and at length they did not come to Jamestown often, nor would they give nor sell the new settlers any more corn. 4. The English were now in serious want, and fears were felt that the colony must starve. But Captain Smith, being a brave man, went boldly among the Indians, and compelled them to let him have a supply of corn. 5. This, however, made the Indians the more unfriendly to him, and from this time they watched an opportunity to seize him. An opportunity was soon presented. He had gone into the wilderness some distance from Jamestown, when some Indians came upon him; and though he bravely defended himself for a time, they at length seized him. 6. The Indians were much pleased that they had him in their power. They shouted over him and around him, and at length bound him to a tree, thinking to kill him with their arrows. 7. Some, however, advised taking him to Pow-ha-tan. He was their sachem, and a mighty warrior. This was agreed upon, and they led Captain Smith to Powhatan. 8. When Powhatan saw him, he seemed well pleased. IIe had, he thought, an enemy in his power. Indians delight in torture and blood. Powhatan and his warriors doomed Captain Smith to death. 9. Preparations were accordingly made. A stone was brought, and laid on the ground. The Indians gathered round They looked fierce, and were impatient for his death. Captain Smith's arms were bound, his head was laid on the stone, and a club was handed to Powhatan. 10. The huge club of the Indian was uplifted, but before it could descend, Pocahontas, the only child of Powhatan, had thrown herself between the prisoner and the deadly weapon. The blow could not fall upon her, and Smith's life was saved. Smith's firmness, and, it may be, a feeling that the Great Spirit had protected him, changed the Indians from enemies to friends. 11. They made a treaty with him, and sent him back to Jamestown in safety. From this time, during Smith's life, the Indians were friendly, and often Pocahontas, "the dearest daughter of the King," as the grateful colonists called. her, brought baskets of corn and provisions to the English at Jamestown. 12. In after years, a young Englishman, named Rolfe, loved Pocahontas, and she consented to become his wife. In the little church at Jamestown, which was kept prettily dressed with wild flowers, Pocahontas, before her marriage, received the rite of baptism. The Christian name then given her was Rebecca. 13. It is pleasant to think that this Indian girl, who practised so well the duties which a heathen knows, should have been taught of the Saviour those higher and holier virtues which belong to the religion of Christ. 1. In 1620, thirteen years after the settlement of Jamestown, another little company of one hundred and one persons came over to found a colony in America. They were a band of Christian people from England. Not being allowed to worship God after their own way in that country, they set sail for America, directing their course towards New York. 2. Their frail vessel, the May-Flower, was tossed about by wind and storm, and, after a voyage of three weary months, made land on the bleak coast of New Engiand, instead of in the milder latitude of New York. It was in the bitter weather of December when the May-Flower cast anchor in Cape Cod Bay. 3. All was frozen and wintry on the strange coast, and it was nearly a month before the little company could leave the vessel. It was the foot of a little girl, Mary Chilton, that first stepped ashore upon "Forefathers' Rock," as the spot where they landed has ever since been called. They named their settlement Plymouth, after the place they had last parted from in old England. 4. During the winter, they suffered so much from the hard climate, and sickness, and famine, that by the time spring came more than half their number had perished. 5. The year before the Pilgrims came, a pestilence had carried off a great many of the savage Indians, and the first red man they saw met them with the cheering salutation, "Welcome, Englishmen ! Welcome, Englishmen!" His name was Samoset; he came from what is now Maine, and had learned to speak English from the captain of a fishing-vessel on the coast. 6. During the next ten years, a great many people came over and planted settlements on the shores of Massachusetts Bay. Salem, and Charlestown, and Cambridge, and Boston were all founded by a brave and industrious and God-fearing people. Questions. 1. How many people came over in 1620? For what purpose? Who were they? Why did they come to America? 2. What was the name of their ship? What kind of a voyage did they have? On what coast did they arrive? At what season? Where did the vessel cast anchor? 3. What was the appearance of the coast? Who first stepped ashore? On what spot? What did they call their settlement? 4. From what did they suffer during the winter? What was the consequence of these disasters? 5. Why were they unmolested by the savages? With what words did the first Indian greet them? What was his name? Where did he come from? Of whom had he learned to speak English? 6. What towns were founded during the next ten years? On what bay are they situated? What was the character of the settlers? Instead of a story, here are some verses of a song, written many years ago by an English lady, about the Pilgrim Fathers. They were called so because, like the Patriarch Abraham, they left "their kindred and their father's house," and went out as strangers and pilgrims to seek a country wherein they might worship God in the way they believed to be right. THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS. The breaking waves dash'd high On a stern and rock-bound coast, |