[The closing pages are in the main a list of deaths, through August and
September.] Our men were destroyed with cruell diseases, as Swellings,
Fluxes, Burning fevers, and by warres; and some departed suddenly,
but for the most part they died of meere famine. There were never
Englishmen left in a forreigne Countrey in such miserie as wee were ...
Wee watched every three nights, lying on the bare cold ground, what
weather soever came; [and] warded all the next day, which brought our
men to bee most feeble wretches. Our feed was but a small can of Barlie
sod in Water to five men a day; our drinke, cold water taken out of the
River, which was at a flood verie Salt, at a low tide full of slime and
filth, which was the destruction of many of our men. Thus we lived for
the space of five months in this miserable distresse, not having five
able men to man our Bulwarkes upon any occasion. If it had not pleased
God to have put a terrour in the Savages heartes, we had all perished
by those vild and cruell Pagans, being in that weake estate ... our men
night and day groaning in every corner of the Fort most pittiful to
heare. If there were any conscience in men, it would make their harts
to bleede to heare the pittifull murmurings and outcries of our sick
men without reliefe every night and day for the space of sixe weekes,
some departing out of the World, many times three or foure in a night,
in the morning their bodies trailed out of their Cabines like Dogges to
be burried.
_b. "Gentlemen" in Virginia in 1608_
From an account written probably by Captain Todkill, a rough
soldier, and published in Smith's _Works_ (Birmingham edition), 439.
But 30 of us he [Smith] conducted doune the river some 5 myles from
James toune, to learne to make Clapbord, cut doune trees, and lye in
the woods. Amongst the rest he had chosen Gabriel Beadle, and John
Russell, the onely two gallants of this last Supply, and both proper
Gentlemen. Straunge were these pleasures to their conditions; yet
lodging, eating, and drinking, working or playing, they [were] but
doing as the President did himselfe. All these things were carried
so pleasantly as within a weeke they became Masters: making it their
delight to heare the trees thunder as they fell; but the Axes so oft
blistered their tender fingers that many times every third blow had
a loud othe to droune the eccho; for remedie of which sinne, the
President devised how to have every mans othes numbred, and at night
for every othe to have a Cann of water poured doune his sleeve, with
which every offender was so washed (himselfe and all) that a man should
scarce heare an othe in a weeke.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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