He journeyed across France to join the armies fighting the Turks, but was robbed on the way by false companions, and suffered much hardship. At last he reached Marseilles, where he took ship with a party of pilgrims going to the East. A great storm arising, the pilgrims superstitiously blamed him for it, and threw him overboard. By good fortune he was able to swim to a small island, whence he was soon rescued by a Breton ship. He stayed for some time on this ship, taking part in a sea fight with a Venetian vessel, and received, after the victory, a share of the spoils. Now, with money again in his pocket, he wandered through Italy, and then crossed over to Styria. Here he joined the army of the Emperor Rudolph and was appointed captain of a company of cavalry, and did good service. During the siege of the town of Regal, the Turks, who held it, challenged any captain among the besiegers to come out and fight one of their champions. Captain John Smith was chosen to meet the Turk, and on a field before the town they fought, and the Turk was beaten and lost his head. On the next day another Turk challenged the victor and was also overthrown. And then came still a third, who, after a desperate battle, met the same fate as the other two. For this brave service Prince Sigismund gave the Captain a coat-of-arms with three Turks' heads as the device. And thus Captain John Smith won his spurs. But after this he was less fortunate, for, being wounded, he was taken prisoner by the Turks and made a slave. In time, however, he escaped and fled to Russia, and from thence at last found his way home to England again. [Illustration] 4. STRANGE TALES OF A STRANGE PEOPLE Meanwhile Pocahontas, now grown to be a girl of some twelve years, often listened eagerly to the stories of the old men of her tribe, who, on these warm spring days, sat and smoked together, and told of the things they had done and seen long ago. Some remembered a white-faced people who, nearly twenty years before, had come to Roanoke Island from no one knew where,--men with yellow hair, dressed from head to foot in cumbrous garments, and bearing wonderful weapons which spat out fire, with much noise. Many believed them gods, while others thought they were devils. And Pocahontas listened in wonder, ever curious to hear of this strange people so unlike her own. The old priest mournfully prophesied that the strangers, being of some mighty race, would come again from out the great waters and overrun the whole land. [Illustration] 5. THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN And scarcely had he spoken when it seemed that his warning had come true, for runners, wildly excited, cried out that a fleet of mighty winged canoes had been seen afar on the ocean, advancing like great clouds. Then Pocahontas, with many of her people, hurried to the hills, and there, overlooking the sea, they saw in truth three strange craft slowly sailing up the bay.