the complete writings-3-第35章

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　straits　of　Niger　into　the　Sea　Disbacca；　by　some　called　the　Lake　Moetis；　and　then　sailed　some　days　up　the　River　Bruapo　to　Cambria；　and　two　days　more　to　Nalbrits；　where　the　Tyrnor　resided。

Smith　wrote　his　travels　in　London　nearly　thirty　years　after；　and　it　is　difficult　to　say　how　much　is　the　result　of　his　own　observation　and　how　much　he　appropriated　from　preceding　romances。　　The　Cambrians　may　have　been　the　Cossacks；　but　his　description　of　their　habits　and　also　those　of　the　〃Crym…Tartars〃　belongs　to　the　marvels　of　Mandeville　and　other　wide…eyed　travelers。　　Smith　fared　very　badly　with　the　Tymor。　The　Tymor　and　his　friends　ate　pillaw；　they　esteemed　〃samboyses〃　and　〃musselbits〃　great　dainties；〃　and　yet；〃　exclaims　Smith；　〃but　round　pies；　full　of　all　sorts　of　flesh　they　can　get；　chopped　with　variety　of　herbs。〃　　Their　best　drink　was　〃coffa〃　and　sherbet；　which　is　only　honey　and　water。　　The　common　victual　of　the　others　was　the　entrails　of　horses　and　〃ulgries〃　（goats？）　cut　up　and　boiled　in　a　caldron　with　〃cuskus；〃　a　preparation　made　from　grain。　　This　was　served　in　great　bowls　set　in　the　ground；　and　when　the　other　prisoners　had　raked　it　thoroughly　with　their　foul　fists　the　remainder　was　given　to　the　Christians。　　The　same　dish　of　entrails　used　to　be　served　not　many　years　ago　in　Upper　Egypt　as　a　royal　dish　to　entertain　a　distinguished　guest。

It　might　entertain　but　it　would　too　long　detain　us　to　repeat　Smith's　information；　probably　all　secondhand；　about　this　barbarous　region。　We　must　confine　ourselves　to　the　fortunes　of　our　hero。　　All　his　hope　of　deliverance　from　thraldom　was　in　the　love　of　Tragabigzanda；　whom　he　firmly　believed　was　ignorant　of　his　bad　usage。　　But　she　made　no　sign。　　Providence　at　length　opened　a　way　for　his　escape。　　He　was　employed　in　thrashing　in　a　field　more　than　a　league　from　the　Tymor's　home。　　The　Bashaw　used　to　come　to　visit　his　slave　there；　and　beat；　spurn；　and　revile　him。　　One　day　Smith；　unable　to　control　himself　under　these　insults；　rushed　upon　the　Tymor；　and　beat　out　his　brains　with　a　thrashing　bat〃for　they　had　no　flails；〃　he　explainsput　on　the　dead　man's　clothes；　hid　the　body　in　the　straw；　filled　a　knapsack　with　corn；　mounted　his　horse　and　rode　away　into　the　unknown　desert；　where　he　wandered　many　days　before　he　found　a　way　out。　　If　we　may　believe　Smith　this　wilderness　was　more　civilized　in　one　respect　than　some　parts　of　our　own　land；　for　on　all　the　crossings　of　the　roads　were　guide…boards。　　After　traveling　sixteen　days　on　the　road　that　leads　to　Muscova；　Smith　reached　a　Muscovite　garrison　on　the　River　Don。　　The　governor　knocked　off　the　iron　from　his　neck　and　used　him　so　kindly　that　he　thought　himself　now　risen　from　the　dead。　　With　his　usual　good　fortune　there　was　a　lady　to　take　interest　in　him〃the　good　Lady　Callamata　largely　supplied　all　his　wants。〃

After　Smith　had　his　purse　filled　by　Sigismund　he　made　a　thorough　tour　of　Europe；　and　passed　into　Spain；　where　being　satisfied；　as　he　says；　with　Europe　and　Asia；　and　understanding　that　there　were　wars　in　Barbary；　this　restless　adventurer　passed　on　into　Morocco　with　several　comrades　on　a　French　man…of…war。　　His　observations　on　and　tales　about　North　Africa　are　so　evidently　taken　from　the　books　of　other　travelers　that　they　add　little　to　our　knowledge　of　his　career。　　For　some　reason　he　found　no　fighting　going　on　worth　his　while。　　But　good　fortune　attended　his　return。　　He　sailed　in　a　man…of…war　with　Captain　Merham。　They　made　a　few　unimportant　captures；　and　at　length　fell　in　with　two　Spanish　men…of…war；　which　gave　Smith　the　sort　of　entertainment　he　most　coveted。　　A　sort　of　running　fight；　sometimes　at　close　quarters；　and　with　many　boardings　and　repulses；　lasted　for　a　couple　of　days　and　nights；　when　having　battered　each　other　thoroughly　and　lost　many　men；　the　pirates　of　both　nations　separated　and　went　cruising；　no　doubt；　for　more　profitable　game。　　Our　wanderer　returned　to　his　native　land；　seasoned　and　disciplined　for　the　part　he　was　to　play　in　the　New　World。　　As　Smith　had　traveled　all　over　Europe　and　sojourned　in　Morocco；　besides　sailing　the　high　seas；　since　he　visited　Prince　Sigismund　in　December；　1603；　it　was　probably　in　the　year　1605　that　he　reached　England。　　He　had　arrived　at　the　manly　age　of　twenty…six　years；　and　was　ready　to　play　a　man's　part　in　the　wonderful　drama　of　discovery　and　adventure　upon　which　the　Britons　were　then　engaged。




