s and maps," and inciting them to help his
enterprise.

So well did he succeed, he says, that they promised him twenty sail of
ships to go with him the next year, and to pay him for his pains and
former losses. The western commissioners, in behalf of the company,
contracted with him, under indented articles, "to be admiral of that
country during my life, and in the renewing of the letters-patent so to
be nominated"; half the profits of the enterprise to be theirs, and half
to go to Smith and his companions.

Nothing seems to have come out of this promising induction except the
title of "Admiral of New England," which Smith straightway assumed and
wore all his life, styling himself on the title-page of everything he
printed, "Sometime Governor of Virginia and Admiral of New England."
As the generous Captain had before this time assumed this title, the
failure of the contract could not much annoy him. He had about as good
right to take the sounding name of Admiral as merchants of the west of
England had to propose to give it to him.

The years wore away, and Smith was beseeching aid, republishing his
works, which grew into new forms with each issue, and no doubt making
himself a bore wherever he was known. The first edition of "New
England's Trials"--by which he meant the various trials and attempts
to settle New England was published in 1620. It was to some extent a
repetition of his "Description" of 1616. In it he made no reference to
Pocahontas. But in the edition of 1622, which is dedicated to Charles,
Prince of Wales, and considerably enlarged, he drops into this
remark about his experience at Jamestown: "It Is true in our greatest
extremitie they shot me, slue three of my men, and by the folly of them
that fled tooke me prisoner; yet God made Pocahontas the king's
daughter the meanes to deliver me: and thereby taught me to know their
treacheries to preserve the rest. [This is evidently an allusion to the
warning Pocahontas gave him at Werowocomoco.] It was also my chance in
single combat to take the king of Paspahegh prisoner, and by keeping
him, forced his subjects to work in chains till I made all the country
pay contribution having little else whereon to live."

This was written after he had heard of the horrible massacre of 1622
at Jamestown, and he cannot resist the temptation to draw a contrast
between the present and his own management. He explains that the Indians
did not kill the English because they we