It is now time to turn to Smith's personal adventures among theIndians during this period. Almost our only authority is Smithhimself, or such presumed writings of his companions as he edited orrewrote. Strachey and others testify to his energy in procuringsupplies for the colony, and his success in dealing with the Indians,and it seems likely that the colony would have famished but for hisexertions. Whatever suspicion attaches to Smith's relation of hisown exploits, it must never be forgotten that he was a man ofextraordinary executive ability, and had many good qualities tooffset his vanity and impatience of restraint.

　　After the departure of Wingfield, Captain Smith was constrained toact as Cape Merchant; the leaders were sick or discontented, the restwere in despair, and would rather starve and rot than do anything fortheir own relief, and the Indian trade was decreasing. Under thesecircumstances, Smith says in his "True Relation," "I was sent to themouth of the river, to Kegquoughtan [now Hampton], an Indian Towne,to trade for corn, and try the river for fish." The Indians,thinking them near famished, tantalized them with offers of littlebits of bread in exchange for a hatchet or a piece of copper, andSmith offered trifles in return. The next day the Indians wereanxious to trade. Smith sent men up to their town, a display offorce was made by firing four guns, and the Indians kindly traded,giving fish, oysters, bread, and deer. The town contained eighteenhouses, and heaps of grain. Smith obtained fifteen bushels of it,and on his homeward way he met two canoes with Indians, whom heaccompanied to their villages on the south side of the river, and gotfrom them fifteen bushels more.

　　This incident is expanded in the "General Historie." After the lapseof fifteen years Smith is able to remember more details, and toconceive himself as the one efficient man who had charge ofeverything outside the fort, and to represent his dealings with theIndians in a much more heroic and summary manner. He was not sent onthe expedition, but went of his own motion. The account opens inthis way: "The new President [Ratcliffe] and Martin, being littlebeloved, of weake judgement in dangers, and loose industrie in peace,committed the management of all things abroad to Captain Smith; whoby his own example, good words, and fair promises, set some to mow,others to binde thatch, some to builde houses, others to thatch them,himselfe always bearing the greatest taske for his own share, so thatin short time he provided most of them with lodgings, neglecting anyfor himselfe. This done, seeing the Salvage superfluities beginne todecrease (with some of his workmen) shipped himself in the Shallop tosearch the country for trade."In this narration, when the Indians trifled with Smith he fired avolley at them, ran his boat ashore, and pursued them fleeing towardstheir village, where were great heaps of corn that he could withdifficulty restrain his soldiers [six or seven] from taking. TheIndians then assaulted them with a hideous noise: "Sixty or seventyof them, some black, some red, some white, some particoloured, camein a square order, singing and dancing out of the woods, with theirOkee (which is an Idol made of skinnes, stuffed with mosse, andpainted and hung with chains and copper) borne before them; and inthis manner being well armed with clubs, targets, bowes and arrowes,they charged the English that so kindly received them with theirmuskets loaden with pistol shot, that down fell their God, and diverslay sprawling on the ground; the rest fled againe to the woods, andere long sent men of their Quiyoughkasoucks [conjurors] to offerpeace and redeeme the Okee." Good feeling was restored, and thesavages brought the English "venison, turkies, wild fowl, br............