sparing of law till we had more witt
or wealthe." Another day they obtained from Wingfield the key to his
coffers, and took all his accounts, note-books, and "owne proper goods,"
which he could never recover. Thus was I made good prize on all sides.

During one of Smith's absences on the river President Ratcliffe did beat
James Read, the blacksmith. Wingfield says the Council were continually
beating the men for their own pleasure. Read struck back.

For this he was condemned to be hanged; but "before he turned of the
lather," he desired to speak privately with the President, and thereupon
accused Mr. Kendall--who had been released from the pinnace when
Wingfield was sent aboard--of mutiny. Read escaped. Kendall was
convicted of mutiny and shot to death. In arrest of judgment he objected
that the President had no authority to pronounce judgment because his
name was Sicklemore and not Ratcliffe. This was true, and Mr. Martin
pronounced the sentence. In his "True Relation," Smith agrees with this
statement of the death of Kendall, and says that he was tried by a jury.
It illustrates the general looseness of the "General Historie," written
and compiled many years afterwards, that this transaction there appears
as follows: "Wingfield and Kendall being in disgrace, seeing all things
at random in the absence of Smith, the company's dislike of their
President's weakness, and their small love to Martin's never-mending
sickness, strengthened themselves with the sailors and other
confederates to regain their power, control, and authority, or at
least such meanes aboard the pinnace (being fitted to sail as Smith had
appointed for trade) to alter her course and to goe for England. Smith
unexpectedly returning had the plot discovered to him, much trouble he
had to prevent it, till with store of sakre and musket-shot he forced
them to stay or sink in the river, which action cost the life of Captain
Kendall."

In a following sentence he says: "The President [Ratcliffe] and Captain
Archer not long after intended also to have abandoned the country,
which project also was curbed and suppressed by Smith." Smith was always
suppressing attempts at flight, according to his own story, unconfirmed
by any other writers. He had before accused President Wingfield of a
design to escape in the pinnace.

Communications were evidently exchanged with Mr. Wingfield on the
pinnace, and the President was evidently ill at ease about him. One day
he w