FAMOUS INDIAN CHIEFS
FAMOUS LEADERS SERIES
BY
CHARLES H. L. JOHNSTON
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FAMOUS CAVALRY LEADERS
FAMOUS INDIAN CHIEFS
FAMOUS SCOUTS
FAMOUS PRIVATEERSMEN
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THE LIBRARY
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PRESENTED BY
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[Illustration: SITTING BULL.]
(_See page 425_)
FAMOUS INDIAN
CHIEFS
Their battles, treaties, sieges, and struggles
with the whites for the possession
of America
By
CHARLES H. L. JOHNSTON
Author of "Famous Cavalry Leaders," etc.
Illustrated
[Illustration]
BOSTON. L. C. PAGE &
COMPANY. PUBLISHERS
_Copyright, 1909_
BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)
_All rights reserved_
First Impression, November, 1909
Second Impression, September, 1910
Third Impression, September, 1911
Printed by
THE COLONIAL PRESS:
C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U.S.A.
_Dedicated_
=To All Schoolboys and Young Men=
INTRODUCTORY
Upon a beautiful day in July, 1492, two brown-skinned Spaniards
lay upon the wharf that jutted far out into the waters of the blue
Mediterranean Ocean at Palos, Spain, and looked meditatively in the
direction of the far West. From their dress it could be easily seen
that they were sailors, and from their conversation it was only too
evident that they were speculating upon questions that then stirred the
thoughts of many intelligent seafarers.
"As you watch a ship, its hull first disappears upon the horizon, then
the spars, and then the masts, themselves," said one, "which leads me
to the belief that mayhap we shall--in some of our voyages--come to a
point where we shall fall from the centre of the earth and disappear
into the heat of a fiery furnace."
The other smiled. "I am of that opinion myself," he answered, "but I
do not feel the same fear of toppling off from the edge of things when
I am on inland water, for in the Caspian Sea I have found that there
is an end to all water courses and bodies of water that are of smaller
size than that before us. In maps, I see that gnomes, dragons, hydras,
and fire-breathing snakes are pictured in the unexplored distances.
Serpents of great size and ferocity are supposed to live in the fiery
caldron before us. Virgil, himself, speaks of them, and, as for
myself, I wish that I might have the opportunity of seeing what is
beyond the coast of Africa, which is the farthest point that I have
ever reached in some fifteen years of wandering upon the ocean. 'Tis
said that Cathay, by some called China, lies beyond the horizon, and is
a land full of intelligent people ruled over by the mighty Khan."
"Well," continued the first, "I think that your wish to view the
other world will soon be fulfilled, for rumor has it that Christopher
Columbus--whom some say is half crazy with ideas that this world is
round, and other strange fancies--is soon going to be able to take a
trip across the sea, lying in front of us. Friends tell me that he has,
at last, obtained money and ships from the King and Queen, and that
he is about to venture forth in search of Cathay. You must hurry, my
friend, if you would join his crew, for men tell me that the idea is
popular, and that many wish to take passage with him."
The second seaman leaped to his feet. "I will go at once and see if I
cannot get a place," he said, and, without more ado, he walked hastily
to the narrow street which led into the town.
Not many weeks later, three little caravels: The Nina, The Pinta, and
The Santa Maria, left their anchorage in front of the quaint seaport of
Palos, and, propelled by a gentle breeze, made off towards the Straits
of Gibraltar. On board was Christopher Columbus: dreamer, navigator,
astronomer, mathematician, and the first white man to leave a record
of a trip to the West Indies. The two Spaniards who had lain upon the
wharf of Palos were with him, and, with spirits filled with the hope of
new and strange adventures, the steersmen guided the vessels towards
the unknown West.
Eventually the keen-eyed mariners sighted land, and, thinking that
they had arrived at India, the Spaniards called the natives Indians,
when they had reached the shore and were surrounded by copper-colored
people. These savages were, at first, greatly afraid of the fair-haired
strangers and refused to meet them on friendly terms, but, after they
understood that the voyageurs would not injure them, they began to
barter and trade in a friendly and intimate manner.
The natives wore no clothing and had their bodies painted with
grotesque designs, and in various colors. They were armed with lances,
tipped with beads of sharp flint and fish bones, or hardened at the
end by being charred in a fire. Of iron and steel they apparently
had no knowledge, for one venturesome brave seized one of the swords
of the Spaniards and severely cut his own hand with it, which proved
conclusively that they were not accustomed to this form of a weapon.
With cries of pleasure they received the glass beads, pieces of lead,
and other trinkets which Columbus and his men gave to them, and, in
return, offered the Spaniards tame parrots, cavassa bread (of their
own baking) and long rolls of cotton yarn. But these presents did not
particularly interest the white adventurers, as they were not only
in search of a route to India, but also for the shining and alluring
particles of gold.
In their noses the Indians wore small, golden ornaments which were
of far greater interests to the greedy invaders than were the tame
parrots. So much so, indeed, that Columbus and his men immediately made
inquiries regarding the source from which the natives secured such
treasure. They were told that these articles came from the southwest,
where lived a powerful Monarch who was accustomed to have his meals
served upon dishes of fine, beaten gold. This stimulated the spirits
of the invaders to penetrate into the unknown distance, for they were
confident that they had reached the outlying islands of Asia and were
near a famous deposit of riches of which other Spanish travellers had
written.
