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ged　in　the　transfer。　　In　the　〃General　Historie〃　Smith　says　very　little　about　the　nature　of　the　charges　against　him。　　In　the　original　narrative　signed　by　Richard　Pots　and　edited　by　Smith；　there　are　more　details　of　the　charges。　　One　omitted　passage　is　this：　〃Now　all　those　Smith　had　either　whipped　or　punished；　or　in　any　way　disgraced；　had　free　power　and　liberty　to　say　or　sweare　anything；　and　from　a　whole　armful　of　their　examinations　this　was　concluded。〃

Another　omitted　passage　relates　to　the　charge；　to　which　reference　is　made　in　the　〃General　Historie；〃　that　Smith　proposed　to　marry　Pocahontas：

〃Some　propheticall　spirit　calculated　he　had　the　salvages　in　such　subjection；　he　would　have　made　himself　a　king　by　marrying　Pocahuntas；　Powhatan's　daughter。　　It　is　true　she　was　the　very　nonpareil　of　his　kingdom；　and　at　most　not　past　thirteen　or　fourteen　years　of　age。　　Very　oft　she　came　to　our　fort　with　what　she　could　get　for　Capt。　Smith；　that　ever　loved　and　used　all　the　country　well；　but　her　especially　he　ever　much　respected；　and　she　so　well　requited　it；　that　when　her　father　intended　to　have　surprised　him；　she　by　stealth　in　the　dark　night　came　through　the　wild　woods　and　told　him　of　it。　But　her　marriage　could　in　no　way　have　entitled　him　by　any　right　to　the　kingdom；　nor　was　it　ever　suspected　he　had　such　a　thought；　or　more　regarded　her　or　any　of　them　than　in　honest　reason　and　discretion　he　might。　　If　he　would　he　might　have　married　her；　or　have　done　what　he　listed。　　For　there　were　none　that　could　have　hindered　his　determination。〃


It　is　fair；　in　passing；　to　remark　that　the　above　allusion　to　the　night　visit　of　Pocahontas　to　Smith　in　this　tract　of　1612　helps　to　confirm　the　story；　which　does　not　appear　in　the　previous　narration　of　Smith's　encounter　with　Powhatan　at　Werowocomoco　in　the　same　tract；　but　is　celebrated　in　the　〃General　Historie。〃　　It　is　also　hinted　plainly　enough　that　Smith　might　have　taken　the　girl　to　wife；　Indian　fashion。




XIV

THE　COLONY　WITHOUT　SMITH

It　was　necessary　to　follow　for　a　time　the　fortune　of　the　Virginia　colony　after　the　departure　of　Captain　Smith。　　Of　its　disasters　and　speedy　decline　there　is　no　more　doubt　than　there　is　of　the　opinion　of　Smith　that　these　were　owing　to　his　absence。　　The　savages；　we　read　in　his　narration；　no　sooner　knew　he　was　gone　than　they　all　revolted　and　spoiled　and　murdered　all　they　encountered。

The　day　before　Captain　Smith　sailed；　Captain　Davis　arrived　in　a　small　pinnace　with　sixteen　men。　　These；　with　a　company　from　the　fort　under　Captain　Ratcliffe；　were　sent　down　to　Point　Comfort。　　Captain　West　and　Captain　Martin；　having　lost　their　boats　and　half　their　men　among　the　savages　at　the　Falls；　returned　to　Jamestown。　　The　colony　now　lived　upon　what　Smith　had　provided；　〃and　now　they　had　presidents　with　all　their　appurtenances。　　President　Percy　was　so　sick　he　could　neither　go　nor　stand。　　Provisions　getting　short；　West　and　Ratcliffe　went　abroad　to　trade；　and　Ratcliffe　and　twenty…eight　of　his　men　were　slain　by　an　ambush　of　Powhatan's；　as　before　related　in　the　narrative　of　Henry　Spelman。　　Powhatan　cut　off　their　boats；　and　refused　to　trade；　so　that　Captain　West　set　sail　for　England。　　What　ensued　cannot　be　more　vividly　told　than　in　the　〃General　Historie〃：

