he assembly met the sky was clear. The
exercise lasted eight or nine hours. Before they broke up, owing to
prayers the weather was overcast. Next day began a long gentle rain.
This the Indians seeing, admired the goodness of our God: "showing the
difference between their conjuration and our invocation in the name
of God for rain; theirs being mixed with such storms and tempests, as
sometimes, instead of doing them good, it layeth the corn flat on the
ground; but ours in so gentle and seasonable a manner, as they never
observed the like."

It was a common opinion of the early settlers in Virginia, as it was of
those in New England, that the Indians were born white, but that they
got a brown or tawny color by the use of red ointments, made of earth
and the juice of roots, with which they besmear themselves either
according to the custom of the country or as a defense against the
stinging of mosquitoes. The women are of the same hue as the men, says
Strachey; "howbeit, it is supposed neither of them naturally borne so
discolored; for Captain Smith (lyving sometymes amongst them) affirmeth
how they are from the womb indifferent white, but as the men, so doe the
women," "dye and disguise themselves into this tawny cowler, esteeming
it the best beauty to be nearest such a kind of murrey as a sodden
quince is of," as the Greek women colored their faces and the ancient
Britain women dyed themselves with red; "howbeit [Strachey slyly adds]
he or she that hath obtained the perfected art in the tempering of this
collour with any better kind of earth, yearb or root preserves it not
yet so secrett and precious unto herself as doe our great ladyes their
oyle of talchum, or other painting white and red, but they frindly
communicate the secret and teach it one another."

Thomas Lechford in his "Plain Dealing; or Newes from New England,"
London, 1642, says: "They are of complexion swarthy and tawny; their
children are borne white, but they bedawbe them with oyle and colors
presently."

The men are described as tall, straight, and of comely proportions; no
beards; hair black, coarse, and thick; noses broad, flat, and full at
the end; with big lips and wide mouths', yet nothing so unsightly as
the Moors; and the women as having "handsome limbs, slender arms, pretty
hands, and when they sing they have a pleasant tange in their voices.
The men shaved their hair on the right side, the women acting as
barbers, and left the hair full length