"He did; and although I suffered much from his treatment, I suffered more in the idea of being a slave."
"The thought must have been terrible to you," remarks another of the players, "or you would not have killed your master, hid his body, clothed yourself in his attire, mounted his horse, and galloped to the desert, where you wandered about for many days, until at last you reached the Russian garrison, where you were safe."
"And well pleased was I to reach there in safety; but was I then content with my travels?"
"For a while; but the spirit of enterprise, so great within you, caused you to set sail for the English colony of Virginia, when you were taken a prisoner again, this time by the Indians, and your head placed upon a large stone, in order to have your brains beaten out with clubs."
"What a dreadful situation I was in, with only enemies around me!"
"But there was one who proved a friend. A young and beautiful princess, finding that her entreaties for your life were useless, rushed forward, laid her head upon yours, and thus resolved to share your fate or save your life."
"I am deeply grateful to Pocahontas for her noble act, and I am also glad to find myself so renowned a person as Captain John Smith."
ENIGMA.
My first is black, or brown, or white;
Of mechanism exquisite;
Our earliest help, our latest need;
The first to greet, the last to speed;
Our constant help in daily tasks;
The gift th' impatient lover asks;
The forger's bane; the poor man's good,
Procuring him his children's food.
My next is often seen in fur,
Yet oft as light as gossamer;
Sometimes the school-boy gets his share,
And lamentation fills the air.
My whole are polished, hard, and strong,
To hardened natures they belong;
And when my first my next bestows,
'Tis time my whole should interpose.