"No common man could have such a wonderful thing as that."
Smith wrote a letter to his friends in Jamestown and asked the Indians to send it to them. When the Red Men had done this and found that those queer marks on a piece of paper told a story to the white men, they were even more surprised. They said:
"We do not dare to kill our prisoner, he is too powerful."
What should they do with him? While they were trying to make up their minds about this, they kept Smith shut up in a hut. They were not cruel to him, however. O, no. They brought him quantities of food to eat. There were bread made of corn, roasted deer meat, and all the dainties which they themselves liked best. Smith thought:
"They are trying to make me fat before they kill me."
This thought took away all wish for food. The poor man could scarcely eat.
Day after day went by until at last the Red Men said:
"We will take our prisoner to the great chief, Powhatan, and he will tell us what to do."
Smith was brought out and carried in a strange procession to the village in which the chief was then living. He was kept there for some time before the chief would receive him.