the climate being hot and damp, many of them were taken sick, and in the course of four months fifty of them died. 5. They were now in great distress, and hardly knew what to do. In this emergency, they consulted one of their number, named John Smith. He was certainly one of the most extraordinary men that ever lived. At the age of fifteen, he had left England, and travelled on foot through Spain, France, and Germany. 6. He was once engaged in a battle with the Turks, and being wounded, was taken prisoner and sent to Constantinople. Here he was made a slave, and was treated cruelly by his master; but his mistress took compassion on him, and sent him to her brother, who lived at a great distance, requesting that he might be treated kindly. But her directions were not followed, and Smith received the same harsh treatment as before. Irritated by this, he slew his new master. He then travelled in various countries, meeting with strange adventures wherever he went. 7. After this he returned to England, and joined the expedition to Virginia. While they were at sea, the emigrants became jealous of him, and put him in confinement. In this condition he remained until the distress of the colony rendered his assistance necessary. They then granted him a trial; and being acquitted, he immediately adopted measures for remedying the existing evils. He set about building a fort, to protect the people from the Indians, and made long journeys into the wilderness, to procure corn and other food of the natives. 8. On one occasion he obtained an Indian idol, made of skins and stuffed with moss. This the savages reverenced very much; and in order to get it back, they paid him as much corn as he asked for. Nothing could exceed the boldness and enterprise of this singular man; yet it must be confessed that his conduct was not always regu lated by justice or truth. In his intercourse with the savages, he resorted to stratagem or violence, if he could not succeed in his plans by other means. It was partly on this account that the Indians began to hate the white people; and Smith himself nearly fell a victim to the feelings of revenge which he had excited. 9. He went one day to explore the little River Chickahominy. Having ascended as far as he could in a boat, he left it in charge of his men, and proceeded along the bank of the river, with two white men and two Indian guides. But not long after he was gone, the savages, who were lurking in the woods, surrounded the men in the boat, and took them prisoners. 10. They then pursued Smith, and soon coming up with him, killed his white companions with their arrows, and wounded him. But with an undaunted spirit, he fired upon his enemies, and tying one of the Indian guides to his side, he continued to retreat towards the boat. Awed by his bravery, the savages kept aloof; but at length he came to a place where he sank in the mire. 11. Being unable to extricate himself, his enemies now seized him, and took him in triumph to Powhatan, their king. A council was now held, to determine what should be done with the prisoner, and it was decided that he should die. He was accordingly brought forth, and being laid on the ground, his head was placed upon a stone. 12. Powhatan claimed the honor of killing him. He took a large club, and, raising it high in the air, was about to give the fatal blow, when his daughter, Pocahontas, moved by pity, rushed to the prisoner, and sheltered his body by her own. The astonished chief brought his club slowly to the ground, and a murmur of surprise burst from the lips of the savages who stood around. The chief now raised his daughter, and seeming to be touched by that pity which had affected her so much, gave Smith his liberty, and sent him back to Jamestown. 13. On his return Smith found the number of colonists reduced to thirty-eight. They were so disheartened that most of them had determined to abandon the settlement, and go back to England. Smith remonstrated, but they would not stop. They entered a small vessel, and prepared to sail down the river. He determined that they should not go; so he pointed the guns of the fort at the vessel, and threatened to sink her if they did not return. Alarmed at this, they gave up their project, and came ashore. 14. The colony was now almost in a starving condition; but Smith, by this time, had acquired such a reputation for courage among the Indians, that they did not dare to refuse supplies. Pocahontas, too, the beautiful Indian girl who had saved his life, continued to be his friend, and sent him such articles as were most needed. Thus the colony was able to subsist till Captain Newport, who brought out the first settlers, returned to the colony, bringing with him a quantity of provisions, and one hundred and twenty persons. 15. Now that the danger was over, the colonists would no longer submit to the government of Smith. Disorder and confusion among the people soon followed. About the same time, the passion for gold, which had induced many of the settlers to come to the country, was again excited. Some particles of yellow shining earth were found in the bank of a little stream north of Jamestown. Captivated with the idea of getting suddenly rich, the colonists left their proper employments, and went to dig what they supposed to be gold. 16. Smith endeavored to dissuade them, but they would not listen to him. Nothing was thought of, or talked of, but gold. So they all went to filling the ship with the earth, which they supposed to contain particles of that precious metal. At length she was loaded, and sailed for England. When she arrived there, the cargo was examined, and found to be nothing but common mud, filled with little pieces of shining stone. 17. There is a lesson to be drawn from this point of history. "All is not gold that glitters," says the proverb; and so the Virginians found it. I hope my readers, if they are ever tempted by any shining prospect to depart from the path of duty, will recollect that what seems to be gold often proves to be only vulgar dust. 18. Smith, finding that he could not be useful, left the colonists digging for gold, and went himself to explore the coasts of the Chesapeake Bay. Having been absent some time, he returned, and after a while went again to traverse the wilderness. He often met the Indians, traded with some, fought with some, and again went back to the settlement, leaving with the natives an awful impression of his valor. On his return he was again chosen president, and the people submitting to his authority, order was soon restored. Habits of industry were resumed, and peace and plenty soon smiled upon the colony. 19. In 1609 the London Company sent out nine ships, with five hundred emigrants, to the colony. On board of one of these vessels there were some officers appointed to rule over them. This, unhappily, was driven by a storm upon the Bermudas, and detained for a long time. The other vessels arrived safely; but the persons who came in them were of a vicious character, and refused to permit Smith to govern them. He determined, however, that he would be obeyed, and accordingly he seized upon several of them, and put them in prison. This alarmed the rest, and order was again restored. 20. It was about this time that the Indians, fearing that the white people would become too powerful, determined to make a sudden attack upon them, and kill them all. Pocahontas heard of this scheme, and resolved, if possible, to save the English. Accordingly, one dark and stormy night, she left her father's wigwam, and went alone, through the forests, to Jamestown. Here she found Smith, and apprised him of the threatened danger. She then returned, and Smith took immediate measures to put the colony in a state of defence. The Indians, finding the people watchful and prepared, gave up their project; and thus again did Pocahontas save the life of Smith, as well as the lives of all the white people in the colony. 21. About this time Smith received a dangerous wound, which obliged him to go to England, to consult a surgeon. The Indians, finding the only man they feared was gone, attacked the colony, and cutting off their supplies, reduced |