“But presently Pocahuntas came, wishing him to kill her if any hurt were
intended, and the beholders, which were women and children, satisfied
the Captain there was no such matter.”
In the account of Wyffin's bringing the news of Scrivener's drowning,
when Wyffin was lodged a night with Powhatan, we read:
“He did assure himself some mischief was intended. Pocahontas hid him
for a time, and sent them who pursued him the clean contrary way to seek
him; but by her means and extraordinary bribes and much trouble in three
days' travel, at length he found us in the middest of these turmoyles.”
The affecting story of the visit and warning from Pocahontas in the
night, when she appeared with “tears running down her cheeks,” is not
in the first narration in the Oxford Tract, but is inserted in the
narrative in the “General Historie.” Indeed, the first account would by
its terms exclude the later one. It is all contained in these few lines:
“But our barge being left by the ebb, caused us to staie till the
midnight tide carried us safe aboord, having spent that half night with
such mirth as though we never had suspected or intended anything, we
left the Dutchmen to build, Brinton to kill foule for Powhatan (as by
his messengers he importunately desired), and left directions with our
men to give Powhatan all the content they could, that we might enjoy his
company on our return from Pamaunke.”
It should be added, however, that there is an allusion to some warning
by Pocahontas in the last chapter of the “Oxford Tract.” But the full
story of the night visit and the streaming tears as we have given it
seems without doubt to have been elaborated from very slight materials.
And the subsequent insertion of the name of Pocahontas--of which we have
given examples above--into old accounts that had no allusion to her,
adds new and strong presumptions to the belief that Smith invented what
is known as the Pocahontas legend.
As a mere literary criticism on Smith's writings, it would appear that
he had a habit of transferring to his own career notable incidents and
adventures of which he had read, and this is somewhat damaging to an
estimate of his originality. His wonderful system of telegraphy by means
of torches, which he says he put in practice at the siege of Olympack,
and which he describes as if it were his own invention, he had doubtless
read in Polybius, and it seemed a good thing to introduce into his
narrative.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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