Pocahontas (6 page)

More of that shall be said anon, but none of these discoveries or decisions did include me. I was not yet allowed ashore. Though less ill-favored, I remained quite out of favor.

Now falleth every man to work, though many chose but to work their jaws in telling others what to do. The wise council contrive the fort. Alas, for that. The rest, myself included, cut down trees to make place to pitch their tents, some provide clapboard to relade the ships, some make gardens, some nets, &tc., &tc.

The salvages often visited us kindly, though I did misdoubt that they would always show but the hand of friendship. Our sponsors had urged us to treat the naturals well, but it seemed to me that good treatment doth not rule out wise defense. However, each word I spoke in favor of firm fortifications fell upon unhearing ears.

Our plantation we named James Fort. Yet the president's overweening jealousy would admit no exercise at arms or fortification but the boughs of trees cast together in the form of a half-moon by the extraordinary pain and diligence of Captain Kendall.

Long ago, after Ahone made the Sun and Moon and Stars, it was then that Okeus shaped the earth and all the things upon it. It is said that Okeus gave us the many kinds of corn and taught us how to plant them and care for them in the right way. If we care for these great gifts and give them our love, they will, in return, give us our lives. We must share these gifts with all our people and with any who come to us as guests. But if we do not do as Okeus taught us, great sorrow will surely come on us and we will be punished

NEPINOUGH
TIME WHEN CORN FORMS EARS
LATE MAY
1607

I
N THE TWO MOONS
that have passed since the new Tassantassuk first arrived, they have done so many strange things. I find it hard to believe that people could behave as strangely as they do. It is confusing to me. Though I still wish to see them and have promised myself that I shall do so, I have decided to heed my father's advice and wait. Rawhunt tells me each day of some new and unusual thing done by the newcomers.

They have begun to travel out from their camp, as far up the river as our village of Powhatan, where my older half brother
Parahunt is werowance. Although they are hungry people, they do not seem to know much about getting food. They are now trying to grow crops in the poor soil of their camping place. There is too much salt from the river there, and the earth they have chosen for planting will be too dry by the time of the summer season. Groups of men from the various villages near them have visited, bringing them gifts of food. But the Coatmen do not always respond in a friendly way, even to gifts. This is especially hard for me to understand. When I am given presents, even small ones, it makes me feel warm and happy in my heart, and I want nothing more than to be kind to those who have gifted me.

The Coatmen seem to like to travel far and wide. That, at least, I can understand. They are as curious as Arakun, wanting to see and touch everything. They have a canoe that is much smaller than the big swan boats. They make it go faster than our bigger dugouts, but they paddle it in a strange way, with their backs turned toward the direction they wish to go. Rawhunt laughed today when he told me of this.

"Perhaps," he said, "these Tassantassuk do everything backwards, everything backwards. For example, I have seen that when it is hot, instead of taking off clothing, they put more on, put more on. And when they are dirty, instead of bathing, they stay away from the water." Then he made such outrageous suggestions about backward things that they might do that I laughed even harder than Rawhunt.

Rawhunt also told me about a strange thing our people have seen the Coatmen do several times. When the Coatmen reach a place they have not been before and they come onshore, they sometimes bring with them a thing made of two posts fastened together, making a shape like that of our design for the four directions. They bury its base in the ground, speak loud
words, and then leave it there. Rawhunt thinks it may have something to do with their way of worship.

"Perhaps," Rawhunt said, "perhaps, perhaps, the gods they worship are the four winds, the four winds. Those crosses they bury in the earth may stand for the four directions where the wind spirits live."

When those Tassantassuk first began to travel, a small party of them went to Paspahegh. Wowinchopunck, the werowance of Paspahegh, welcomed them. The newcomers were treated as all guests should be treated. Wowinchopunck's warriors laid their weapons upon the ground. They held out their right hands to link their index fingers with those of the Coatmen. The Coatmen were given much food and good drink. People sang to them and danced. That time, I was pleased to hear, all went well and the Coatmen behaved like proper guests.

