I had been down at the landing place, feasting my eyes upon the ship
which had so lately come from the country I might never see again, and
was trying to cheer myself by working around the house in the hope of
pleasing Captain Smith, when Master Hunt came in with a look upon his
face such as I had not seen since the sickness first came among us, and,
without thinking to be rude, I asked him if it was the arrival of the
women which pleased him so greatly.
"It is nothing of such fanciful nature, Richard Mutton," the good man
replied with a smile, "though I must confess that it is pleasing to see
women with white faces, when our eyes have beheld none save bearded men
for so long a time. What think you has been done in the Council this
day, since Captain Newport had speech with President Ratcliffe?"
Verily I could not so much as guess what might have happened, for those
worshipful gentlemen were prone at times to behave more like foolish
children, than men upon whom the fate of a new country depended, and I
said to Master Hunt much of the same purport.
"They have elected your master, Captain John Smith, President of the
Council, Richard Mutton, and now for the first time will matters in
Jamestown progress as they should."
"My master President of the Council at last!" I cried, and the good
preacher added:
"So it is, lad, as I know full well, having just come from there."
"But how did they chance suddenly to gather their wits?" I cried with a
laugh, in which Master Hunt joined.
"It was done after Captain Newport had speech with Master Ratcliffe,
and while I know nothing for a certainty, there is in my mind a strong
belief that he brought word from the London Company for such an election
to be made. At all events, it is done, and now we shall see Jamestown
increase in size, even as she would have done from the first month we
landed here had Captain John Smith been at the head of affairs."
The good preacher was so delighted with this change in the government
that he unfolded all his budget of news, forgetting for the time being,
most like, that he was not speaking to his equal, and thus it was
I learned what were Captain Newport's instructions from the London
Company.