From The General History of Virginia
John Smith
What Happened Till the First Supply
Being thus left to our fortunes, it fortuned that within ten days, scarce ten amongst us could either go or well stand, such extreme weakness and sickness oppressed us. And thereat none need marvel if they consider the cause and reason, which was this; While the ships stayed, our allowance was somewhat bettered by a daily proportion of biscuit which the sailors would pilfer to sell, give, or exchange with us for money, sassafras, or furs. But when they departed, there remained neither tavern, beer house, nor place of relief but the common kettle. Had we been as free from all sins as gluttony and drunkenness we might have been canonized for saints, but our President would never have been admitted for engrossing to his private, oatmeal, sack, oil, aqua vitae, beef, eggs, or what not but the kettle: that indeed he allowed equally to be distributed, and that was half a pint of wheat and as much barley boiled with water for a man a day, and this, having fried some twenty-six weeks in the ship\'s hold, contained as many worms as grains so we might truly call it so much bran than corn; our drink was water, our lodging castles in the air.
With this lodging and diet, our extreme toil in bearing and planting palisades so strained and bruised us and our continual labor in the extremity of heat had so weakened us, as were cause sufficient to have made us miserable in our native country or any other place in the world.
From May to September, those that escaped lived upon sturgeon and sea crabs. Fifty in this time we buried: the rest seeing the President\'s projects to escape these miseries in our pinnace by flight (who all this time had neither felt want nor sickness) so moved our dead spirits as we deposed him and established Ratcliffe in his place...
But now was all our provision spent, the sturgeon gone, all helps abandoned, each hour expecting the fury of the savages; when God, the patron of all good endeavors, in that desperate extremity so changed the hearts of the savages that they brought such plenty of their fruits and provisions as no man wanted.
And now where some affirmed it was ill done of the Council to send forth men so badly provided, this incontradictable reason will show them plainly they are too ill advised to nourish such ill conceits: First, the fault of our going was our own: what could be thought fitting or necessary we had, but what we should find, or want, or where we should be, we were all ignorant and supposing to make our passage in two months, with victual to live and the advantage of spring to work; we were at sea for five months where we both spent our victual and lost the opportunity of the time and season to plant, by the unskillful presumption of our ignorant transporters that understood not at all what they undertook.
Such actions has ever since the world\'s beginning been subject to such accidents, and everything of worth is found full of difficulties, but nothing so difficult as to establish a commonwealth so far remote from men and means and where men\'s minds are so untoward as neither do well themselves nor suffer others. But to proceed.
The new President and Martin, being little beloved, of weak judgement in dangers, and less industry in peace, committed managing all things abroad to Captain Smith, who, by his own example, good words, and fair promises set some to mow, other to bind thatch, himself always bearing the greatest task for him own share, so that in short time he provided most of them lodgings, neglecting any for himself...
Leading an expedition on the Chickahominy River, Captain Smith and his men are attacked by Indians, and Smith is taken prisoner.
When this news came to Jamestown, much was their sorrow for his loss, few expecting what ensued.
Six or seven weeks those barbarians kept him as prisoner, many strange triumphs and conjurations they made of him, yet he so demeaned himself amongst them, as he not only diverted them from surprising the fort, but procure his own liberty, and got himself and his company such estimation amongst them, that those savages admired him.
The manner how they used to delivered him is as followth:
The savages having drawn from Geoge Cassen whither Captain Smith was gone, prosecuting that opportunity they followed him with three hundred bowmen, conducted by the King of Pamunkee, who in divisions searching the turnings of the river found Robinson and Emry by the fireside; those they shot full of arrows and slew. The finding of the Captain, as is said, that used the savage that was his guide as his shield (three of them being slain and divers others so galled), all the rest would not come near him. Thinking thus to have returned to his boat, regarding them, as he marched, more than his way, slipped up to the middle in an oozy creek and his savage with him; yet dared they not come to him till they being near dead with cold he threw away his arms. Then according to their composition they drew him forth and led him to the fire where his men were slain. Diligently they chafed his benumbed limbs.
He demanding their captain, they showed him to Opechancanough, King of Pamunkee, to whom he gave a round ivory double compass dial. Much they marveled at the playing of the fly and needle, which they could see so plainly yet not touch it because of the glass that covered them. But when he demonstrated by the globe-like jewel the roundness of the earth and skies, the sphere of the sun, moon, and stars, and how the sun did chase the night around about the world continually, the greatness of the land and sea, the diversity of nations, variety of complexations, and how we were to them antipodes and many other such like matters, they all stood as amazed with admiration.
