After five days of entertainment and friendly intercourse, the Englishmen returned to the settlement. It was Newport’s intention to load up his vessel with cedar and depart for England as soon as possible. Just at this time, however, a trivial accident gave an entirely new and unfortunate turn to the affairs of the colony. One of the settlers discovered some yellow dust shining in the bottom of a stream near the settlement. Immediately, the whole colony was smitten with the gold-fever. Neglecting all else they gave themselves up to the pursuit of the precious metal. As one of them says: “There was no talk, no hope, but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold; such a bruit of gold that one mad fellow, a wag, desired to be buried in the sands lest they should, by their art, make gold of his bones.” The outcome of all this was that, after several weeks delay, Newport sailed away with a ship laden with _mica dust_. XIX. A TURN IN THE TIDE Captain Nelson arrives in the Phœnix with reinforcements and supplies--Powhatan becomes disgruntled--Smith yields to Pocahontas what he had refused to her father--Smith sets out to explore Chesapeake Bay--The expedition meets with storm and shipwreck--The party is led into an ambush--They find the Indians everywhere unfriendly and learn of Powhatan’s treachery--The Susquehannocks and their giant chief--They propose to make Smith the head of the tribe--Ratcliffe is deposed and Scrivener assumes the Presidency--The colony is put in good condition--Newport returns bent on fanciful schemes--The coronation of Powhatan. Smith, Scrivener and a few other men of balanced minds had escaped the gold-fever. They doubted in the first place whether the stuff was worth anything and realized that, even if it should prove to be gold indeed, the time occupied in the search of it had better have been employed in the urgent affairs of the settlement. They were very glad, therefore, to see Newport at last take his departure, and immediately set men at work rebuilding the town and fortifications and breaking ground preparatory to planting corn. The settlers were thus engaged when, quite unexpectedly, the _Phœnix_ arrived with Captain Nelson and one hundred and twenty emigrants. As usual, the reinforcement included two or more gentlemen for every laborer or artisan. Smith’s disappointment on this account was, however, offset by the fact that Captain Nelson brought six months’ provisions which were sorely needed by the settlers.