Pocahontas

by Joseph Bruchac

  "Master Robinson," I said, bearing in mind that, with his higher station, Robinson should be in charge while I was away, "wid you keep watch whilst I take a short walk to spy the land about?"

  "I shad," Robinson said.

  "And I as wed," Thomas Emry chimed in. I looked the two of them up and down, not knowing it would be the last sight I would ever have of them living. They had not the look of soldiers, and I bethought it wise to advise them how they should behave.

  "Keep your matches lit," I said. "You need be in order to discharge a piece for my retreat at the sight of any Indians."

  But within a quarter of an hour, I heard not a warning shot but a loud cry and a hollowing of Indians.

  23. POCAHONTAS: Trouble

  Long ago, Arakun's face was not blackened. But Arakun was the same then as he is now, always wanting to touch everything with his hands and always, always walking around everywhere and looking for trouble. One of the things he loved to do was to tease people and frighten them. So he would creep up on people at night and leap out at them to make them scream with fright.

  One night Arakun came creeping out of theforest and saw an old woman sitting alone by a smallfire outside her yihacan.

  "Waugh," Arakun said. "This is good. I will frighten her."

  Then he crept close to her, but the old woman had seen him coming. When Arakun jumped up and made a great noise, that old woman threw a handful of hot ashes into his face. Arakun ran off and leaped into the river to wash off his face. To this day Arakun is always washing his hands and face in the river. But where those hot ashes struck him, his fur was blackened and it remains so to this day. People see the blackened face of Arakun and they say to their children, "You see what happens when you go looking for trouble?"

  COHONK

  TIME OF GEESE FLYING

  MID-DECEMBER 1607

  NEWS ABOUT THE Coatmen has arrived at our village. It is said that everyone and everything, sooner or later, must come to the village of the Mamanatowic. Some people come here because it is the turn of their village to bring the share of deerskins or corn that belongs to him. Some come because the greatest of the quiyoughsokuk are here by my father's side and their advice is often sought. Some come because they are werowansuk in league with my father and they must make plans together or gain his approval for their actions.

  Many also come because of the dancing and singing that takes place here at the times of the special festivals and ceremonies that come with every new season. It is the singing and dancing that I love the best. I am one of the best singers of all the young women. That is why I am always the one to lead the young women's dances, even though I have heard some jealous people whisper that I am only asked to do this because I am my father's favorite. Jealousy can make it hard for people to see the truth, especially when those who are jealous are not good at doing something.

  Some people come to Werowocomoco because they wish to come here. Some come here even if it is against their wishes. So it is with those who have done wrong and are brought to be punished. So it is with the werowansuk and their families of those villages and those who seek to defy my father's alliance or try to go to war against him. After their warriors are defeated, those highborn ones are brought here. It does not make them happy. Of course, they are not tortured or killed. Who would ever dream of doing that to a werowance and who could be so bad hearted as to hurt women and children? But being here under the control of my father is bitter to them. It reminds them of their defeat. It reminds them that their power is much less than the power of the Mamanatowic and his alliance of many nations.

  I have sometimes wondered what it would be like for me to be taken into captivity. I know that I would be treated wed. This is not just because I am the daughter of Powhatan. I am a very likable person. But I do not think I would enjoy being a captive. What I would like least of ad would be not knowing ad that is happening. Captives are never told much of anything.

  Because everyone comes to Werowocomoco, news of everything that happens comes here as wed. It is of no use to try to keep that news secret. Even the power of a Mamanatowic cannot stop the people from talking. That is especially true when the news is of some great deed done in battle. Our warriors are proud of their courage and will gladly brag to anyone of the great things they have done—or make up a song about it. That kind of bravery makes my father glad. He knows that his power comes from the bravery of the men and the good minds of the women of our nations. No one could remain in such a high place as he holds were the women and men not behind him. Though it is said that my father is feared, it is also true that he is respected. Without respect, no one can ask the people to do anything.