Notwithstanding, within an hour after, they tied him a tree, and as many as could stand about him prepared to shoot him, but the king holding up the compass in his hand, they all laid down their bows and arrows and in a triumphant manner to Orapaks where he was after their manner kindly feasted and well used...
At last they brought him to the Werowocomoco, where the Powhatan, their emperor. Here more than two hundred of those grim courtiers stood wondering at him, as he had been a monster, till Powhatan and his train had put themselves in their greatest braveries. Before a fire upon a seat like a bedstead, he sat covered with a great robe made of raccoon skins and all the tails hanging by, On either side did sit a young wench of sixteen or eighteen years and along on each side of the house, two rows of men and behind them as many women, with their heads and shoulders painted red, many of their heads bedecked with white down of birds, but every one with something, and a great chain of white beads about their necks.
At his entrance before the King, all the people gave a great shout. The Queen of Appomattoc was appointed to bring him water to wash his hands, and another brought him a bunch of feathers, instead of a towel, to dry them; having feasted him after their best barbarous manner they could, a long consultation was held, but the conclusion was, two great stones were brought before the Powhatan; then as many as could, laid hands on him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head and being ready with their clubs to beat out his brains, Pocahontas, the King's dearest daughter, when no entreaty could prevail, got his head in her arms and laid her own upon his to save him from death; whereat the Emperor was contented he should live to make him hatchets, and her bells, beads, and copper, for they all thought him as well as all occupations as themselves. For the King himself will make his robes, shoes, bows, arrows, pots; plant, hunt, or do anything so well as the rest.
Two days after, Powhatan, having disguised himself in the most fearfulest manner he could, caused Captain Smith to be brought forth to a great house in the woods and there upon a mat by the fire to be left alone. Not long after, from behind a mat that divided the house, was made the dolefulest noise he ever heard; then Powhatan more like a devil than a man, with some two hundred more as black as himself, came unto him and told him now they were friends, and presently he should go to Jamestown to send him two great guns and a grindstone for which he would give him the country of Capahowasic and forever esteem him as his son Nantaquond.
So to Jamestown with twelve guides Powhatan sent him. That night they quartered in the woods, he still expecting (as he had done all this long time of his imprisonment) every hour to be put to one death or other, for all their feasting. But almighty God (by His divine providence) had mollified the hearts of those stern barbarians with compassion. The next morning betimes they came to the fort, where Smith having used the savages with what kindness he could, he showed Rawhunt, Powhatan's trusty servant, two demiculverins and a millstone to carry Powhatan: they found them somewhat too heavy, but when did see him discharge them, being loaded with stones, among the boughs of a great tree loaded with icicles, the ice and branches came so tumbling down that the poor savages ran away half dead with fear. But at least we regained some conference with them and gave them such toys and sent to Powhatan, his women, and children such presents as gave them in general full content.
Now in Jamestown they were all in combustion, the strongest preparing once more to run away with the pinnace; which, with the hazard of his life, with saker falcon and musket shot, Smith forces now the third time to stay or sink.
Some, no better than they could be, had plotted with the President the next day to have him put to death by the Levitical law, for the lives of Robinson and Emry; pretending the fault was his that had led them to their ends; but he quickly took such order with such lawyers that he laid them by their heels till he sent some of them prisoners for England.
Now every once in four or five days, Pocahontas with her attendants brought him so much provision that saved many of their lives, that else for all this had starved with hunger.
His relation of the plenty he had seen, especially at Werowocomoco, and of the state and bounty of Powhatan (which till that time was unknown), so revived their dead spirits (especially the love of Pocahontas) as all their men's fear was abandoned.
Thus you may see what difficulties still crossed any good endeavor; and the good success of the business being thus oft brought to the very period of destruction: yet you see by what strange means God hath still delivered it.
解析：
这篇节选取自John Smith的自传，其讲述了他自己在北美的殖民地所经历的事情。其中最出名就是他与宝嘉康蒂的“浪漫”邂逅。其实对于这件事到底是怎么回事并没有任何描写，唯一的出处就是John Smith的自述。当然这里面必然会有很多的偏见，比较事实到底是什么只有他自己知道。就像这个自传一样，他把自己描写的像是一个英勇有某的英雄，可以明显的感觉这就是一个故事，并不可信。虽然这里面可能也确实参杂了些许实话，但整体来说这篇自传并不适合作为一个历史文献来研究。当然至于宝嘉康蒂和他的关系是怎么样，可以确定的是两人并非恋人关系。宝嘉康蒂后来嫁给了另外一位殖民者，John Rolfe，也就是把某种违禁品引入殖民地的人，也让这种东西成为了英国殖民地的经济作物。可以说英国的经济都是从交易这种东西来的，毕竟这东西很上瘾，而且顾客很多，很受欢迎。
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