The daring Columbus had reached San Salvador--a beautiful isle of the
West Indies--which was surrounded by other fertile islands, covered
with palms and luxurious foliage, from which came the chatter of
parrots, the cries of tropical birds of brilliant plumage, and the
sweet scent of flowers and of fruit. As the Indians were not molested
they became more friendly, and it was easier to understand their signs
and gesticulations. From these the Spaniards learned that they were
in the midst of an archipelago--or collection of islands--and that
there were more than a hundred of these, inhabited by people who were
continually at war with one another--a state of affairs that exactly
tallied with what Columbus had heard of the islands upon the coast of
Asia. He was therefore convinced that he was in a land which had been
previously explored by Spanish voyageurs, and that he had found what he
had set out from Spain to discover--a new and more direct route from
the mother country to the East Indies and the Chinese Empire.
Columbus weighed anchor and kept sailing from one island to another,
hoping to find Cathay, or China. But temples, palaces, and cities did
not appear. In their stead, frail houses of bark and of reeds, fields
of corn and of grain, and simple-minded natives, came to the anxious
visions of the explorers. The inhabitants of these sweet-scented isles
could tell them nothing of the deposits of gold, or the palaces, for
which Columbus was searching, so, day after day, he kept on his way,
diligently scanning each new point of land, getting a little gold, here
and there, from the Indians, and also some pearls, silver, and numerous
skins of the beautiful birds of the country.
Finally the Spaniards became discouraged with their search for precious
metals, and, after sailing to Cuba to explore the coast line, their
most trustworthy vessel was wrecked by a sudden and unexpected gale.
This did not dismay the gallant Columbus, although a few of his men
lost heart, and, building a fortification of the wood from the vessel,
he left a garrison to defend it, provisioned them for a year, while he
began the long journey back to Spain. With him went a few of the native
Indians, who were carried along to be shown to the people of the mother
country and to prove that a new world had really been discovered, where
dwelt another race. They reached Spain in safety, and thus--for the
first time that has been recorded--an Indian from America was seen on
the Continent of Europe.
In 1502 Sebastian Cabot, an English adventurer, captured three natives
on the coast of Newfoundland, who were clothed in the skins of the
beaver and the otter, and who subsisted upon raw flesh. These he took
with him to England, presented them to King Henry the Seventh and to
the members of his court, and, although they, at first, talked in a
strange and uncouth tongue, they soon learned the language of their
captors and discarded their native dress for that of the "palefaces."
They were the first Indians ever seen in England, and what eventually
became of them is not known. Their picturesque appearance created a
great impression upon those who saw them and stimulated many a person
of adventuresome temperament to sail towards America in search of
fortune and of fame.
But the Spaniards and the Englishmen were not the only seafarers who
were sufficiently brave and adventurous to cross the Atlantic in
search of the unknown. In 1508 the French discovered the mouth of
the Saint Lawrence--that mighty, Canadian watercourse--and several
natives were seized and transported to France by the captain of the
expedition, Thomas Aubert. A few years later--in 1524--John Verazzini
(an Italian, sailing under the French flag), sailed along the coast
and anchored in several places before he touched upon the Connecticut
Coast, where twenty of his men went ashore in a small boat and walked
about two miles into the interior. They saw a number of Indians who
seemed terrified and fled before their advance, but they were anxious
to transport some of the inhabitants to France, so captured an old
woman who had hidden herself in some tall grass, with a child upon her
back, and two little boys by her side. A young girl of about eighteen
years of age was also near by, but when the sailors attempted to seize
her she uttered such loud and piercing shrieks that they decided to
leave her alone. The old woman also set up an awful wailing when
they endeavored to carry her aboard their vessel, so they contented
themselves with taking a small boy to their ship, who was carried to
far distant France. America was called New France by Verazzini, who
returned for further exploration, a short time afterwards, only to be
killed--and some say eaten--by the Indians.
When Captain Hendrik Hudson--a hardy English adventurer--discovered
and sailed up the river which bears his name in New York State, in
the year 1609, he met various bands of Indians, both upon the waters
of the mighty stream and on the shore. These, at first, were inclined
to be friendly, but as his men treated them with distrust, and would
not greet them in a hospitable and intimate manner, there were soon
skirmishes with the hostiles. On September 8th, the savages came on
board the vessel and brought tobacco and Indian corn to exchange for
knives and beads. They offered no violence to the sailors for these
were continually on their guard, expecting an attack. The ship's log
gives an excellent account of what now occurred.
SEPTEMBER 9TH.
"In the morning two great canoes came on board, full of men, one armed
with bows and arrows. Another pretended to buy knives in order to
betray us, but we perceived the intention of the red devils. So we
took two of them to keep them as hostages. We put red coats on them
and would not let the others come any where near us. Soon afterwards
the canoes left us. Immediately two other natives came on board of
us, one we took, and let the other go, but he soon escaped by jumping
overboard."
SEPTEMBER 11TH.
"The ship had now anchored at a considerable distance up the river. The
people of the country came on board, making a great show of love, and
gave us tobacco and Indian wheat."
