Others sold kettles, hoes, or even swords and guns, that they
might buy fruit, or corn, or meat from the Indians without doing
so much of labor as was necessary in order to gather these things
for themselves.
CAPTAIN SMITH'S SPEECH
Jamestown was a scene of turmoil and confusion when Captain Smith
came back from his journey having on board only two baskets of corn
for seed. After understanding what had been done by the idle ones
during his absence, he called all the people together and said unto
them, speaking earnestly, as if pleading for his very life:
"Never did I believe white men who were come together in a new world,
and should stand shoulder to shoulder against all the enemies that
surround them, could be so reckless and malicious. It is vain to
hope for more help from Powhatan, and the time has come when I will
no longer bear with you in your idleness; but punish severely if
you do not set about the work which must be done, without further
plotting. You cannot deny but that I have risked my life many a
time in order to save yours, when, if you had been allowed to go
your own way, all would have starved.
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