SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.
[Illustration: SIR WALTER RALEIGH.]
=24. Sir Walter Raleigh: Soldier, Sailor, and Courtier.=--Not until many
years after the voyages of the two Cabots did the English begin to make
settlements in the New World. For more than three-quarters of a century
no one seemed to comprehend the vast importance of the discoveries of
those explorers, or to dream of the wonderful changes that would follow
during the coming ages. But there was at last one man in England of high
rank who foresaw that a great nation would some time people the realm
beyond the Atlantic. That man was Sir Walter Raleigh. He was a skillful
sailor, a daring soldier, an accomplished scholar, an elegant poet, a
learned historian, a graceful courtier--in fact, a prince among men. He
became a great favorite with Queen Elizabeth. He was very rich, and
when he asked permission to fit out ships and establish colonies in
America, the queen readily granted his request.
The first two vessels sent out by Raleigh reached the coast of North
Carolina in 1584. No attempt at colonization was then made, and they
soon sailed back to England. When Queen Elizabeth heard of the wonders
of the new country--its luscious fruits, its "sweete-smelling timber
trees," its rich soil, whereon the natives seemed to live "after the
manner of the golden age"--she said: "This place shall be named Virginia
in honor of me." For the great queen was called the "Virgin Queen," and
she used to boast that she was wedded to her kingdom alone.
=25. First Attempts to colonize Virginia.=--Soon afterwards Raleigh sent
out vessels on a second voyage "to plant an English nation in America."
It had been planned to make a settlement on Roanoke Island; but the
Indians were warlike, food was scarce, and the colonists instead of
planting corn searched for gold. After they had nearly died of
starvation a vessel arrived, which carried the homesick men back to
England. Two years afterwards a third company was sent out by Raleigh.
This company included men, women, and children. These also settled at
Roanoke Island. There, in August, 1587, was born Virginia Dare, the
first American child of English parentage.
This colony also fared hard. The governor sailed back to England for
supplies, and when he returned to America, after being delayed for three
years, every trace of the colony had disappeared. It was never known
whether the colonists had gone far away, to live with the Indians, or
had somehow perished. They were never heard of again.
=26. How Tobacco and Potatoes came into Popular Use.=--And thus it was
that in the first colonizing of this country Sir Walter Raleigh had as
much to do as any other one man. Although his various attempts at
settlements proved failures, yet he opened the way, set the example, and
made it less difficult for others to come to America.
One of the most wholesome and nutritious of vegetables, the common white
potato, had never been seen in Europe until some of the Virginia
settlers sent to Sir Walter as a present several of the "roots," as they
were called. He showed the poor how easily potatoes could be raised.
Thus they first came into use as a staple article of food.
The settlers in Virginia soon found that the Indians took great comfort
in smoking the dried leaves of a certain fragrant herb. This was the now
well-known tobacco plant. The English colonists tried smoking,--and
liked it. They sent some of the plant across the ocean as a present to
Sir Walter. He tried smoking, and he also liked it!
At first it seemed a strange sight in England to see a man smoking. The
story is often told that as Raleigh was one day enjoying his pipe, a
servant came into the room. As the man had never before seen any one
smoke, he was much astonished; he thought his master was on fire. He
rushed out of the room, seized a pitcher of water, and running back
threw it over Sir Walter!
[Illustration: RALEIGH'S SERVANT INTERRUPTS HIS MASTER'S SMOKE.]
From that time till now tobacco has been most extensively used. The
settler who raised tobacco could buy with it whatever he needed. Large
crops of it were carried to England and sold. It did much to establish
the commercial prosperity of the Virginia colony.
=27. Captain John Smith and his Early Career.=--In the year 1607 there
came to Virginia a remarkable man by the name of John Smith. He plays
an important part in the early history of that colony.
This the most famous John Smith that ever lived, was born in England in
1580. While yet a boy he was fond of wild and daring adventures. When
thirteen years old he sold his school books and ran away from home. When
he became a young man he went to the continent, and for two or three
years fought in the Dutch and French armies.