SEPTEMBER 12TH.
"This morning there came eight and twenty canoes full of men, women,
and children to betray us, but we saw their intent and suffered none of
them to come aboard. They have great tobacco pipes of yellow copper,
and pots of earth to dress their meat in."
That the savages came to "betray them" was no doubt a mistaken idea of
the gallant adventurers, as Indians rarely go upon the warpath with
their women and children, but leave them at home, where they are out of
danger.
SEPTEMBER 15TH.
"Hudson sailed twenty leagues (miles) further up the stream, passing
by high mountains. This morning the two captive savages got out of a
port-hole of the ship and made their escape."
SEPTEMBER 18TH.
"The Master's Mate went on shore with an old Indian--a Sachem of the
country--who took him to his house and treated him kindly."
OCTOBER 1ST.
"The ship having fallen down the river seven miles below the mountains
(probably the site of the West Point Military Academy) came to anchor,
while one man in a canoe kept hanging under the stern and would not be
driven off. He soon contrived to climb up by the rudder and got into
the cabin window which had been left open, and from which he stole a
pillow, two shirts, and two breastplates. The Mate shot him in the
chest and killed him. Many others were in canoes around the ship who
immediately fled, and some jumped overboard. A boat manned from the
ship, pursued them, and, coming up with one in the water, the Indian
laid hold of the side of the boat and endeavored to over-set it,
at which one in the boat cut off his hands with a sword and he was
drowned."
OCTOBER 2ND.
"The ship fell down seven miles farther and came to anchor again.
Then came one of the savages that swam away from us when we were up
the river, with many others, thinking that he could betray us, but we
suffered none of them to enter our ship. Whereupon two canoes full
of men with their bows and arrows shot at us after our stern, in
recompense whereof we discharged six muskets and killed two or three
of them. Then above a hundred of them came to a point to shoot at us.
Then I shot a musket at them and killed two of them, whereupon the
rest fled into the woods. Yet they manned another canoe with nine or
ten men, which came to meet us, so I shot a ball also at it, and shot
it through, and killed one of them. Then our men, with their muskets,
killed three or four more of them."
This ends the record of Hudson's skirmishes with the Indians, and,
as he sailed away from the newly discovered territory, he called the
river Manna-hata, a name which appeared in all the early maps of this
district, but which was subsequently changed to Hudson in commemoration
and glorification of its discoverer.
Although the sturdy Hudson had not taken any of the natives home with
him, still earlier--in 1535--the French voyageur, Jacques Cartier, met
a famous chief called Donacona upon the St. Croix River in Wisconsin,
and was treated in a hospitable and most kindly manner by him. But
the white adventurer was anxious to exhibit the savage in France, so,
partly by stratagem, and partly by force, he carried him back in his
ship to his own country, where the wild chieftain died soon afterwards
of an illness brought on by homesickness.
So runs the record of these early attempts of the Europeans to take
the Indians to their own land and allow their own people to see what
strange folk inhabited this new-found country. Many then wondered
from whence these copper-colored natives had come and many have since
speculated upon their probable origin. It is difficult to say where
they really had their source. Some are of the opinion that they were
descended from Asiatic people who crossed to the Alaskan coast, in
boats, and gradually made their way south, to populate the entire
country now known as the United States. In Ohio and Illinois there
are vast piles of earth built by human hands, hundreds of years ago.
These mounds are in various shapes and forms; some are of circular
build; some round; some square; others thrown up to resemble birds,
wolves, and buffalo. There are ten thousand such mounds in Ohio, and
near the city of St. Louis is a single mound which covers eight acres.
The people who constructed these are known as the Mound Builders, and
it is believed by some that they were a different race of people than
the Indians whom Columbus met with on his expedition to San Salvador.
By others, it is maintained that they were of the same blood, and when
the early discoverers of America were searching the seacoast for gold,
pearls, and a passage to China, the Mound Builders were constructing
these curious cairns in many portions of the Middle West.
Many hundreds of mounds have been carefully opened by
archaeologists--or students of ancient people--and their contents have
been scrutinized in order to discover what degree of civilization
these Mound Builders possessed. It has been found that, although the
Mound Builders were familiar with the use of copper for ornaments and
tools, they hammered it from the native ore, and knew nothing whatever
of smelting or of casting. Their weapons and instruments were mainly
of quartz, slate, and of bone. Many carved pipes have been found in
their works, and it is apparent that they cultivated tobacco, maize,
or corn, and some other vegetables. Their pottery was similar to
that of the Mexican Indians--although inferior to it--and the most
artistic examples of it are certain small figures representing animal
and human forms, which have been found broken and thrown upon funeral
pyres beneath the sepulchral mounds. Besides the copper--which came
from mines in Lake Superior, still operated for this treasure--the
excavations showed that the Mound Builders used an abundance of mica,
brought from the mountains of North Carolina, pearls from the Tennessee
River, shells from the Gulf of Mexico, and obsidian from the region of
the Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. It is, therefore, apparent that they
had extensive commercial relations with other people who resided near
by.
