They went on and on. The river became narrower and narrower. At last Smith jumped ashore and left the other two men in charge of the boat. He told them to guard it and on no account to leave it for a minute. He would go inland to see what he could find.
He had not gone far when some Indians crept out of the woods. They took the two men by surprise and killed them. Then the savages hurried after Smith. He fought hard and managed to make a prisoner of one of the Indians.
Quick as a flash, he bound his prisoner in front of him. In this way he made a shield for himself. The Indians could not shoot at the white man without running the risk of killing one of their own people.
By this time they had driven Smith into a swamp. The brave man was sinking deeper and deeper into the mud. It was not long before he sank up to his waist in it. He could no longer run nor fight. He would have to give himself up.
He made a sign to his enemies that he would let them take him.
Even after they had taken him ashore he had hope. With quick thought he drew a small compass from his pocket and offered it to the leader of the party. He told the Indian to look at the needle. He showed how it pointed. He explained that anyone who carried it could tell in what direction he was going.
The savage was so pleased that he would not let the others do Smith any harm. They started for their home with their prisoner. They did not travel like white men. They walked in single file and made no noise.
They carried Smith to several Indian villages. Everyone was curious to see him. Many of their people had never looked at a white man before. They said to each other:
"Is he a friend or an enemy to us? He is certainly very wise and brave."
They looked at the compass and saw that it would really tell directions. They thought: