Howe almost laughed as he replied, “I was the heathen dog. I helped them to go to Croatoan, where we must go as soon as possible. That’s what happened to the Indians in the middle of fighting; they must have suddenly discovered that their canoes were gone, and, I dare say, thought some of their gods had spirited them away.”
“Thank ’eaven, thank ’eaven!” cried the first speaker, falling on his knees. “Thank ’eaven for my ’Ilda!”
They saw that Howe was exhausted, and left him resting on the ground while they went to work. An hour later Governor White’s trunks were buried, and all the little treasures they could carry were packed in bundles, and all was made ready to leave Roanoke.
Howe and Barnes were both too seriously wounded to walk; they were laid on rude biers and carried. The dead men had been buried; others, who were only slightly wounded, walked, though in more or less pain. The way through the forest was a rough one, but their courage kept them up. At last the bank was reached, and in a sheltered hiding-place they found Thomson and Harvey waiting with the largest boat; the other, they said, had not reached Croatoan when they left. They had also several of the floating canoes, which they had captured on their way back. As day dawned, they found all that remained of the English colony on the shores of Croatoan, waiting to see how the chief Manteo would treat them.