On the banks of the Damariscotta River in Maine are remarkable heaps
of shells which rise, in some places, to the height of twenty-five
feet, and consist almost entirely of huge oyster shells of from ten
to fifteen inches in length. Fragments of pottery and bones of moose
and of deer are also found in these curious heaps, and, at the bottom
of one of the highest, has been discovered the remains of an ancient
fireplace filled with human bones and pottery. Curiously enough,
similar banks of shells are found in the St. John's River in Florida,
at Grand Lake, on the lower Mississippi, and at San Pablo, Berkeley,
and Alameda, in the Bay of San Francisco. Here oysters still exist,
but in Maine they are found in such small numbers that it is no object
to gather them. These mounds could only have been constructed by human
hands, and, therefore, the belief is current that people of no mean
order of intelligence inhabited America long before the coming of the
first white men.
Whether the Mound Builders and shell-heap constructors were ancestors
of the red men, it is difficult to say, at any rate the natives with
whom the white race were soon to struggle for the possession of the
Continent of North America were savage, cruel, vindictive and slothful.
They could not adopt the ways of the white man. They could not learn
to live by the plough instead of the hunting rifle; they could never
see that houses were better to live in than frail wigwams in the
forest, and so, in the end, the superior intelligence of the white man
triumphed, the Indian was forced into reservations set apart for him
and his race, and the country was populated by men of European descent.
In the long struggle for the possession of the land, several chiefs
arose whose qualities of mind were superior to that of many of their
contemporaries. The names of some of these stand out brightly upon
the pages of history, and the records of their deeds and daring show
that they were Indians who possessed a bravery quite equal to that of
their enemies, even if their other qualities were inferior. Let us,
therefore, glance at their illustrious names and learn what we can of
their vain attempts to stem the unwithstandable advance of the white
race.
CONTENTS
PAGE
POWHATAN: THE GREAT SACHEM OF VIRGINIA 1
OPECHANCANOUGH: THE SCOURGE OF VIRGINIA 41
SASSACUS AND UNCAS: RIVAL CHIEFTAINS OF THE PEQUOT REBELLION 62
MASSASOIT: THE GREAT SACHEM OF THE WAMPANOAGS AND FRIEND OF
THE PURITANS 79
KING PHILIP, OR METACOMET 106
PONTIAC: THE RED NAPOLEON 151
LOGAN: THE MIGHTY ORATOR AND WARRIOR OF THE MINGOES 209
RED JACKET, OR SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA: THE GREAT ORATOR OF THE SENECAS 230
CAPTAIN JOSEPH BRANT: THE WARRIOR CHIEF OF THE MOHAWKS 254
LITTLE TURTLE, OR MICHIKINIQUA: THE MIAMI CONQUEROR OF HARMAR
AND ST. CLAIR 284
TECUMSEH, "THE SHOOTING STAR:" CELEBRATED SHAWANOE DIPLOMAT,
ORATOR AND SOLDIER 309
WEATHERFORD: THE CREEK CONSPIRATOR AND FEARLESS FIGHTER 338
BLACK HAWK: CHIEF OF THE SACS AND FOXES AND LEADER OF THE BLACK
HAWK REBELLION 353
OSCEOLA: THE SNAKE OF THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES 368
ROMAN NOSE: THE CUSTER OF THE CHEYENNES 379
GERONIMO: THE TERRIBLE APACHE 398
RED CLOUD: THE SIOUX VON SEYDLITZ 410
SITTING BULL AND CRAZY HORSE: GENERAL AND ABLE LIEUTENANT OF
THE GREAT SIOUX REBELLION 425
CONCLUSION 456
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
SITTING BULL (See page 425) _Frontispiece_
THE MEETING OF MASSASOIT AND GOVERNOR CARVER 86
KING PHILIP, OR METACOMET 106
PONTIAC IN COUNCIL 154
RED JACKET, OR SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA 232
JOSEPH BRANT, OR THAY-EN-DA-NEGEA 264
LITTLE TURTLE, OR MICHIKINIQUA 286
TECUMSEH 309
DEATH OF TECUMSEH 337
BLACK HAWK 356
OSCEOLA 368
ROMAN NOSE 380
GERONIMO 398
RED CLOUD 410
AMERICAN HORSE 436
DEATH OF SITTING BULL 440
FAMOUS INDIAN CHIEFS
POWHATAN:
THE GREAT SACHEM OF VIRGINIA
In the year 1603 the white wings of an English vessel were reflected in
the blue waters of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, as some hardy voyageurs
upon the deck of the ungainly-looking craft took soundings of the depth
of the water, admired the broad expanse of fertile country, and, after
making expeditions into the many coves and estuaries, sailed away again
for their native heath. Hidden by the overhanging branches of the trees
which grew near the gleaming ocean, some suspicious natives watched the
fair-skinned strangers with awe and apprehension. They were followers
of Powhatan--Chief of the Indians of seacoast Virginia, and one of the
most remarkable warriors of history. They had never before seen the
features of a white man, and, although rumors of these strange people
who came from far-distant lands had reached them from the natives who
lived to the south, these were the first palefaces upon whom their
eyes had ever rested. As the new, strange vision of a rakish hull
and flapping canvas disappeared upon the horizon, they turned to each
other, and said, with smiling countenances, "It is well, they will not
return."
