Chapter 7 Smith To The Front

    It is now time to turn to Smith's personal adventures among theIndians during this period. Almost our only authority is Smithhimself, or such presumed writings of his companions as he edited orrewrote. Strachey and others testify to his energy in procuringsupplies for the colony, and his success in dealing¹ with the Indians,and it seems likely that the colony would have famished² but for hisexertions. Whatever suspicion attaches to Smith's relation of hisown exploits, it must never be forgotten that he was a man ofextraordinary executive ability, and had many good qualities tooffset his vanity and impatience³ of restraint.

　　After the departure of Wingfield, Captain Smith was constrained⁴ toact as Cape⁵ Merchant; the leaders were sick or discontented, the restwere in despair, and would rather starve and rot than do anything fortheir own relief, and the Indian trade was decreasing. Under thesecircumstances, Smith says in his "True Relation," "I was sent to themouth of the river, to Kegquoughtan [now Hampton], an Indian Towne,to trade for corn, and try the river for fish." The Indians,thinking them near famished, tantalized⁶ them with offers of littlebits of bread in exchange for a hatchet⁷ or a piece of copper⁸, andSmith offered trifles in return. The next day the Indians wereanxious to trade. Smith sent men up to their town, a display offorce was made by firing four guns, and the Indians kindly⁹ traded,giving fish, oysters¹⁰, bread, and deer. The town contained eighteenhouses, and heaps of grain. Smith obtained fifteen bushels of it,and on his homeward way he met two canoes with Indians, whom heaccompanied to their villages on the south side of the river, and gotfrom them fifteen bushels more.

　　This incident is expanded in the "General Historie." After the lapseof fifteen years Smith is able to remember more details, and toconceive himself as the one efficient man who had charge ofeverything outside the fort, and to represent his dealings with theIndians in a much more heroic and summary manner. He was not sent onthe expedition, but went of his own motion. The account opens inthis way: "The new President [Ratcliffe] and Martin, being littlebeloved, of weake judgement in dangers, and loose industrie in peace,committed the management of all things abroad to Captain Smith; whoby his own example, good words, and fair promises, set some to mow,others to binde thatch¹¹, some to builde houses, others to thatch them,himselfe always bearing the greatest taske for his own share, so thatin short time he provided most of them with lodgings¹², neglecting anyfor himselfe. This done, seeing the Salvage¹³ superfluities beginne todecrease (with some of his workmen) shipped himself in the Shallop tosearch the country for trade."In this narration¹⁴, when the Indians trifled with Smith he fired avolley at them, ran his boat ashore¹⁵, and pursued them fleeing towardstheir village, where were great heaps of corn that he could withdifficulty restrain his soldiers [six or seven] from taking. TheIndians then assaulted them with a hideous¹⁶ noise: "Sixty or seventyof them, some black, some red, some white, some particoloured, camein a square order, singing and dancing out of the woods, with theirOkee (which is an Idol¹⁷ made of skinnes, stuffed with mosse, andpainted and hung with chains and copper) borne before them; and inthis manner being well armed with clubs, targets, bowes and arrowes,they charged the English that so kindly received them with theirmuskets loaden with pistol shot, that down fell their God, and diverslay sprawling¹⁹ on the ground; the rest fled againe to the woods, andere long sent men of their Quiyoughkasoucks [conjurors] to offerpeace and redeeme the Okee." Good feeling was restored, and thesavages brought the English "venison, turkies, wild fowl²⁰, bread allthat they had, singing and dancing in sign of friendship till theydeparted." This fantastical account is much more readable than theformer bare narration.

　　The supplies which Smith brought gave great comfort to the despairingcolony, which was by this time reasonably fitted with houses. But itwas not long before they again ran short of food. In his firstnarrative Smith says there were some motions made for the Presidentand Captain Arthur to go over to England and procure²¹ a supply, but itwas with much ado concluded that the pinnace and the barge²² should goup the river to Powhatan to trade for corn, and the lot fell to Smithto command the expedition. In his "General Historie" a littledifferent complexion²³ is put upon this. On his return, Smith says, hesuppressed an attempt to run away with the pinnace to England. Herepresents that what food "he carefully provided the rest carelesslyspent," and there is probably much truth in his charges that thesettlers were idle and improvident²⁴. He says also that they were incontinual broils²⁵ at this time. It is in the fall of 1607, justbefore his famous voyage up the Chickahominy, on which he departedDecember 10th--that he writes: "The President and Captain Arthurintended not long after to have abandoned the country, which projectwas curbed²⁶ and suppressed by Smith. The Spaniard never more greedilydesired gold than he victual, nor his soldiers more to abandon thecountry than he to keep it. But finding plenty of corn in the riverof Chickahomania, where hundreds of salvages²⁷ in divers¹⁸ places stoodwith baskets expecting his coming, and now the winter approaching,the rivers became covered with swans, geese, ducks, and cranes, thatwe daily feasted with good bread, Virginia peas, pumpions, andputchamins, fish, fowls²⁸, and divers sorts of wild beasts as fat as wecould eat them, so that none of our Tuftaffaty humorists desired togo to England."While the Chickahominy expedition was preparing, Smith made a voyageto Popohanock or Quiyoughcohanock, as it is called on his map, a townon the south side of the river, above Jamestown. Here the women andchildren fled from their homes and the natives refused to trade.