[Illustration: CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.]
Once, when Smith was a sailor on a ship going from Marseilles to Italy,
a terrible storm arose; the sailors, believing that he was the cause of
their bad luck, threw him overboard. But, swimming "with lusty sinews,"
he managed to reach an island near by, and thus his life was saved. He
was rescued from the shore and was taken on board a French man-of-war.
Soon afterwards the ship met an enemy, and a battle ensued. In that
conflict the young English sailor fought so hard that the ship's
officers gave him a share of the plunder of the captured vessel.
=28. His Romantic Adventures.=--Our bold adventurer now went farther east
and enlisted in the Austrian army to fight against the Turks. In that
service he soon became well known as a brave and dashing fellow, and
before long he was made a captain of cavalry. After a battle in which
the Austrians were defeated, Smith, badly wounded, lay a while among the
dead. But he was found and cared for. After his wounds had healed, he
was taken to Constantinople and sold to the Turks as a slave. A Turkish
lady showed him great kindness.
Then he was sent to Russia. There, at a place about a mile from the
house of his cruel master, he was set to threshing grain. One day his
owner rode up and shamefully abused him. Stung by his insolence, Smith
killed the man with a flail, exchanged his own slave garments for his
victim's clothes, hid the body in the straw, mounted a horse, and
started off. He traveled over Russia, Austria, France, and Spain, and at
last, after many stirring adventures, drifted back to his old home in
England again.
All these stories and many more Captain John tells us in his book of
travels. Perhaps they are true, and perhaps we may conclude with some
other persons that Smith was a daring fellow at telling stories as well
as at fighting Turks!
=29. Captain John begins his Career in the New World.=--When our
adventurer arrived in England, all the talk was about the wonderful
western world. Although he had roamed so widely and had fared so hard,
he was then less than thirty years old and was ready for new adventures.
All of his previous life seemed a preparation for a career of romance
and heroism in the New World. So he joined an expedition which sailed
for Virginia in the early part of 1607.
On the voyage his superior talents and experience were so evident that
his comrades became jealous of him, and on some pretext caused him to be
put in chains. They had a long and stormy voyage. It was as late as
April when they reached Chesapeake Bay. They were so glad to leave the
stormy ocean and find a place of rest that they named the land near
their first anchorage Point Comfort, a name it still bears.
They entered between two capes, which they called Charles and Henry from
the king's two sons. From their king, James the First, they named the
river up which they sailed the James, and they called the village that
they built Jamestown. Thus was laid in the year 1607 the foundations of
the first permanent English settlement in the New World.
=30. How Smith managed the Virginia Colonists.=--These Virginia colonists
were not suited to the rough, hard work of making a settlement in this
new country. They had not been accustomed to earn their living by manual
toil. They liked to call themselves "gentlemen," as if that title
somehow made an excuse for shiftless idleness. The real need was for
farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, masons--useful mechanics and willing
laborers. These genteel settlers expected to find in this wonderful
region plenty of gold; their sole purpose was to get enough of the
precious ore, and then go back to England and remain there.
But Captain Smith was the saving spirit of the colony. He showed the
immigrants the necessity of labor, and told them plainly that if they
would not work they must not expect to eat. He taught them to fell trees
and build huts. Their voyage had been so long, and so much of their
provisions had been spoiled, that, when they landed, their stock of food
was almost gone. Something must be done, and that soon, or they would
starve.
Then was shown the courage, skill, and good sense of an energetic
leader. The corn that a few friendly Indians brought to the settlers was
not enough to feed so many. Therefore Smith took some companions, went
in his boat up and down the rivers, made friends of the Indians, and
bought from them corn and game, giving in payment shiny trinkets, beads,
and little mirrors.
But the river lands were low and unhealthful; the water was bad; very
many of the settlers became sick; and, before the autumn frosts came,
more than half of them had died. Smith worked hard to help the survivors
and to teach them to help themselves. Meanwhile, in his boat, he made
long excursions up the James and the Potomac rivers, hoping perchance to
find a way to the South Sea, as every one then called the Pacific Ocean.