These savages lived in villages that were on, or near, the banks of the
many rivers which here coursed slowly to the Atlantic. Their wigwams
were made of saplings tied together and covered with reeds, bark, or
mats woven from native grasses. They were warmed by means of a fire in
the centre, the smoke from which passed through a hole in the roof.
Thus they were comfortable in the coldest weather, but very smoky
when the wind was blowing with any speed. A mat was hung across the
doorway to keep off the drafts from the exterior, and the floor was
covered with tanned deer hides, or with mats of considerable thickness.
Sometimes a collection of these cabins was surrounded by palisades, ten
or twelve feet in height, and thus a stout resistance could be made to
invading bands of hostile Indians.
The dress of these natives was scanty enough, except in the months of
December, January, and February, when the weather was really cold.
Those of rank wore a mantle of skin embroidered with beads, during the
warm months, and a fur covering in winter. Their feet were enclosed
in moccasins of deer hide, tanned by a long and tedious process. The
women wore a long apron of deer skin and deerskin leggins, while the
less prosperous members of a tribe had little to clothe themselves
with but woven grasses and turkeys' feathers. In summer the men
discarded everything but a breech clout, while the women practically
went without clothing. Both sexes colored their heads and shoulders a
brilliant red, with a mixture of powdered puccoon-root and oil, while
the belles of a tribe added to this decoration by tattooing their
skins with figures of beasts and of serpents. Besides this, they would
punch three large holes in each ear and from these would hang chains,
bracelets, and copper ornaments. Sometimes strings of pearls would
be suspended from their ears and wound about their waists, while the
warriors would often wear small green and yellow snakes, which were
alive, and would be attached to their ears so that they could crawl and
wrap themselves around their necks.
A quantity of Indian corn, or maize, was grown by these Indians, and
this was their chief means of subsistence. Corn bread was the staple
food, although another kind of bread was often made of wild oats mixed
with sunflower seed. Their meat consisted of fish, deer, wild turkeys
and other game; while grubs, locusts, and snakes were also a portion of
their bill-of-fare. From dried hickory nuts, pounded in a stone basin,
and mixed with water, they made a drink called Pawcohicora, which was
much relished at feasts and banquets. They lived a simple, peaceful
life; fought little with the surrounding tribes; and were noted for the
great age which they attained.
When called to battle the warriors went forth with tomahawks, arrows,
knives and war clubs. Their tomahawks were made either of a deer's
horn, or of a long, sharpened stone set in a handle like a pickaxe.
Their knives were made, for the most part, of stone, but sometimes
shells and reeds were sharpened for this purpose. A stone point was put
on the end of their arrows and they were winged with turkey feathers
which were fastened with a glue made from deers' horns. They often
carried bark shields into the fray, which were woven together with
thread, and to make these round in shape, a file was used, which was
fashioned from a beaver's tooth set in a forked stick. War clubs were
of round stones, pointed at the ends, and held by a long wooden handle,
while bow strings were of deer hide and sinews. Thread was made by the
women from bark, deer sinews, or from grass.
There were three nations in the country which extended from the
Atlantic seacoast to the Alleghenys, and from the southern waters of
the James River to the Patuxent (now in the State of Maryland), and
each nation was a confederacy of larger and smaller tribes, subdivided
into towns, families, and clans. These were the Mannahoaks, the
Monocans, and the Powhatans; the first two being highland, or mountain
Indians who lived on the banks of various small streams which course
through the hilly country between the falls of the rivers which ran to
the Atlantic and the Allegheny ridge.
The Powhatan nation comprised a much larger number of tribes than
the others and inhabited the lowland nation of Virginia from North
Carolina, on the south, to the Patuxent on the north, occupying a
territory of approximately 8,000 square miles; there were about 2,400
warriors in all and about 8,000 women and children, not a large number,
by any means, for such a great extent of territory.
Their great chief Powhatan had been a splendid warrior in his younger
days, and, although he was hereditary chief of but eight tribes,
through conquest his dominions had expanded until they reached from the
James to the Potomac River, and included thirty or forty tribes. He was
called "King" or "Emperor," his principal warriors were lords of the
Kingdom, his wives were queens, his daughter was a princess.
He was a tall and well-proportioned man, and, when the English settlers
at Jamestown first saw him, was nearly sixty years of age, sinewy,
strong, his head somewhat gray, with a thin beard, and a sour look on
his countenance. He lived sometimes at a village called Powhatan, near
where Richmond now stands, and sometimes at We-ro-woco-moco, on the
York River.
Pocahontas, Powhatan's favorite daughter, was born about the year 1594
and was one of eleven girls and twenty sons. We know nothing about
any of his sons except Nateguas, whom the English claimed to be the
handsomest, comeliest and boldest among all the savages. Powhatan had
many wives--exactly how many is difficult to state--and when tired of
one he would present her to that one of his subjects whom he considered
to be the most deserving.
At each of the villages was a house built like a long arbor for
Powhatan's especial reception, and when he visited one of his towns,
a feast would already be spread in this reception hall, so that he
could immediately seat himself, with his companions, and partake of
what was in store for him. Besides these he had a hunting lodge in the
wilderness called Orapax, and a mile from this, deep in the woods, he
had another arbor-like house, where he kept furs, copper, pearls, and
beads--treasures which he was saving to be placed in his grave at the
time of his burial.
