Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 31, 2025
And the white fur bundle, rising to her feet, laughed and laughed till the oldest and staidest warrior could not help smiling. But Opechanchanough did not smile; he was too angry. His dignity suffered at thus being made the sport of a child. He shook his niece, saying: "What meaneth this, I ask? What meaneth this?"
He did not understand their hesitancy, but he meant at any rate to take advantage of it. He must engage the attention of the giant chief before him. Slowly he pulled from his pocket his heavy silver watch and held it up to his own ear. Never had Opechanchanough and his men experienced such an awe of the unknown.
Still there was silence, no outcry from an ambushed enemy, no sign of other human creatures. Opechanchanough consulted with his braves whence had the arrow come; and even while they talked, another arrow from the right whizzed before his face. "A bad archer," he grunted, "who cannot hit me with two shots." Then pointing to a huge oak that forked half way up, he commanded: "Bring him to me."
Many suns shall set red between the forest trees, but none so red as the blood that flowed when my sharp knife severed his scalp lock." And as each recited his deeds his words were received with clappings of hands and grunts of approval. Powhatan gave orders to open the guest lodge and to prepare a feast for the victors. Then Opechanchanough rose again to speak.
"As we returned through the forest," explained Opechanchanough, "before we reached the boundary of thy fields, while we still believed that a part of the Monachans might lie in ambush for us there, an arrow, shot from the westward, flew before my face. Then came a second arrow out of the branches of an oak tree. We took the bowman prisoner, and what thinkest thou we found? a squaw child!"
Again, the location must be healthful, and quite easily defended, for the attack by the natives upon the colonists when they first landed at the cape they called Henry after the young Prince of Wales, had given them a taste of what they might have to expect. It was the rumor of this fight which had reached Opechanchanough at Kecoughtan.
Have no care for us save to bid some one supply us with food to take along. I know the way down to a smooth beach where we can disport ourselves." So Opechanchanough, relieved to have them off his hands, let her have her will. The town was within a mile of open water, and the maidens started off with a large supply of dried flesh slung in osier baskets on their backs.
On their arrival Powhatan, who was still angry with the English, refused to see them, so Opechanchanough entertained them and promised to intercede with his brother for them. Nautauquas's messenger had brought him the news of Rolfe's relation to his niece. In the meantime the truce was extended until the autumn and the Englishmen were sent back to Jamestown.
The young braves to whom Pocahontas had been entrusted kept wisely on the outskirts of the crowd. Then the little sombre figure at Powhatan's feet rose and stood with the firelight shining on her face and dark hair and asked in a gentle voice: "Didst thou want me, mine uncle?" "Pocahontas," exclaimed Opechanchanough, "how camest thou here ahead of us, and in that dark robe?"
A few days later news came from Opechanchanough that the big canoe, so eagerly expected by the strangers, had been seen at Kecoughtan and was now on its way up the river. Powhatan was astounded, for it was the very day the white captain had foretold its arrival. Truly a man who could see so far across the waves of the big water was one to be feared.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking