OF POCAHONTAS AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH

1. POCAHONTAS


Long, long ago, when the Indians owned the land, there lived in
Virginia, near the river afterwards called the James, a little girl, the
Princess Pocahontas, daughter of the great chief Powhatan.

Pocahontas was her father's favorite child, and the pet of the whole
tribe; even the fierce warriors loved her sunny ways.

She was a child of nature, and the birds trusted her and came at her
call. She knew their songs, and where they built their nests. So she
roamed the woods, and learned the ways of all the wild things, and grew
to be a care-free maiden.

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2. JOHN SMITH


In far-away England was a doughty youth, John Smith, who dreamed of
battle and adventure. Though but a boy, he had already fought as a
soldier in the wars of France, and later in Flanders.

And these two, the wild little Indian girl and the warrior boy, now so
far apart, in time were to meet and become great friends.

At home again in Lincolnshire after dangerous travels, the youth still
longed for the strife and glory of the fray.

He retired to a quiet spot in the wood, and lived in a camp of his own
making, where he read tales of war and knights-errant, and in his
enthusiasm fought imaginary enemies. At last he could bear dreaming no
longer, and started off again to roam the world in search of adventure.

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3. HOW CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WON HIS SPURS


He journeyed across France to join the armies fighting the Turks, but
was robbed on the way by false companions, and suffered much hardship.
At last he reached Marseilles, where he took ship with a party of
pilgrims going to the East. A great storm arising, the pilgrims
superstitiously blamed him for it, and threw him overboard. By good
fortune he was able to swim to a small island, whence he was soon
rescued by a Breton ship. He stayed for some time on this ship, taking
part in a sea fight with a Venetian vessel, and received, after the
victory, a share of the spoils.

Now, with money again in his pocket, he wandered through Italy, and then
crossed over to Styria. Here he joined the army of the Emperor Rudolph
and was appointed captain of a company of cavalry, and did good service.

During the siege of the town of Regal, the Turks, who held it,
challenged any captain among the besiegers to come out and fight one of
their champions.

Captain John Smith was chosen to meet the Turk, and on a field before
the town they fought, and the Turk was beaten and lost his head. On the
next day another Turk challenged the victor and was also overthrown. And
then came still a third, who, after a desperate battle, met the same
fate as the other two. For this brave service Prince Sigismund gave the
Captain a coat-of-arms with three Turks' heads as the device. And thus
Captain John Smith won his spurs.

But after this he was less fortunate, for, being wounded, he was taken
prisoner 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.

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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.

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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.

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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 ill with them.

To make matters worse Captain Gosnold after a few months sickened and
died.

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7. THE AMBUSH


Fortunately for the good of the colonists, who had completely lost heart
and were anxious to give up the undertaking, Captain John Smith soon
became their leader. Ever active and enterprising, he inspired the
others by his example. He vigorously put things in order, and set the
idlers to work to complete their half-finished houses, and to build the
forts to protect them from the Indians, who now showed a warlike spirit.

Next he went off to explore the country, and to trade with the natives
for corn, for the settlers began to lack food.

On one of these expeditions, when he had gone ashore with an Indian
guide, a band of hostile braves, who had been on the watch among the
trees, lay in wait to attack him, led by Opekankano, Pocahontas's uncle,
while he, unconscious of their presence, gave orders to his men to stay
by the boat and keep a sharp lookout for danger.

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8. BATTLE WITH THE INDIANS


Suddenly, in the heart of the deep woods, the stealthy redskins sprang
upon him, shrieking like fierce beasts of prey. And in a moment the
arrows flew thick and fast.

Captain John, though taken unawares, made a brave fight, gravely
wounding two of his enemies with his pistols, and protecting himself
from the arrows by holding his Indian guide in front of him, as a
buckler.

But there were too many against him, and as he could not beat them off
he tried to retreat to the boat, always shielding himself with the
guide. Unfortunately, just as escape seemed near, he stumbled into a
swamp and was held fast by the heavy bog, and chilled by the cold water.
Being thus helpless he was forced to surrender, and the triumphant
Indians seized him as their prisoner.

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9. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH A PRISONER


At first they decided to kill him at once, then some thought it better
to lead him to their village, that the whole tribe might rejoice in the
triumph. But, as one of the Indians shot by the Captain had in the
meantime died, the more impatient clamored for speedy vengeance. So they
bound him to a tree to use as a target.

Now, as the arrows began to strike dangerously near, Captain John, ever
quick-witted and resourceful, brought forth his pocket compass and
showed the Indians the dancing needle; and when they found they could
not touch it, because of the glass, they were amazed, for of course they
had never seen glass before, and could not understand it. A feeling of
awe crept over them; they thought him a magician, and were afraid to
kill him. So at last they marched him off in their midst, through the
forest, to consult with the rest of the tribe as to what should be done
with him.

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10. THE DANCE OF VICTORY


They carried their prisoner from village to village, while at every
moment he looked for death, until at last they came to their great town,
Werowacomo, where king Powhatan lived. And here they celebrated their
victory by savage pomps and conjurations. They tied the Captain to the
ceremonial stake, then, all painted and decorated in their fiercest and
most hideous war paint and trappings, they danced their wild dance of
triumph. Shouting and jumping, they brandished their war clubs in his
face, whirling round and round their captive, like so many demons, each
more frightful than the other. But, since they did not kill him at once,
Captain John, nothing daunted, kept them wondering, by telling strange
stories of the sun, the stars, and the world over the sea, and though
the Indians could understand but little they hesitated, one day feasting
him, and the next threatening to kill.

Now Pocahontas felt sorry for the handsome young stranger, and was drawn
to him, and taught him many words of the Indian tongue, and he told her
of his people beyond the sea, as best he could, and so they became good
friends.

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11-12. POCAHONTAS SAVES CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH'S LIFE


At last, after long deliberation, the Indians decided that, since he had
killed one of their tribe, Captain John must die, for this was their
law. So they dragged him, bound, before the great chief Powhatan, who
sat in mighty state surrounded by his warriors. They stretched the
prisoner on the ground with his head on a large stone, to beat out his
brains with their cruel clubs. And it seemed as though at last the
gallant Captain's time had come. But just as the Indian brave was about
to strike, his great war club swinging high in the air, Pocahontas
rushed forward and threw herself between him and his victim. With her
own body she shielded the Captain from harm, for her heart was moved to
pity for the stranger, and she could not bear that he should die. And
now aroused, with flashing eyes she waved the executioner back. Then she
pleaded with her father that the captive's life be spared.

At once there was wild confusion of shouting and threatening, many
crying, "Kill, kill!" while but few were willing to spare his life, for
the Indians feared the white men, and wished to drive them from the
land.

But Pocahontas, as Princess of the tribe, claimed her right, and would
not yield them up their victim. Then Powhatan, who ruled them all,
raised his hand and stopped their clamor. In sullen silence the angry
warriors awaited his decision. For a moment he hesitated, and the fate
of Captain John hung wavering in the balance. Then, to please his
favorite daughter, whom he dearly loved, he decreed that she should have
her will.