A few days later, before they had found the camping spot where they have set up their white lodges, they were given a test when they came to the mouth of the Appamattuck and went ashore. A group of our men met them. Our men were well armed with bows and arrows, monacocks and tomahaks, and each carried a shield made of thick bark that could stop an arrow. But our men were worried. They had been told about the Coatmen's thunder sticks. Still, our men showed no fear. They stood tall as the Coatmen approached. Then the leader of our men put down his shield and stepped forward. He held out both of his hands. In his left hand he held a bow. In his right hand he held a pipe filled with tobacco. Without hesitation, the leader of the Coatmen stepped forward and accepted the tobacco pipe. The choice of war or friendship had been offered, and the Coatmen had taken the pipe of peace.

With great relief, our men sat down with the Coatmen and smoked the pipe together. Our men admired the bright knives
and glittering tomahaks of the Coatmen. They liked the way those weapons shone like the sun striking water. It would be good to trade for such fine tools. Our men gave the newcomers food and tried to teach them more of our words, of which they already seemed to know a few, though they spoke them poorly.

"
Wingapo,
" the English leader said, tapping himself on the chest to indicate that his heart was good, that he was indeed a "good man" as he had said.

However—and this made me sad when I heard it—just when the people of Paspahegh thought they knew the hearts of these newcomers, the Coatmen again behaved badly. They made their camp without asking the permission of Wowinchopunck or the people of Paspahegh. They began to guard it in a way that did not seem friendly. The people of Paspahegh became worried. Were the Coatmen enemies or friends? Wowinchopunck urged his people to be patient. He decided to go see them and learn if they knew how to treat a guest in the right way. He sent two messengers, painted and dressed in a very fine way, to let the Coatmen know that he would make a visit.

Then, having given the newcomers time to prepare for the visit of a chief, Wowinchopunck went to their camp. He took with him a hundred men and the gift of a fine, big deer. But the Coatmen did not lay down their weapons as had the warriors of Paspahegh. They seemed suspicious and angry. They stared at our men and muttered things to one another. The Paspahegh men held out their hands in friendship, but the Coatmen did not take their hands. Then one of Wowinchopunck's men picked up a Coatman's glittering tomahak.

"
Wingapo,
" Wowinchopunck's man said. "Good man."

But the Coatman who kept that tomahak did not behave in a friendly way. He grabbed the tomahak by its handle and twisted it out of the man's grasp. Then he struck the surprised
Paspahegh man hard on the arm with the flat side of the tomahak, bruising him badly. It was a great insult. Some of our people became quite upset.

However, even though they were the ones who had behaved so badly, the Tassantassuk now began to act angry. They shouted loud words to one another. They raised their thunder sticks and pointed them at our people.

Wowinchopunck was deeply offended.

"Pick up the deer," he said. "These rude people do not know how to treat a guest properly."

Then he and all his men turned and walked back across the narrow neck of land. They did not run, but as they left they worried that they would hear the thunder of the unpredictable Coatmen's weapons at their backs.

The river which we have discovered is one of the famousest that was ever found by any Christian. It ebbs and flows a hundred and threescore miles where ships of great burthen may harbor in safety.

Wheresoever we landed upon this river we saw the goodliest woods, as beech, oak, cedar, cypress, walnuts, sassafrass, and vines in great abundance which hang in great clusters on many trees, and other trees unknown, and all the grounds bespread with many sweet and delicate flowers, mulberries, raspberries, and fruits unknown.

There are many branches of this river which run flowing through the woods with great plenty of fish of all kinds; as for sturgeon, all the world cannot be compared to it. In this country I have seen many great and large meadows having excellent good pasture for any cattle. There is also great store of deer, both red and fallow, there are bears, foxes, otters, beavers, musk cats and wild beasts unknown.

The four and twentieth day, we set up a cross at the head of this river, naming it "Kings River," where we
proclaimed James, King of England, to have the most right unto it.