[Illustration: SMITH EXPLAINING THE COMPASS TO THE INDIANS.]
=31. Captured by the Indians.=--On one of these exploring expeditions a
gang of natives attacked Smith and killed all his men. He seized an
Indian and holding him as a shield, shot down three of the savages. The
place being swampy, he suddenly sank to his knees in the oozy soil and
was captured by the enemy. Then the quick-witted prisoner, taking out
his pocket compass, showed the vibrations and use of the needle, and
spoke of the sun, moon, and stars. He interested his captors so deeply
that they were sure he must be a supernatural being from some far-off
world. They were afraid to kill him.
He persuaded them to send to the colony a piece of paper on which he had
written. The result surprised them all the more! This strange being
could make paper talk!
=32. How Pocahontas saved Captain John's Life.=--At last Captain John was
sent to the great chief Powhatan, and by him was held captive during
several weeks. These Indians, too, he amused with his compass and his
writing; but after a while they grew tired of him, and Powhatan
concluded to kill him.
So one day they gathered around the victim; he was stretched on the
ground, his head was placed on a stone, and all was ready. A savage was
just raising his club for the fatal blow, when forth rushed the bright
young Pocahontas, the pet daughter of the old chief. Throwing her arms
around Smith's neck, she turned her face to her father and begged him to
spare the captive's life. "Kill _me_," she cried; "kill _me_; you shall
not kill _him_!" It seems that Smith had been improving his time in
making whistles and rattles and strings of beads and shells for the
Indian girl, and so had won her affection; and she in return saved his
life! Indian chiefs do not often indulge in pity; but for the sake of
his beloved daughter Powhatan released Smith and soon after let him go
back to Jamestown. Such is the story of his romantic rescue as Captain
John told it years afterwards. While there is nothing improbable about
it, yet some people believe that he invented the story to magnify his
own importance.
=33. The Romantic Story of Pocahontas.=--Pocahontas was at this time only
about twelve years of age. Ever afterward she continued to be very
friendly to the colonists, and often visited them at Jamestown,
sometimes bringing baskets of corn to the hungry white men. Once the
faithful girl came stealthily by night long miles through the dark
forests to inform Smith of an Indian plot to murder all the whites.
As Pocahontas grew up, one of the young Englishmen, John Rolfe, became
much attached to her. He said he had had a marvelous vision telling him
that he ought to make her a Christian and marry her. That was nothing so
very wonderful, for then as now tender-hearted youths often dreamed at
night of what they were thinking of by day. In 1613, in the rude little
church at Jamestown, Pocahontas gave up her Indian religion, accepted
the Christian faith, and was baptized. She took the name Rebecca. The
next year she was married to Rolfe. This romantic marriage was very
fortunate for the colony, for it made her father, Powhatan, a warm
friend to the feeble settlers, who at this time were in sore need of
help.
=34. The Indian Princess receives a Warm Welcome in London.=--Three years
afterwards the fair Indian girl, "Lady Rebecca," went with her husband
to England, where of course she attracted a great deal of attention. The
people came in crowds to see her. They cheered as she rode through the
streets of London.
Pocahontas became a great favorite with the nobility, and was even
received at court by the queen. But, for all that, she soon became
homesick. Even amid the splendid novelties of London life, she longed to
be once more among the noble forests and the lovely wild flowers of her
old Virginia home. It was in the year 1617 that she prepared, with many
pleasing anticipations, to return to the scenes of her childhood. But
she suddenly sickened and, after a brief illness, died. She was only
twenty-two years old. She left an infant son who came eventually to
Virginia, and there grew to a worthy manhood. Many excellent families of
Virginia are today proud to claim him as their ancestor.
