“Their order in conducting him was thus: Drawing themselves all in fyle,
the King in the middest had all their Peeces and Swords borne before
him. Captaine Smith was led after him by three great Salvages, holding
him fast by each arme: and on each side six went in fyle with their
arrowes nocked. But arriving at the Towne (which was but onely thirtie
or fortie hunting houses made of Mats, which they remove as they please,
as we our tents) all the women and children staring to behold him, the
souldiers first all in file performe the forme of a Bissom so well as
could be: and on each flanke, officers as Serieants to see them keepe
their orders. A good time they continued this exercise, and then cast
themselves in a ring, dauncing in such severall Postures, and singing
and yelling out such hellish notes and screeches: being strangely
painted, every one his quiver of arrowes, and at his backe a club:
on his arme a Fox or an Otters skinne, or some such matter for his
vambrace: their heads and shoulders painted red, with oyle and Pocones
mingled together, which Scarlet like colour made an exceeding handsome
shew, his Bow in his hand, and the skinne of a Bird with her wings
abroad dryed, tyed on his head, a peece of copper, a white shell, a long
feather, with a small rattle growing at the tayles of their snaks tyed
to it, or some such like toy. All this time Smith and the King stood in
the middest guarded, as before is said, and after three dances they all
departed. Smith they conducted to a long house, where thirtie or fortie
tall fellowes did guard him, and ere long more bread and venison were
brought him then would have served twentie men. I thinke his stomacke at
that time was not very good; what he left they put in baskets and tyed
over his head. About midnight they set the meat again before him,
all this time not one of them would eat a bit with him, till the next
morning they brought him as much more, and then did they eate all the
old, and reserved the new as they had done the other, which made him
think they would fat him to eat him. Yet in this desperate estate to
defend him from the cold, one Maocassater brought him his gowne, in
requitall of some beads and toyes Smith had given him at his first
arrival in Firginia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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