began fortifying
his position, showing so much fear that the savages were emboldened to
attack him, kill some of his men, release their King, and carry off a
thousand bushels of corn which had been purchased, Martin not offering
to intercept them. The frightened Captain sent to Smith for aid, who
despatched to him thirty good shot. Martin, too chicken-hearted to use
them, came back with them to Jamestown, leaving his company to their
fortunes. In this adventure the President commends the courage of one
George Forrest, who, with seventeen arrows sticking into him and one
shot through him, lived six or seven days.

Meantime Smith, going up to the Falls to look after Captain West, met
that hero on his way to Jamestown. He turned him back, and found that he
had planted his colony on an unfavorable flat, subject not only to the
overflowing of the river, but to more intolerable inconveniences. To
place him more advantageously the President sent to Powhatan, offering
to buy the place called Powhatan, promising to defend him against the
Monacans, to pay him in copper, and make a general alliance of trade and
friendship.

But "those furies," as Smith calls West and his associates, refused
to move to Powhatan or to accept these conditions. They contemned his
authority, expecting all the time the new commission, and, regarding
all the Monacans' country as full of gold, determined that no one should
interfere with them in the possession of it. Smith, however, was not
intimidated from landing and attempting to quell their mutiny. In his
"General Historie" it is written "I doe more than wonder to think
how onely with five men he either durst or would adventure as he did
(knowing how greedy they were of his bloud) to come amongst them." He
landed and ordered the arrest of the chief disturbers, but the crowd
hustled him off. He seized one of their boats and escaped to the ship
which contained the provision. Fortunately the sailors were friendly and
saved his life, and a considerable number of the better sort, seeing the
malice of Ratcliffe and Archer, took Smith's part.

Out of the occurrences at this new settlement grew many of the charges
which were preferred against Smith. According to the "General Historie"
the company of Ratcliffe and Archer was a disorderly rabble, constantly
tormenting the Indians, stealing their corn, robbing their gardens,
beating them, and breaking into their houses and taking them prisoners.
The Indians d