—FROM
O
BSERVATIONS GATHERED OUT OF
A DISCOURSE OF THE PLANTATION OF THE SOUTHERN COLONY
IN
V
IRGINIA BY THE
E
NGLISH,
1606.
W
RITTEN BY THAT HONORABLE GENTLEMAN,
M
ASTER
G
EORGE
P
ERCY.

MAY
18
TH
–27
TH
, 1607

O
UR FIRST ENCOUNTERS
with the naturals were such that a wiser man than our president would have had much doubt. The gentleman still refused to impale our small plantation. It remained contrived without wall or strong defense. I urged often that our men be armed and exercised, but my words and myself were scorned. It was still the plan of the wise Wingfield to have Captain Smith referred to the council in England to receive a check for his supposed mutiny. Though restrained, I cautioned the more careful amongst us to keep watchful eyes.

It was well I did so. The eighteenth day of May, the werowance of Paspihae came himself to our quarter. Most of the naturals do go about naked, with only their privities covered by beasts' skins, but it is not so for their kings. Paspihae had dressed himself in his finest, wearing a great robe woven with long feathers and the skin about his waist beset with the teeth of beasts to make designs in the shapes of various creatures. Chains of pearls and shells were about his neck, and more strings of pearls hung from his ears. His body was painted crimson and besprinkled, it seemed, with silver ore. His face was painted watchet, as blue as the sky itself. His hair was tied in a great knot atop his head, and four tall feathers thrust up from his crown of
deer's hair dyed red. With him were a hundred more salvages, armed in a most warlike manner and thinking at that time to execute their villainy. They carried bows and arrows, and the swords on their backs were beset with sharp stones and pieces of iron able to cleave a man in sunder.

Paspihae made signs that we should lay down our arms.

I looked to George Percy and the brave gentleman nodded back at me.

"We will not trust him so far," Percy said, holding his piece more firmly.

Our President, though, urged the naturals to join us. Soon they had pushed into the fort and were milling about us in a great throng. Then one bold salvage stole a hatchet from Master Eustace Clovell. Master Clovell spied him doing the deed, whereupon he took the hatchet from him with great force, and also struck him upon the arm. Seeing that, another salvage came fiercely at our man with a wooden sword, thinking to beat out his brains.

"Hold!" Percy cried. Holding his piece at chest height, he stepped in and shoved it against the natural who bore the sword. Off balance, the man stumbled back, his attack forestalled, though a growl arose from among the ranks of the naturals. With that we all took to our arms.

The salvages, who had surely been about to fall upon us, paused. It was well that they did. Our matches were lit, our pieces pointed at their breasts. Paspihae, himself, glared at me and I back at him.

Seeing we could not be taken by surprise, the naturals fell back. And so Paspihae went suddenly away with his company in great anger.

***

From then on, I was no longer so restrained in my movements. The presence of a man who knew the arts of war was seen at last to be of service. Captain Newport liked me well and joined me to his company that would next adventure up the Kings River. On Thursday, the first and twentieth of May, having fitted our shallop with provisions and all necessities belonging to a discovery, we set out. Our Captain proceeded with a perfect resolution not to return before finding either the head of this river, the sea again, or some issue. The names of the two and twenty discoverers are these:

C
APTAIN
C
HRISTOFER
N
EWPORT

GENTLEMEN

Captain John Smith
Captain Gabriell Archer
George Percy, Esquire
Master John Brookes
Master Thomas Wotton

MARINERS

Francys Nelson
John Collson
Robert Tyndall
Mathew Fytch

SAILORS

Jonas Poole
Robert Markham
John Crookdeck
Olyver Browne
Benjamyn White
Rychard Genoway
Thomas Turnbrydg
Thomas Godword
Robert Jackson
Charles Clarke
Stephen
Thomas Skynner

From James Fort we took our leave at noon. By night we were up the river eighteen miles at a low meadow point. The naturals of this place name their kingdom Wynauk. We hailed these Wynauks with words of kindness.