  It is also known that the great power of Okeus, the god who watches over the doings of the people, is behind my father. I am not always sure that I like what Okeus says. Okeus seems to like fighting. But Ahone, the great peaceful one who made ad things, does not speak directly to the people as Okeus does. Ahone does not place his spirit into an image that the priests can speak with. If he did, I know that I would listen to it. I wonder what Ahone would say about what we should do with the Coatmen.

  The latest news is that a fight has taken place with some of the Tassantassuk who stumbled into the midst of our great hunt. They had no reason to be there, and it angered our men to see them poking their noses in. Some thought that they had come as a raiding party, ready to do battle with our people, but when they were caught, most of those Coatmen did not behave well at all. They did not even show as much bravery as a boy who has not yet been reborn.

  I have decided to ask Rawhunt more about it. As my father's adviser, he always knows the best truth of such events. It is early morning and I have already gone down to the water, broken the thin ice to wash myself, and spoken my morning thanks to Kefgawes, whose fight made the water glitter like rawrenock beads. Rawhunt smiles when he sees me coming up from the river. He is sitting in front of his yihacan, but he is not alone. My brother Naukaquawis is with him, and he, too, smiles as he turns to look at me. It is as if they already know what I am about to ask. Although the snow was on the ground, it is a warm day. So Naukaquawis is enjoying the sun on his bare chest and shoulders.

  "Amonute," Rawhunt says, squinting at me, "what, what could it be that you want to know?"

  I sit down in the snow next to my brother and wrap my arms around my legs.

  "Why are the Coatmen always traveling about and looking at things?" I ask. "What is it they are looking for?"

  "Ah, ah, ah," Rawhunt says, shaking his head. "Even among our own people, it is hard to say what is within another man's heart unless that person chooses to tell you. It is even harder, even harder, when it comes to the Tassantassuk. For although they have often told us what they are doing, it still makes no sense, no sense. They say they are going up and down our rivers because they are looking for stones to make ax heads. Yet we know their own axes are better than ours, which are made of stone. They say they are seeking the way to get to an enemy people who harmed one of their people in the past, yet they spend their time making the wads of their camp stronger, as if they wish to stay right where they are, right where they are. They say that their largest swan canoe has only sailed away to Kecoughtan and will return soon with its great thunder weapons. Yet we know that it sailed far out into the great salt waters two whole seasons ago. They say that they want to be our friends, and then they beat our people and treat us like dogs when we visit them. I am afraid that it is as hard for the Coatmen to speak the truth as it is for most of them to show real courage, real courage."

  Rawhunt pauses and pokes at the ground before him with a stick, making a shape in the snow like that of a crawling snake. "It also seems that even though most of them lack courage, for some reason those Coatmen are always looking, looking for trouble."

  "What happened in the fight?" I ask.

  Naukaquawis snorts. "Fight? It was hardly that, my sister. Some of the men of Paspahegh took one of the Coatmen prisoner when he came wading
onto the shore from their big quintans. As soon as the others on their boat saw us, they took their quintans down the river to escape, leaving their friend behind." Naukaquawis scoops up a handful of snow and tosses it to one side. "Matah! It is bad that they were such cowards. The Paspahegh men recognized the Coatman they had captured as one who had treated them like dogs, hitting them and pushing them down when they visited the Coatmen's fort. But now that he was caught, he began to cry out and weep like a baby. They gave him every chance to show his courage as a warrior. If he had done so, they might have spared his life. But all he did was scream and cry for mercy. He even pointed out to them the way that the quintans carrying three other Coatmen from his party had gone. That he showed such cowardice embarrassed the men of Paspahegh greatly."

  My brother shakes his head and looks over at Rawhunt.

  Rawhunt stabs at the shape he has made in the snow with his stick. Then he takes up the story where my brother had left off.

