CHAPTER XX
So much time had been lost in the building of Ratcliffe’s house, during which work the men had been forced to leave off the tilling of the garden to hew and build, that little corn had been planted, and as usual the Indian was depended upon for supplies.
An unlooked-for obstacle presented itself. The cunning Powhatan refused to barter corn for beads and trinkets. He was rising rapidly to the highwater mark in the art of finance. The unwise gifts of Newport had opened his eyes to the possibilities of commerce. Guns, swords, and hatchets were now the only recognized moneys for which a bushel of corn could be bought.
Food must be had, but President Smith had no mind to give into the Indians’ hands the instruments of death. Instead, he seized the corn at the muzzle of the gun, and when that failed, Indian villages went up in flames. Of course these summary proceedings widened the gap between Indian and white man. Constantly some man’s scalp went to add luster to the name of a brave.
Smith not only procured food, but forced the colonists to work. A new fort was erected, new settlements established along the James, and the ground tilled as spring came on, and seed planted for the next year’s harvest.
Meanwhile, the London Company at home was listening to the lies of Wingfield and Ratcliffe. President Smith, they claimed, was entirely to blame for the condition of the settlement; he had upset all law and order, and seized the presidency; his wanton cruelty to the savage was without excuse, besides, he had not found the South Sea and Raleigh’s lost colony—and there was no one to tell that the unconscious Pocahontas held in her life the answer to their search.
The existing state of affairs must be altered, so the learned Company appointed a governor to take the place of Smith and rule with military law. A fleet of nine vessels, with men, women and children, should be sent as soon as possible with provisions, and all needful supplies. Captain Smith and his thirty true men were to be sent home. Truly a munificent reward for brave effort and patient endurance!
Meanwhile President Smith, unconscious of coming disgrace, was away on a foraging expedition. On the return journey, being tired and worn out with toil, he lay down in the bottom of the boat and went to sleep.
A little spark, as tiny as a pea, floated from a pipe and settled on the powder pouch suspended from his belt.