　　They had plenty of corn, but Smith says he had no commission to spoilthem. On his return he called at Paspahegh, a town on the north sideof the James, and on the map placed higher than Popohanock, butevidently nearer to Jamestown, as he visited it on his return. Heobtained ten bushels of corn of the churlish and treacherous²⁹ natives,who closely watched and dogged the expedition.

　　Everything was now ready for the journey to Powhatan. Smith had thebarge and eight men for trading and discovery, and the pinnace was tofollow to take the supplies at convenient landings. On the 9th ofNovember he set out in the barge to explore the Chickahominy, whichis described as emptying into the James at Paspahegh, eight milesabove the fort. The pinnace was to ascend³⁰ the river twenty miles toPoint Weanock, and to await Smith there. All the month of NovemberSmith toiled³¹ up and down the Chickahominy, discovering and visitingmany villages, finding the natives kindly disposed and eager totrade, and possessing abundance of corn. Notwithstanding thisabundance, many were still mutinous³². At this time occurred thePresident's quarrel with the blacksmith, who, for assaulting thePresident, was condemned³³ to death, and released on disclosing aconspiracy of which Captain Kendall was principal; and the latter wasexecuted in his place. Smith returned from a third voyage to theChickahominy with more supplies, only to find the matter of sendingthe pinnace to England still debated.

　　This project, by the help of Captain Martin, he again quieted and atlast set forward on his famous voyage into the country of Powhatanand Pocahontas.

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 famished   

adj.饥饿的

参考例句：

• When's lunch?I'm famished!什么时候吃午饭？我饿得要死了！
• My feet are now killing me and I'm absolutely famished.我的脚现在筋疲力尽，我绝对是极饿了。

3 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

4 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

5 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

6 tantalized   

v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The delicious smell tantalized us. 香味逗引我们。 来自辞典例句
• It tantalized him that she should have such a loathing for him. 她竟会这么厌恶他，这倒使他心里直纳闷。 来自辞典例句

7 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

8 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

9 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

10 oysters   

牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
• She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

11 thatch   

vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋)

参考例句：

• They lit a torch and set fire to the chapel's thatch.他们点着一支火把，放火烧了小教堂的茅草屋顶。
• They topped off the hut with a straw thatch. 他们给小屋盖上茅草屋顶。

12 lodgings   

n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍

参考例句：

• When he reached his lodgings the sun had set. 他到达公寓房间时，太阳已下山了。
• I'm on the hunt for lodgings. 我正在寻找住所。

13 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

14 narration   

n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体

参考例句：

• The richness of his novel comes from his narration of it.他小说的丰富多采得益于他的叙述。
• Narration should become a basic approach to preschool education.叙事应是幼儿教育的基本途径。

15 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

16 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

17 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

18 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

19 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

20 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

21 procure   

vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条

参考例句：

• Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗？
• I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。

22 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

23 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

24 improvident   

adj.不顾将来的，不节俭的，无远见的

参考例句：

• Her improvident speech at the meeting has set a stone rolling.她在会上的发言缺乏远见，已产生严重后果。
• He must bear the consequences of his improvident action.他必须对自己挥霍浪费所造成的后果负责。

25 broils   

v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的第三人称单数 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙）

参考例句：

• At length I fell into some broils. 最后我终于遭到了一场小小的风波。 来自辞典例句
• The sun broils the valley in the summer. 太阳在夏天炙烤着山谷。 来自互联网

26 curbed   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Advertising aimed at children should be curbed. 针对儿童的广告应受到限制。 来自辞典例句
• Inflation needs to be curbed in Russia. 俄罗斯需要抑制通货膨胀。 来自辞典例句

27 salvages   

海上营救( salvage的名词复数 )； 抢救出的财产； 救援费； 经加工后重新利用的废物

参考例句：

• A man salvages coal at a cinder dump site in Changzhi, Shanxi province China. 中国山西长治，一名男子在煤渣处理站捡拾煤炭。

28 fowls   

鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马

参考例句：

• A great number of water fowls dwell on the island. 许多水鸟在岛上栖息。
• We keep a few fowls and some goats. 我们养了几只鸡和一些山羊。

29 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

30 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

31 toiled   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• They toiled up the hill in the blazing sun. 他们冒着炎炎烈日艰难地一步一步爬上山冈。
• He toiled all day long but earned very little. 他整天劳碌但挣得很少。

32 mutinous   

adj.叛变的，反抗的；adv.反抗地，叛变地；n.反抗，叛变

参考例句：

• The mutinous sailors took control of the ship.反叛的水手们接管了那艘船。
• His own army,stung by defeats,is mutinous.经历失败的痛楚后，他所率军队出现反叛情绪。

33 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。