The Pocahontas-John Smith StoryEdmunds, Pocahontas Wight
History
The Pocahontas-John Smith Story
Edmunds, Pocahontas Wight
Pocahontas, -1617; Smith, John, 1580-1631
Pocahontas, whose frantic questions had to be hushed with the lie that
Smith was no more, now shunned the colony, and her pent-up adoration
became a resentment against his people. It was as if he had been adopted
into her tribe as well as her heart. A red woman, when she has given her
heart, does not take it back. Her moods were more dark than bright,
although with the braves and girls her own age she smiled and danced
once in a while, like sunlight that would out in darkest woods at noon.
A lovely maiden cannot remain woebegone too long, and Powhatan's people,
especially those eager for his favor, did their merriest to scatter her
dark moods.
She was visiting in the house of Chief Japazaws when he made a deal with
the English of which she was not aware. Captain Argall, whose ship was
anchored nearby, had dangled a copper kettle so temptingly in front of
Japazaws and his greedy squaw that they could not wait until it spewed
steam on their hearth. Captain Argall wanted Pocahontas as a hostage to
exchange for English prisoners whom Powhatan had detained too long. That
would be easy, agreed Japazaws, for she used to like the English and was
grieving even now for their John Smith. After some pouting, she would be
happy as a lark sailing down the river with the English in their great
canoe.
"I have never been on a ship in my life," the artful squaw begged her
spouse. "Captain said he would show it to me."
"Go where you like," shrugged Japazaws.
"Why don't you?" added Pocahontas indifferently.
"Not by myself--the only woman! Besides, I do not know those palefaces.
You used to know them right well, Pocahontas. Come along."
Pocahontas complied, but she appeared listless as she went over the ship
while the squaw squealed with delight at everything she saw. At dinner
Pocahontas did not notice that drunken Japazaws pressed gleefully on
Argall's toes. "She's as good as yours."
Afterwards she was looking over the guns in the gun-room, and thinking
how Powhatan would have coveted them, when she was told that the chief
and his squaw had skipped off of the ship, guiltily swinging their
kettle between them.
When she found herself a prisoner, she pulled such a long face, that the
English gentlemen felt quite contrite, and every man of them henceforth
did his best to cheer her, especially John Rolfe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account