A large number of canoes, or "dug-outs" were also a part of Powhatan's
possessions, and of these he was very proud. The boats were
manufactured from trees which were felled by fire and were hollowed out
by means of burning and scraping with shells and tomahawks.
Forty or fifty warriors were always in attendance on this powerful
monarch, as his body guard, while every night four sentinels stood
at the four quarters, or ends, of his cabin and every half hour they
would, in turn, utter a shrill war whoop, made by placing the finger
upon the lips and halloing. If one should go to sleep, or fail to
answer the whoop of his companion, an older warrior would soon issue
from Powhatan's cabin and flail the offender with a stout wooden cudgel.
The Indians seem to have had a sort of idea that there was some
superior spirit, God, or creator, who watched over their actions, and
they worshipped an idol, or Okee, who represented, not a good spirit,
but an evil one. Numerous priests, or medicine men, were always to be
found in these Virginia tribes, and they were supposed to cure the
sick by means of divinations and conjurations which were very noisy
and grotesque. These medicine men did not work, themselves, and lived
a life of indolent ease, but they were of great value, as the savages
dared not steal from one another, fearing that these priests would
reveal the theft by means of their conjuries, and then bring the
offender into such disrepute that he would be driven out of the tribe.
Their Okee, or God, was kept in a temple fashioned from boughs and
branches, and it was surrounded with posts on which hideous faces were
carved from soft pine wood and painted blue, white, and vermilion.
The Indian year was divided into five seasons--budding time, roasting
ear time, summer time, the fall of the leaf, and the season of cold
or winter. The savages amused themselves with sham fights, or with
dances, and most hideous sounding noises, or war whoops, as they
charged forward and retreated backward, around in a circle. Their
musical instruments consisted of a reed cut to form a pipe, a drum made
of wood with deer's skin stretched on the end, and rattles made of
gourds or pumpkins. These made a terrible noise, which frightened more
than delighted the first white settlers. When they had a distinguished
visitor, they first spread a mat upon the ground for him to sit upon
and then sat opposite him upon another. Then all present would join in
a tremendous shouting to bid him welcome, after which two or more of
the chief men would make an oration in which they testified their love
and admiration for the visitor. After this a meal would be served and a
pipe of peace would be passed around.
English adventurers had attempted to form a colony at Roanoke Island,
just off the Virginia Coast, but it had been such a failure that the
ardor of English voyageurs had been dampened and little effort had
been made to gain a foothold in Virginia. But the Spaniards--their
great rivals and enemies--had made numerous successful explorations
in the New World, so that the pride of the Anglo-Saxons was piqued
and their cupidity was aroused by the wealth the Spanish gold-seekers
brought back to their own land. Thus, at the beginning of the reign
of James I, it was determined to send ships and settlers to America,
where they were to found a colony, search for gold, and ship it, when
discovered, home to the mother country. There were several promoters
for this scheme; one was a London merchant named Wingfield, another
a clergyman named Hunt, still another, Bartholomew Gosnold, who
had made a successful voyage to the coast of New England several
years earlier. The most important was Captain John Smith, a gallant
soldier-of-fortune, who had been in numerous adventures of a startling
nature; had made many journeys in Europe; had been held captive by
the Saracens, and who was a lover of all that was hazardous and full
of danger. He was now twenty-eight years of age, strong, vigorous,
handsome and energetic.
While a slave in the Crimea Smith had an iron collar fastened about
his neck, was clothed in the skin of a wild beast, and was beaten and
kicked about like a dog, until his life was nearly unbearable. But
one day he seized a flail for separating wheat from chaff, broke his
master's skull with it, and then put on his clothes and fled to Poland.
Here he was aided by friends until he reached Morocco, where he joined
an English man-of-war, and, after a sanguinary sea battle, arrived
in England in time to aid the adventurers setting sail for the shore
of Virginia. They left Blackwall, and dropped down to the Thames in
December, 1606, with three ships, one of which, the Discovery, was a
mere sail boat of but twenty tons, manned by an equal number of staunch
souls, sailing over unknown seas to unknown lands.
It took them five full months to cross the Atlantic to the shores
of the New World, and jealousy, discord and mutiny had played havoc
with the spirits of the crew by the time that land was sighted. The
ships loitered along, and at the Canary Isles and the West Indies had
remained so long that the provisions were well nigh exhausted. At one
time it was proposed to hang the restless Captain John Smith to the
yard-arm because he railed at their delay and declared the majority
of the crew, "merely projecting, verbal and idle contemplators," who
expected to find "feather beds and down pillows, taverns, ale-houses
in every breathing place," and not the "dissolute liberty that they
had expected." As luck would have it, a storm drove the vessels
into the mouth of the James River, Virginia, and past two jutting
promontories of land which they called Cape Henry, after the Prince of
Wales, and Cape Charles, for the second son of the reigning English
Monarch--afterwards Charles I.
