Young John Smith soon found that London was no place for a man
like himself. He could not remain idle, and he began to long for
new adventures. He had seen life in Europe and Asia, and now his
thoughts were turned toward America. But little was then known of
that country, and many strange and exciting stories were told
about it. Now and then sailors had visited it; and when they came
back they reported that the earth was full of gold and precious
stones, and that the rivers ran over golden sands.
James I., who was King of England at that time, gave the right to
Sir Thomas Gates and others to form a settlement in the New
World; and in December, 1606, three small vessels set sail for
the shores of America. John Smith was on board one of the
vessels. The ships, with one hundred and five men in them,
crossed the ocean in safety, and reached the West India Islands.
They then sailed northward along the coast of Florida and the
Carolinas, looking for a good harbor.
When they reached the mouth of Chesapeake Bay they were tossed by
a terrible storm' but managed to sail into a harbor without being
wrecked. This was in April, 1607, and some time was spent in
looking for a place to make a settlement. Before them was a broad
river, which was called Powhatan by the Indians, and this they
sailed up, delighted with the beautiful prospect before them.
Some Indians came down to the shore and stared at the ships as
they sailed by, but the settlers went on up the broad current
until they reached a sort of island close to the shore. Here, on
the 13th of May, 1607, the ships cast anchor, and here a
settlement was made, and was called, in honor of the king,
Jamestown. To-day there is nothing to mark the spot, except an
old ruined church.
King James had not told any one the names of the men who were to
rule over the settlement. The paper containing their names was
sealed up in a box which was not to be opened until the ships
reached the end of their voyage. But the time had now come: the
box was opened, and the name of John Smith was found among those
who were to be councilors.
The colonists soon saw that Smith had more sense and energy than
all the rest. He was the real leader. Nobody had any respect for
the councilors, who were a poor set at the best. They passed
their time in eating and drinking and idleness. They had seen
little of the Indians, and very foolishly seemed to care nothing
about them. Besides this, but very little was done toward raising
corn for food. Smith knew that the woods were full of Indians,
and also that the food in the ships would not last always. He,
therefore, set out with a few men to visit the king of the Indian
tribes, who lived some distance farther up the river.
The name of the Indian king was Powhatan, and he ruled over all
the Indians in eastern Virginia. He received Captain Smith with
great show of kindness, and the two talked together by means of
signs; but Smith saw at once that he had a cunning enemy to deal
with.
Having finished his visit, Captain Smith and his men rowed back
down the river; but when they reached Jamestown they found that
some Indians had made an attack upon the place. No doubt but
that Powhatan had sent them as soon as he knew that Smith was not
there. One of the settlers had been killed by an arrow, and
several had been wounded. But a cannon shot had been fired from
one of the ships, and as it crashed through the woods the
frightened Indians fled and did not return.