They took the old route by the West Indies. George Percy notes that on
the 12th of February they saw a blazing star, and presently a storm.
They watered at the Canaries, traded with savages at San Domingo, and
spent three weeks refreshing themselves among the islands. The quarrels
revived before they reached the Canaries, and there Captain Smith was
seized and put in close confinement for thirteen weeks.
We get little light from contemporary writers on this quarrel. Smith
does not mention the arrest in his “True Relation,” but in his “General
Historie,” writing of the time when they had been six weeks in Virginia,
he says: “Now Captain Smith who all this time from their departure from
the Canaries was restrained as a prisoner upon the scandalous suggestion
of some of the chiefs (envying his repute) who fancied he intended to
usurp the government, murder the Council, and make himself King, that
his confedcrates were dispersed in all three ships, and that divers
of his confederates that revealed it, would affirm it, for this he was
committed a prisoner; thirteen weeks he remained thus suspected, and by
that time they should return they pretended out of their commiserations,
to refer him to the Council in England to receive a check, rather than
by particulating his designs make him so odious to the world, as to
touch his life, or utterly overthrow his reputation. But he so much
scorned their charity and publically defied the uttermost of their
cruelty, he wisely prevented their policies, though he could not
suppress their envies, yet so well he demeaned himself in this business,
as all the company did see his innocency, and his adversaries' malice,
and those suborned to accuse him accused his accusers of subornation;
many untruths were alleged against him; but being apparently disproved,
begot a general hatred in the hearts of the company against such unjust
Commanders, that the President was adjudged to give him L 200, so
that all he had was seized upon, in part of satisfaction, which Smith
presently returned to the store for the general use of the colony.”--
Neither in Newport's “Relatyon” nor in Mr. Wingfield's “Discourse” is
the arrest mentioned, nor does Strachey speak of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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