  "As to the others," Rawhunt says, "the other three who went up into the marsh with the quintans, your uncle Opechancanough and his Pamaunkees found two of them. They were asleep by a fire, asleep! When the two Tassantassuk woke and saw they were surrounded, they were so frightened that they did not even try to use their thunder weapons. Instead, they tried to run, to run. Your uncle's warriors were so disgusted that they did not even try to take those cowards prisoner. They just shot them with arrows and left them there, left them there."

  Rawhunt stops talking and looks down at the snow. It does not make him happy to think of how badly those Coatmen had died. If your enemies do not show real courage, it weakens your own heart. I feel bad, too. Why do the Coatmen have to fight us this way? Why can they not try to live with us in peace, respect us, and behave as honest friends? Then I remember something Rawhunt said. There were three Coatmen in the quintans.

  "Rawhunt," I say, "wait. What happened to the third man?"

  Rawhunt lifts his head, and I see the twinkle in his eyes. My brother looks over at him and chuckles. They have been teasing me, testing me to see if I have been listening carefully, by not telling me the whole story.

  "Ah," Rawhunt says. "This is where the story becomes interesting, becomes interesting. That third man was their werowance, Little Red-Haired Warrior himself."

  "Unh-hunh," my brother adds, smiling broadly. "Unlike the others, he knew how to fight!"

  24. JOHN SMITH: Captured

  This wyroans Pamaunche I hold to inhabit a rich land of copper and pearl. His country lies into the land of another river, which by relation and description of the savages comes also from the mountains Duirank, but a shorter journey. The copper he had, as also many of his people, was very flexible. I bowed a piece of the thickness of a shilling round my finger as if it had been lead. I found them nice in parting with any. They wear it in their ears, about their necks in long links, and in broad plates on their heads. So we made no great unquiry of it, neither seemed desirous to have it.

  The king had a chain of pearl about his neck thrice double, the third part of them as big as peas, which I could not value less worth than 3 of 400li, had the pearl been taken from the muskle as it ought to be.

  His kingdom is full of deer; so also is most of all the kingdoms.

  He hath as the rest likewise many rich furs.

  This place I call "Pamaunche's Palace," howbeit by Nauviraus his words the King of Winauk is possessor herof. The plat of ground is bare without wood some 100 acres, where are set beans, wheat, peas, tobacco, gourds, pompions, and other things unknown to us in our tongue.

  —FROM A RELATION OF THE DISCOVERY OF OUR RIVER

  FROM JAMES FORT INTO THE MAIN, MADE BY CAPTAIN

  CHRISTOFER NEWPORT, AND SINCERELY WRITTEN AND

  OBSERVED BY A GENTLEMAN OF THE COLONY

  DECEMBER 6TH–30TH, 1607

  UPON HEARING THAT loud cry, I supposed that my guide, Nauiraus, had betrayed me. Presently I seized him and bound his arm to mine with my garters, my pistol ready bent to be avenged upon him. Yet he seemed innocent of what was done.

  "Fly," Nauiraus said. "Must take flight."

  Flight was not an easy thing, for I stood at the edge of a quagmire and the sound of shouting had come from the one path that had led us to this place. So I told my guide, asking how we might otherwise take flight.

  But as we went on discoursing, I was struck by an arrow on my right thigh. It did me little harm and I turned to espy two Indians drawing their bows, which I prevented in discharging a French pistol. By the time I had charged again, three or four more Indians had done the like, taking the place of the first who had fallen down and fled. At my next discharge, they also fell and fled. Now my guide I made my barricado, who offered not to strive but allowed me to use him as my buckler. The aim of the salvages was such that not a single arrow struck him, and his bulk was so much greater than mine that he made a fine shield. Twenty or thirty arrows were shot against me, but fell short or stuck in my clothes with no great hurt.

  Three or four more times I discharged his pistol ere the King of Pamaunkee, called Opechancanough, with two hundred men environed me. At his command, each drew their bows and then laid them upon the ground without shot. My guide then treated betwixt them and me conditions of peace.

  "This man," Nauiraus said, reaching back to touch my arm and then gesturing upward with his palm, "he werowance, Captain."