All were overjoyed to see the long-sought-for Continent. A landing was
made on Cape Charles by thirty men, but they were suddenly attacked
by five Indians, who dangerously wounded two of the soldiers and
drove the rest back to the ships. In spite of this, the spirits of
the adventurers were mightily cheered by the sight of the beautiful
bay, encompassed by a fruitful and delightful land, and covered with
forests which were magnificent with the blossoms of red wood and dog
wood. A place was soon selected for a settlement, called Jamestown,
which was on such low ground that it was not considered wholesome by
many, and thus a famous debate ensued. Finally it was decided to here
build a blockhouse, and all turned to with some will to erect the first
habitation of white settlers among Powhatan's people. Gosnold had
strongly opposed the selection of this place, while Captain John Smith
had approved of it, but the former's advice was correct, as the current
of the river has turned the peninsula of Jamestown into an island, and
now, only a ruined church tower remains to mark the situation of the
first colony of Englishmen in the United States.
Although the whites fell to, with spirit and enthusiasm, to build
up their town, unfortunately most of them were "gentlemen" and
unaccustomed to any form of work or sustained labor. There were
ruined spendthrifts, broken tradesmen, fortune-hunters, tipsters,
and gamblers, in excess of some real workmen in the shape of four
carpenters, one bricklayer, one blacksmith, and one sailor. A barber
also figured in the rolls, a tailor, a drummer, and four half-grown
boys. The majority expected to find nuggets of gold lying around in
profusion, and not danger, disappointment, severe toil, starvation, and
malaria.
When upbraided by Captain John Smith for not showing more enthusiasm in
their labor, some said, "We did not come here to work, but to explore
and find gold."
"Then you shall not eat," answered the quick-tempered Captain, "for the
labor of a few industrious men shall not be utilized to support idle
loiterers like yourselves."
A number of these settlers were also most profane, and so the Captain
kept a daily account of every man's oaths, and, as proper punishment,
had a can of cold water poured down an offender's sleeve for each
foul word. This had some effect, but Smith was well disgusted with
their lack of ability to do anything, and wrote to the company in
England who had furnished the resources to the colony: "When you send
again, I entreat you to send thirty carpenters, husbandmen, gardeners,
fishermen, blacksmiths, or diggers-up of roots, who would be better
than a thousand of such as we have."
The Indians meanwhile had become aware of the purposes of the whites to
dispossess them of their territory, so they turned treacherous, and,
although they entered into no open hostilities, began to skulk about
the fort. After bringing in presents of corn and venison, they would
often steal anything which they could safely carry off. They showed
by their looks and dispositions that they were extremely jealous of
the whites, and, when exploring parties were sent into the interior,
suddenly attacked the fort with about two hundred braves. These were
driven away by means of the guns of the ship, after an hour's fight,
and after subjecting the defenders of Jamestown to a loss of eleven men
wounded and one boy killed. The noise of the cannon really frightened
the attackers away, and for some days they hung around the stockade, so
that it was not safe to venture beyond the range of the muskets, unless
one wished to be tomahawked by some lurking savage.
Powhatan had received word of the coming of the whites through scouts
and runners, and he was soon to make the acquaintance of the hardiest
and most enterprising of them all, an acquaintance that was to mark the
turning point in his career of undisputed sovereign over tide-water
Virginia; for the adventurous and ambitious spirit of Smith had
prompted him to make several expeditions both along the coast and into
the interior of this densely wooded country. A few months after the
settlement of Jamestown came a time of threatened starvation, but the
gallant Captain discovered the tribe of Chickahominy Indians, and from
them gained a large store of corn which revived the fainting spirits of
those in the little fort upon the malarial peninsula.
In spite of this there were many who decried what Smith had done and
said that he should have gone to the headwaters of the Chickahominy
River and should not have returned without discovering the source of
this stream. The idle and unruly in the colony complained that he had
accomplished very little, and not sufficient to be applauded. Stung
by their taunts, the spirited Captain again set forth (in the winter
of 1607-8) to ascend the waters of the river. He took with him a crew
sufficient to manage a good-sized barge, to which was attached a small
"tender," or jolly-boat, which could go over shoal water and into bays
and coves along the banks of the stream. With these he ascended the
Chickahominy as far as possible, and then, leaving the barge in a broad
cove where lurking Indians could not steal it, he pushed still farther
up the stream in the tender, accompanied by two other white men and
two friendly Indians. Those left behind were strictly urged not to go
ashore.
But the sound advice was ignored by the foolish fellows in the barges,
and, as soon as the bold Captain was out of sight, they scrambled to
land and proceeded to explore the country. Their rashness came near
being the cause of their annihilation, as fully two hundred and fifty
Indians were lying in wait for them in the thicket. Under the direction
of Opechancanough--Sachem of the Pamunkies and reputed brother of
Powhatan--they made a sudden rush for the white men, but, although the
attack was unexpected, they only succeeded in capturing one George
Cassen, whom they compelled to tell them which way Smith had gone.
After securing this information, they put the unfortunate captive to
death in a cruel manner, and struck off through the tangled undergrowth
in pursuit of the adventurous English colonizer.
