AJ-082: Smith, Generall Historie of Virginia (1624)

              


358    NARRATIVES OF EARLY
VIRGINIA    [1622

thought sure
and unviolable, not onely in regard of their
promises,
but of a necessitie. The poore weake Salvages being
every
way bettered by us, and safely sheltred and
defended,
whereby wee might freely follow our businesse:
and such was
the conceit of this conceited peace, as that
there was seldome
or never a sword, and seldomer a peece,
except for a Deere or
Fowle; by which assurances the most
plantations were placed
straglingly and scatteringly, as
a choice veine of rich ground
invited them, and further
from neighbours the better. Their
houses generally open
to the Salvages, who were alwaies
friendly fed at their
tables, and lodged in their bed-chambers;
which made the
way plaine to effect their intents, and the
conversion of
the Salvages as they
supposed.
    Having occasion to send
to Opechankanough about the
middle of March, hee used the
Messenger well, and told him
he held the peace so firme,
the sky should fall or 1 he dissolved
it; yet such was
the treachery of those people, when they had
contrived
our destruction, even but two daies before the
massacre,
they guided our men with much kindnesse thorow
the woods,
and one Browne that lived among them to learne
the
language, they sent home to his Master. Yea, they
bor-
rowed our Boats to transport themselves over the
River, to
consult on the devillish murder that insued,
and of our utter
extirpation, which God of his mercy (by
the meanes of one of
themselves converted to
Christianitie) prevented; and as
well on the Friday
morning that fatall day, being the two
and twentieth of
March, as also in the evening before, as at
other times
they came unarmed into our houses, with Deere,
Turkies,
Fish, Fruits, and other provisions to sell us: yea
in
some places sat downe at breakfast with our people,
whom
immediatly with their owne tooles they slew most
barbar-
ously, not sparing either age or sex, man woman
or childe;
so sudden in their execution, that few or none
discerned the
weapon or blow that brought them to
destruction. In
which manner also they slew many of our
people at severall
works in the fields, well knowing in
what places and quarters
    1
Before.