  At that the King nodded and spoke words, much of which I could not understand.

  "King say Coatmen all slain, give him your weapon," Nauiraus explained.

  At that I smiled. "Tell him I shall not fire again. I shall go to my boat."

  I then began to retire. Minding the salvages more than I did my steps, I stepped fast into the quagmire. Nauiraus, in trying to pull me forth, also did the same, and the two of us began to sink deeper.

  Thus surprised, I resolved to try their mercies. My arms I cast from me, till which none had dared approach him.

  Having thrown away my arms, the salvages accepted my surrender. They drew me forth from the oozy creek and led me to the fire, where Jehu Robinson lay slain with twenty or thirty arrows in him. Emry I saw not.

  Diligently they chafed my benumbed limbs. I demanded they take me to their Captain, who had retired to his pavilion. So they showed me to Opechancanough, King of Pamaunkee. To him I gave a round ivory double compass dial. Much he marveled at the playing of the fly and needle which he could see so plainly and yet not touch because of the glass that covered them. When I demonstrated by that globe-like jewel the roundness of the earth and skies, the sphere of the sun, moon, and stars and how the sun does chase the night round the world continually, and many other like such matters, they all stood as amazed with admiration.

  Notwithstanding, within an hour after that, they tied me to a tree, and as many as could stand about prepared to shoot me, but the King held up the compass in his hand. They all laid down their bows and arrows and in a triumphant manner led me to Orapaks, where I was after their manner kindly feasted and well used.

  Their manner in conducting me was thus: drawing themselves all in file, the King in the middest had all their pieces and swords borne before him. I was led after him by three great salvages holding me fast by each arm and on each side six more went in file with their arrows nocked. But upon our arriving at the town (which was only thirty or forty hunting houses made of mats, which they remove as they please, as we our tents), with all the women and children staring to behold me, the soldiers then cast themselves into a ring, dancing in such several postures and singing and yelling out such hellish notes and screeches. All were strangely painted, and every one had his quiver of arrows and at his back a club, on his arm a fox or otter skin. Every man had his head and shoulders painted red with oil and puccoon mingled together, which scarlet-like color made an exceeding handsome show. Each had his bow in his hand and the skin of a bird, with her wings abroad dried, tied upon his head, or a piece of copper, a white shell, a long feather with a small rattle at the
tails of their snakes tied to it, or some such like toy.

  All this time I and the King stood in the middest guarded, as before it was said, and after three dances the King and his men departed. The others conducted me to a long house, where thirty or forty tall fellows did guard me. Ere long more bread and venison was brought me than would serve twenty men. I think my stomach at that time was not very good. What I left, my keepers put into baskets. About midnight they set the meat before me again. All this time not one of them would eat a bit with me, till the next morning they brought me as much and more and then did eat the old and reserved me the new. It made me think they would fat me to eat me.

  Yet even as I was in this desperate estate, one Maocassater—whom I had met before—came into the long house and gave me his gown to defend me from the cold. This was, I suppose, in requital of some beads and toys I had given him at my first arrival in Virginia.

  25. POCAHONTAS: Waiting

  Long ago, the people forgot to greet Kefgawes, the Sun. Instead of looking up to Sun and giving thanks, they complained that Sun hurt their eyes. So, one day, Sun decided to no longer look down upon our land. The day of the Moon ended, but Sun stayed beyond the edge of the world

  When the people woke that morning, there was no light. They became afraid in the darkness, and cried for help. Great Hare heard their cries. He went to Sun and begged him to return.

  "The people do not welcome me," Sun said "I will stay here."

  Great Hare turned to the Spider for help. "Make a net for me," he said, and Spider did so. Great Hare threw that spider web net over Sun and pulled him back across the sky. As soon as Sun became visible to our people, they began to cry out words of welcome.

  Hearing those words, Sun changed his mind. "The people are glad to see me," he said. "As long as they remember to give me thanks each morning, I shall always return."