Fortification against a foreign enemy there was none, only two or three peeces of ordenance mounted, and against a domestic noe other but a pale inclosinge the Towne to the quantitye of foure acres, within which those buildings that weare erected, coulde not in any man's judgement, neither did stande above five yeares and that not without continuall reparations; true it is that there was a Bricke Church intended to be built, but not soe much as the foundation therof ever finished, but we contentinge our selves with a church of wood answerable to those houses. Many other workes of like nature weare by him donne at Henrico and the precincts therof, but so slightly as before his departure hence, he himself saw the ruine and desolation of most of them. Sir Thomas Gates likewise in his time erected some buildinges in and about James Towne, which by continuall cost in repaireinge of them doe yet for the most part in some sort remaine. A framed Bridge was alsoe then erected, which utterly decayed before the end of Sir Thomas Smith's government, that being the only bridge (any way soe to be called) that was ever in the country. At this time in all these labours, the miserye throughout the wholl Collony, in the scarcitye of foode was equall; which penurious and harde kinde of liveinge, enforced and emboldened some to petition to Sir Thomas Gates (then Governor) to grant them that favor that they might employ themselves in husbandry, that therby they and all others by plantinge of corne, might be better fed then those supplies of victual which were sent from Englande woulde afforde to doe, which request of theirs was denied unlesse they woulde paye the yearlye rent of three barrels of corne and one monthe's worke to the Collonye, although many of them had been imployed in the generall workes and services of the Collony from the beginninge of the Plantation, which harde condition of Tenantship was then accepted rather then they woulde continue in those generall services and employments noe waye better then slavery. Most part of the time that Sir Thomas Gates and Sir Thos. Dale governed we were at warre with the natives, so that by them divers times were many of our people slaine, whose blood Sir Thomas Dale neglected not to revenge, by divers and sundry executions, in killinge many, cuttinge downe and takinge away their corne, burninge their houses, spoiling their weares, &c.[HH] [HH] "Their weares in which they take their fish, which are certain enclosures made with reedes, and framed in the fashion of a laborinth or maze, sett a fathome deepe in the water, with divers chambers or bedds, out of which the entangled fish cannot returne or gett out, being once in."--Strachey, p. 68. In this time alsoe the two fortes, fort Henry and fort Charles, at Kicoughton, were againe erected with such buildings as were formerly expressed, not fortified at all against a forreine enemye, and against the Indian that common order of a pale or pallisadoe.