The Project Gutenberg EBook of Richard of Jamestown, by James Otis

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Title: Richard of Jamestown
A Story of the Virginia Colony

Author: James Otis

Release Date: February, 2005 [EBook #7465]
Posting Date: July 25, 2009

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RICHARD OF JAMESTOWN ***

Produced by Martin Robb

RICHARD OF JAMESTOWN

by James Otis

FOREWORD

The purpose of this series of stories is to show the children, and even
those who have already taken up the study of history, the home life
of the colonists with whom they meet in their books. To this end every
effort has been made to avoid anything savoring of romance, and to deal
only with facts, so far as that is possible, while describing the daily
life of those people who conquered the wilderness whether for conscience
sake or for gain.

That the stories may appeal more directly to the children, they are told
from the viewpoint of a child, and purport to have been related by a
child. Should any criticism be made regarding the seeming neglect to
mention important historical facts, the answer would be that these books
are not sent out as histories--although it is believed that they will
awaken a desire to learn more of the building of the nation--and only
such incidents as would be particularly noted by a child are used.

Surely it is entertaining as well as instructive for young people to
read of the toil and privations in the homes of those who came into a
new world to build up a country for themselves, and such homely facts
are not to be found in the real histories of our land.

JAMES OTIS.

WHO I AM

Yes, my name is Richard Mutton. Sounds rather queer, doesn't it? The
lads in London town used to vex me sorely by calling, "Baa, baa, black
sheep," whenever I passed them, and yet he who will may find the name
Richard Mutton written in the list of those who were sent to Virginia,
in the new world, by the London Company, on the nineteenth day of
December, in the year of Our Lord, 1606.

Whosoever may chance to read what I am here setting down, will, perhaps,
ask how it happened that a lad only ten years of