IV

FIRST　ATTEMPTS　IN　VIRGINIA

John　Smith　has　not　chosen　to　tell　us　anything　of　his　life　during　the　interimperhaps　not　more　than　a　year　and　a　halfbetween　his　return　from　Morocco　and　his　setting　sail　for　Virginia。　　Nor　do　his　contemporaries　throw　any　light　upon　this　period　of　his　life。

One　would　like　to　know　whether　he　went　down　to　Willoughby　and　had　a　reckoning　with　his　guardians；　whether　he　found　any　relations　or　friends　of　his　boyhood；　whether　any　portion　of　his　estate　remained　of　that　〃competent　means〃　which　he　says　he　inherited；　but　which　does　not　seem　to　have　been　available　in　his　career。　　From　the　time　when　he　set　out　for　France　in　his　fifteenth　year；　with　the　exception　of　a　short　sojourn　in　Willoughby　seven　or　eight　years　after；　he　lived　by　his　wits　and　by　the　strong　hand。　　His　purse　was　now　and　then　replenished　by　a　lucky　windfall；　which　enabled　him　to　extend　his　travels　and　seek　more　adventures。　　This　is　the　impression　that　his　own　story　makes　upon　the　reader　in　a　narrative　that　is　characterized　by　the　boastfulness　and　exaggeration　of　the　times；　and　not　fuller　of　the　marvelous　than　most　others　of　that　period。

The　London　to　which　Smith　returned　was　the　London　of　Shakespeare。　　We　should　be　thankful　for　one　glimpse　of　him　in　this　interesting　town。　Did　he　frequent　the　theatre？　　Did　he　perhaps　see　Shakespeare　himself　at　the　Globe？　　Did　he　loaf　in　the　coffee…houses；　and　spin　the　fine　thread　of　his　adventures　to　the　idlers　and　gallants　who　resorted　to　them？　　If　he　dropped　in　at　any　theatre　of　an　afternoon　he　was　quite　likely　to　hear　some　allusion　to　Virginia；　for　the　plays　of　the　hour　were　full　of　chaff；　not　always　of　the　choicest；　about　the　attractions　of　the　Virgin…land；　whose　gold　was　as　plentiful　as　copper　in　England；　where　the　prisoners　were　fettered　in　gold；　and　the　dripping…pans　were　made　of　it；　and　wherean　unheard…of　thingyou　might　become　an　alderman　without　having　been　a　scavenger。

Was　Smith　an　indulger　in　that　new　medicine　for　all　ills；　tobacco？　Alas！　we　know　nothing　of　his　habits　or　his　company。　　He　was　a　man　of　piety　according　to　his　lights；　and　it　is　probable　that　he　may　have　had　the　then　rising　prejudice　against　theatres。　　After　his　return　from　Virginia　he　and　his　exploits　were　the　subject　of　many　a　stage　play　and　spectacle；　but　whether　his　vanity　was　more　flattered　by　this　mark　of　notoriety　than　his　piety　was　offended　we　do　not　know。　　There　is　certainly　no　sort　of　evidence　that　he　engaged　in　the　common　dissipation　of　the　town；　nor　gave　himself　up　to　those　pleasures　which　a　man　rescued　from　the　hardships　of　captivity　in　Tartaria　might　be　expected　to　seek。　　Mr。　Stith　says　that　it　was　the　testimony　of　his　fellow　soldiers　and　adventurers　that　〃they　never　knew　a　soldier；　before　him；　so　free　from　those　military　vices　of　wine；　tobacco；　debts；　dice；　and　oathes。〃

But　of　one　thing　we　may　be　certain：　he　was　seeking　adventure　according　to　his　nature；　and　eager　for　any　heroic　employment；　and　it　goes　without　saying　that　he　entered　into　the　great　excitement　of　the　dayadventure　in　America。　　Elizabeth　was　dead。　　James　had　just　come　to　the　throne；　and　Raleigh；　to　whom　Elizabeth　had　granted　an　extensive　patent　of　Virginia；　was　in　the　Tower。　　The　attempts　to　make　any　permanent　lodgment　in　the　countries　of　Virginia　had　failed。　　But　at　the　date　of　Smith's　advent　Captain　Bartholomew　Gosnold　had　returned　from　a　voyage　undertaken　in　1602　under　the　patronage　of　the　Earl　of　Southampton；　and　announced　that　he　had　discovered　a　direct　passage　westward　to　the　new　continent；　all　the　former　voyagers　having　gone　by　the　way　of　the　West　Indies。　　The　effect　of　this　announcement　in　London；　accompanied　as　it　was　with　Gosnold's　report　of　the　fruitfulness　of　the　coast　of　New　England　which　he　explored；　was　something　like　that　made　upon　New　York　by　the　discovery　of　gold　in　California　in　1849。　　The　route　by　the　West　Indies；　with　its　incidents　of