Historic Girlhoods, Part OneHolland, Rupert Sargent
History
Historic Girlhoods, Part One
Holland, Rupert Sargent
Women -- Biography -- Juvenile literature
Pow-ha-tan was a wise chieftain and he knew that if he should kill
Captain Smith he would cause a relentless hatred among the white
settlers towards his own tribe. He knew the white men were strong and
he preferred to have them as friends rather than as enemies in his wars
with his tribe's chief foes, the Manna-ho-acks. When a prisoner was not
killed he was usually made a slave, but Pow-ha-tan thought the Captain
too big a man to use in that way, and so he decided to treat him as a
guest, talk with him for several days about affairs between the
settlers and his tribe, and then send him home with many presents.
To Captain Smith's surprise he was invited to regard himself as a guest
in Pow-ha-tan's house, and the following day was adopted by the chief
as a son, and given a large grant of land in the neighborhood. The old
chief's daughter seemed much interested in him, and was always waiting
to serve him in any way, occasionally asking him questions which showed
her great curiosity in the white people. The Captain could not help
liking her for her kindness to him, and asked the chief her name. The
latter hesitated, for Indians did not like to let their real names be
known to these strange people. "She is called Po-ca-hun-tas," he
answered evasively. And to Captain Smith she was known as Po-ca-hun-tas
from that time.
The Indian girl seemed sorry the Captain was leaving when he said
good-bye to her the next day, and wished him a safe journey back to the
Virginia settlement. Captain Smith gave her a few small gifts he had
managed to carry with him, and he promised to bring her more when he
should come again. With the rest of the children she stood out in the
snow to wave him a farewell as he left the village in company with two
of Pow-ha-tan's guides, and that night she dreamed of the "Great
Captain" as a hero in a far country doing prodigious deeds of valor. To
her he now seemed the most wonderful man in the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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