History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of VirginiaCampbell, Charles
History
History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia
Campbell, Charles
Virginia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775; Virginia -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
Having concluded, and finding "no other answer, he went away
dissatisfied."
On the following day the governor directed the house to take measures to
defend the country against the Indians, and advised them to beware of
two rogues among them, meaning Lawrence and Drummond, who both lived at
Jamestown. But some of the burgesses, in order to effect a redress of
some of the grievances that the country labored under, made motions for
inspecting the public revenues, the collector's accounts, etc., when
they received pressing messages from the governor to meddle with nothing
else till the Indian business was disposed of. The debate on this matter
rose high, but the governor's orders were finally acquiesced in.
While the committee on Indian affairs was sitting, the Queen of
Pamunkey, a descendant of Opechancanough, was introduced into their
room. Accompanied by an interpreter and her son, a youth of twenty
years, she entered with graceful dignity. Around her head she wore a
plait of black and white wampum-peake, a drilled purple bead of shell,
three inches wide, after the manner of a crown. There is preserved at
Fredericksburg a silver frontlet, purchased from some Indians, with a
coat of arms, and inscribed "The Queen of Pamunkey," "Charles the
Second, King of England, Scotland, France, Ireland, and Virginia," and
"Honi soit qui mal y pense." She was clothed in a mantle of dressed
buckskin, with the fur outward, and bordered with a deep fringe from
head to foot. Being seated, the chairman asked her "How many men she
would lend the English for guides and allies?" She referred him to her
son, who understood English, being the reputed son of an English
colonel. But he declining to answer, she burst forth in an impassioned
speech of a quarter of an hour's length, often repeating the words,
"Totopotomoi dead," referring to her husband, who, as has been seen, had
fallen while fighting under Colonel Hill, the elder. The chairman,
untouched by this appeal, roughly repeated the inquiry, how many men she
would contribute. Averting her head with a disdainful look she sate
silent, till the question being pressed a third time, she replied in a
low tone, "Six." When still further importuned she said "Twelve,"
although she had then one hundred and fifty warriors in her town. She
retired silent and displeased.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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