〃Now　we　all　found　the　losse　of　Capt。　Smith；　yea　his　greatest　maligners　could　now　curse　his　losse；　as　for　corne　provision　and　contribution　from　the　salvages；　we　had　nothing　but　mortall　wounds；　with　clubs　and　arrowes；　as　for　our　hogs；　hens；　goats；　sheep；　horse；　or　what　lived；　our　commanders；　officers　and　salvages　daily　consumed　them；　some　small　proportions　sometimes　we　tasted；　till　all　was　devoured；　then　swords；　arms；　pieces　or　anything　was　traded　with　the　salvages；　whose　cruell　fingers　were　so　oft　imbrued　in　our　blouds；　that　what　by　their　crueltie；　our　Governor's　indiscretion；　and　the　losse　of　our　ships；　of　five　hundred　within　six　months　after　Capt。　Smith's　departure；　there　remained　not　past　sixty　men；　women　and　children；　most　miserable　and　poore　creatures；　and　those　were　preserved　for　the　most　part；　by　roots；　herbes；　acorns；　walnuts；　berries；　now　and　then　a　little　fish；　they　that　had　starch　in　these　extremities　made　no　small　use　of　it；　yea；　even　the　very　skinnes　of　our　horses。　　Nay；　so　great　was　our　famine；　that　a　salvage　we　slew　and　buried；　the　poorer　sort　took　him　up　again　and　eat　him；　and　so　did　divers　one　another　boyled；　and　stewed　with　roots　and　herbs。　　And　one　amongst　the　rest　did　kill　his　wife；　poudered　her　and　had　eaten　part　of　her　before　it　was　knowne；　for　which　he　was　executed；　as　he　well　deserved；　now　whether　she　was　better　roasted；　boyled；　or　carbonaded；　I　know　not；　but　of　such　a　dish　as　powdered　wife　I　never　heard　of。　This　was　that　time；　which　still　to　this　day　we　called　the　starving　time；　it　were　too　vile　to　say　and　scarce　to　be　believed　what　we　endured；　but　the　occasion　was　our　owne；　for　want　of　providence；　industrie　and　government；　and　not　the　barreness　and　defect　of　the　country　as　is　generally　supposed。〃

This　playful　allusion　to　powdered　wife；　and　speculation　as　to　how　she　was　best　cooked；　is　the　first　instance　we　have　been　able　to　find　of　what　is　called　〃American　humor；〃　and　Captain　Smith　has　the　honor　of　being　the　first　of　the　〃American　humorists〃　who　have　handled　subjects　of　this　kind　with　such　pleasing　gayety。

It　is　to　be　noticed　that　this　horrible　story　of　cannibalism　and　wife…　eating　appears　in　Smith's　〃General　Historie〃　of　1624；　without　a　word　of　contradiction　or　explanation；　although　the　company　as　early　as　1610　had　taken　pains　to　get　at　the　facts；　and　Smith　must　have　seen　their　〃Declaration；〃　which　supposes　the　story　was　started　by　enemies　of　the　colony。　　Some　reported　they　saw　it；　some　that　Captain　Smith　said　so；　and　some　that　one　Beadle；　the　lieutenant　of　Captain　Davis；　did　relate　it。　　In　〃A　True　Declaration　of　the　State　of　the　Colonie　in　Virginia；〃　published　by　the　advice　and　direction　of　the　Council　of　Virginia；　London；　1610；　we　read：

〃But　to　clear　all　doubt；　Sir　Thomas　Yates　thus　relateth　the　tragedie：

〃There　was　one　of　the　company　who　mortally　hated　his　wife；　and　therefore　secretly　killed　her；　then　cut　her　in　pieces　and　hid　her　in　divers　parts　of　his　house：　when　the　woman　was　missing；　the　man　suspected；　his　house　searched；　and　parts　of　her　mangled　body　were　discovered；　to　excuse　himself　he　said　that　his　wife　died；　that　he　hid　her　to　satisfie　his　hunger；　and　that　he　fed　daily　upon　her。　　Upon　this　his　house　was　again　searched；　when　they　found　a　good　quantitie　of　meale；　oatmeale；　beanes　and　pease。　　Hee　therefore　was　arraigned；　confessed　the　murder；　and　was　burned　for　his　horrible　villainy。〃

This　same　〃True　Declaration；〃　which　singularly　enough　does　not　mention　the　name　of　Captain　Smith；　who　was　so　prominent　an　actor　in　Virginia　during　the　period　to　which　it　relates；　confirms　all　that　Smith　said　as　to　the　character　of　the　colonists；　especially　the　new　supply　which　landed　in　the　eight　vessels　with　Ratcliffe　and　Archer。　〃Every　man　overvalueing　his　own　strength　would　be　a　commander；　every　man　underprizing　another's　value；　denied　to　be　commanded。〃　　They　were　negligent　and　improvident。　　〃Every　man　sharked　for　his　present　bootie；　but　was　altogether　careless　of　succeeding　penurie。〃　　To　idleness　and　faction　was　joined　treason。　　About　thirty　〃unhallowed　creatures；〃　in　the　winter　of　1610；　some　five　months　before　the　arrival　of　Captain　Gates；　seized　upon　the　ship　Swallow；　which　had　been　prepared　to　trade　with　the　Indians；　and　having　obtained　corn　conspired　together　and　made　a　league　to　become　pirates；　dreaming　of　mountains　of　gold　and　happy　robberies。　　By　this　desertion　they　weakened　the　colony；　which　waited　for　their　return　with　the　provisions；　and　they　made　implacable　enemies　of　the　Indians　by　their　violence。　　〃These　are　that　scum　of　men；〃　which；　after　roving　the　seas　and　failing　in　their　piracy；　joined　themselves　to　other　pirates　they　found　on　the　sea；　or　returned　to　England；　bound　by　a　mutual　oath　to　discredit　the　land；　and　swore　they　were　drawn　away　by　famine。　　〃These　are　they　that　roared　at　the　tragicall　historie　of　the　man　eating　up　his　dead　wife　in　Virginia〃〃scandalous　reports　of　a　viperous　generation。〃

If　further　evidence　were　wanting；　we　have　it　in　〃The　New　Life　of　Virginia；〃　published　by　authority