=35. The Troubles of the Colonists increase.=--When Captain Smith, after
his romantic rescue, returned to the colonists, he found them in a
pitiful condition. During his absence the prospect had become in every
way gloomy. Hunger and sickness had reduced their number from over a
hundred men to only forty, and these were planning to go back to
England.
At this distressing time another vessel arrived from England bringing
one hundred and twenty immigrants. This event brightened the darkly
drooping spirits of the colonists. But the sunshine did not last long.
These new-comers, like the old, were mostly idlers and "vagabond
gentlemen," as the settlers called them. "We did not come here to work,"
they said. "Then you shall not eat," said the brusque leader. He was as
good as his word. They soon found they must work or starve.
=36. The Greed of the Colonists for Gold.=--One trouble that annoyed
Captain Smith very much was this: the English people kept urging the
colonists to send home gold. Those that arrived later, like those that
came before, had no idea of working for a living, but only the hope of
shoveling up gold to carry away.
They were so ignorant of minerals that, finding in the soil small yellow
scales of shining mica, they sent home bushels and bushels of it,
believing it to be gold. Another group of men supposed the little
glittering crystals of iron ore were really gold, and they spent weeks
in collecting the worthless stuff to send to England. No wonder Captain
Smith, although the leader of the colony, had hard work to manage and
feed men who would far rather dig "fool's gold" than raise corn.
=37. The Starving Time in Virginia.=--All this happened while Smith was
using the utmost wisdom and skill to guide the colony for the best. On
one unhappy day a bag of gunpowder exploded near him, burning him so
badly that he had to return to England for surgical treatment. This was
in September, 1609. After he had gone, the colonists fell into still
greater trouble, and the "starving time" followed. The people were
compelled to eat dogs, rats, snakes, and toads; many died of starvation;
four hundred and ninety men were reduced to sixty; but, by the fortunate
arrival of more vessels, help finally came.
Within the next few years the colony was set upon its feet, and the
foundations laid of a prosperous commonwealth. An energetic governor,
Sir Thomas Dale, made the idlers till the ground and promptly hanged the
criminals. The soil was found the best in the world for growing tobacco.
Hundreds of skilled farmers came over to Virginia to make their fortunes
by the cultivation of this fragrant weed.
=38. Further Explorations along the Coast.=--Having at length recovered
from his wound, Smith scorned to remain idle, and became anxious to
undertake another maritime enterprise. There was at that time a great
deal of excitement in England about _North_ Virginia, then so called. In
1614 he sailed again with two vessels on a voyage of discovery in that
region.
He touched first the shores of Maine, the nooks and corners of which he
explored; he then sailed along the ocean fringe from Penobscot Bay to
Cape Cod. He examined the coast carefully, entered the bays and rivers,
and named a number of prominent islands and capes. He sailed around Cape
Ann. To the three islands off the end of the cape he gave the queer name
of Three Turks' Heads. He prepared very carefully a map of the whole
country, as far as he had seen it, and he called it NEW ENGLAND.
On his return to England Smith presented his map to the king's son,
Prince Charles, who confirmed the name that had been given to it. Next
year he started out again. His object was to found a colony in New
England, a region of which he had great hopes. But his vessel was
captured by a French man-of-war, and he was taken to France. With a
return of good fortune this hero of surprising deeds escaped, and
finally got back safely to England.
=39. His Last Days; the "Father of Virginia."=--Our bold explorer now gave
up all plans of founding another colony in America. But he lived to know
and rejoice in the success of the Pilgrims and the Puritans in
Massachusetts. He wrote several books describing his travels and his
wonderful adventures.
He had shown himself vigorous, quick-witted, far-seeing. He had been the
ruling spirit and the preserver of the Virginia colony. In fact, he has
often and justly been called the "Father of Virginia." His strong hand
had also opened wide the door of New England.
We must think of Captain John Smith as the hero of the first struggle of
English civilization with the wilderness of America. Wherever he was,
his genius and resolute will had made him a leader. There was never a
braver man. After a life full of romantic adventures and daring
exploits, he died in London in 1631 at the age of fifty-two.