The bold Captain had gone twenty miles up the river to the source of
the Chickahominy, and, after poling through several marshes, had waded
ashore with his Indian guide, to secure some game with his musket for
supper. The two Englishmen who were with him had hauled up their boat
and were lying down to sleep near a fire, when they were suddenly set
upon by the Indians, who shot them full of arrows and killed them. Then
the crafty braves spread through the woodland in search of Captain
Smith, whom they soon overtook and surrounded, but the brave settler
was not to be captured without a struggle, so, when he perceived that
it would be useless for him to escape, he tied the young Indian who
was with him to his arm (what happened to the other friendly Indian
who was with him is not known) and, holding him in front of him as
a shield, fired at the enemy and soon had three of them dead. He
wounded so many others that they did not seem over-anxious to approach
him. Meanwhile the savages kept up a vigorous fire with their bows
and arrows; wounded the Captain slightly in the thigh, and shot many
shafts into his clothes, but he still kept them off and walked in the
direction of the shore. As luck would have it, he suddenly slipped and
fell into the bed of a quagmire which he had not noticed as he kept his
eye upon the foe. Sinking in the mud up to his armpits, and discovering
at last that he was becoming benumbed with cold, he threw away his
sword, musket, and pistol, and made signs that he would surrender.
The Indians soon approached, drew him out, carried him to a fire, and
carefully rubbed his body until he was able to stand up, for the cold
quagmire had so benumbed him that he could not use his limbs.
Meanwhile the Englishman was devising some means of escape, and
asked to see the leader of the Indians. Opechancanough was pointed
out to him, and, with quick presence of mind, Smith drew forth the
only trinket which he had with him, a round, ivory compass with a
double dial, and presented it to the Indian Chieftain with a low and
courteous bow. The savages all crowded around with eager curiosity
and were perfectly astonished when they put forth their hands to
touch the trembling needle and could not do so. Smith, meanwhile,
lectured to them upon geography and astronomy, telling them that the
sun continually chased the moon around the earth, that the earth
and skies were round, and many other stories which were then current
and were, of course, as wide of being the truth as were the Indians'
own ideas. However, the savages stood amazed with admiration, and,
although apparently pleased with what the Captain had told them, made
preparations to execute him and tied him to a tree. As many as could
stand in range now took aim at him with their bows and arrows. At
this moment Opechancanough held up the ivory compass as a signal for
clemency, and the Indians threw down their bows and arrows and gave up
all attempts to put an end to the brave Englishman.
Now, forming in Indian file, the prisoner was carried to the village of
Orapax by the savages, and, upon approaching the town, they were met by
all the women and children, who stared at the white man in wonder and
amazement, for it was the first "paleface" that they had ever seen. A
war dance was next begun around the terrified Captain, and the savages
screeched, sang, and yelled so wildly that the Englishman was sure
that he had fallen among demons. But this affair was soon over, the
Captain was taken into a long house, and here was guarded by full forty
Indians, while corn bread and venison was brought to him that would
have been sufficient to have fed forty men. He was given a warm mantle,
as it was extremely cold, and each morning three women presented him
with three platters of fine bread and more venison than ten men could
eat. Thus he spent his days quietly, his mind intent upon an escape as
soon as the proper opportunity should present itself.
The gallant Captain now astonished the Indians greatly by writing a
letter to Jamestown, for how anyone could communicate to another by
means of marks upon a piece of paper was a marvel to the simple-minded
braves. He had torn a sheet from his memorandum book and had written
to the Colonists, informing them that the Indians were contemplating
an attack and giving them instructions to terrify the bearers of the
note and to send him several articles. The Indians undertook the
journey, although it was in the bitter cold of an unusual winter. When
they neared Jamestown and saw the soldiers come out from the stockade,
as Smith said that they would do, the fulfillment of his prophecy
so frightened them that they fled panic-stricken, but left the note
behind them on the ground. As night fell, they crept stealthily to
the spot where Captain Smith had told them they would find an answer,
and, there, indeed, were the very articles which he had promised them
they would discover. The savages were surprised and awed by this show
of what they supposed to be divine fire, and, giving up all idea of
attacking Jamestown, led Smith from village to village until, at
length, he was carried to We-ro-woco-moco, the residence of the great
chief Powhatan, situated on the Pamunkey (York) River, in Gloucester
county, about twenty-five miles below the mouth of the stream and at
this time the great chief's favorite habitation. He afterwards retired
to Orapax as he did not desire a residence near the English.
After his arrival at the village, Smith was kept waiting while more
than two hundred warriors stood wondering at him as if he were a
monster, and until Powhatan could make ready to receive him. After the
old warrior had decked himself in his greatest bravery, the Englishman
was admitted to his presence, while the Indians hailed his entrance
with a tremendous shout. The Emperor was proudly lying upon a bedstead
a foot high, raised upon ten or twelve mats. His neck was hung with
chains of pearls, and his body was covered with raccoon skins. A woman
sat at his head and another at his feet, while, on each side, upon the
ground, were ranged his chief men, ten in rank, and behind them as many
young women, each having a chain of white beads over her shoulders
and with her head painted red. The Queen of Appomattuck was appointed
to bring the Captain water in which to wash his hands, while another
brought a bunch of feathers, instead of a towel, to dry them with. Many
of Powhatan's retainers had their hair decked with the white down of
birds, and none were without an ornament of some kind.