He passage for him through the door. Putting himself at the head of his men, who had now reached the shore, he demanded an explanation from Powhatan of his conduct. It was given; but the hypocrisy of the savage was too transparent to deceive even the dimmest vision. said that he went off because he was afraid of the white men who were coming on shore; but he did not seem inclined to think that the crowd of his own warriors, which he had assembled, was vastly more than enough to oppose, and even to destroy, all the white men of Captain Smith's party. But our hero affected to overlook the matter, and set his men to loading the boats with what corn he had already managed to purchase. They worked busily till night; and then, as the tide went down and left their boats on the mud, they returned to the shore again, and prepared to pass the hours till morning. During the still nightwatches, Smith felt a hand laid gently on his arm, and aroused himself to know what it meant. Pocahontas was standing at his side! She warned him of the danger that he and his party were in there, and told him of her father's intention yet to surprise them at a great feast that he was to give; and implored him, if he wished to save his life, to be gone from his present place of rest at the earliest possible moment. This was the second time that she had voluntarily placed herself between him and his impending destruction. The hand of Providence was certainly to be seen in it. With the early morning, therefore, he took his departure, much against the wishes of Powhatan and his party, but still preserving the appearance of friendship to the last. |