Part 5

Finally she was presented at court by Lord and Lady Delaware, and formally welcomed with great pomp and ceremony by King James and his queen, surrounded by their following of lords and ladies, all arrayed in their rich costumes of state. And none of the haughty ladies was prouder or more stately than the Indian bride. Throughout London town her welcome was the same. The people were curious to see this dark Princess from another world. And even the high bishops, and the great lords and ladies, came down in their stately coaches to visit her at her house in Branford.

To compliment her, many taverns and inns were named "La Belle Sauvage," a name still to be found on old London signs.

And as she had done so much to help the struggling English colonists across the sea, all wished to show their gratitude by greetings, and festivals in her honor. Old Uttamatomakkin received his share of attention as well. In his wild dress, with his tawny skin and shining black hair, he was a strange sight to those who had never before seen a red American. He was not at all impressed by the king and his richly dressed nobles, and wondered how they could endure so many clothes, and greatly preferred his own simple dress, made from the skins of the wild beasts of his forests.

23. THE MEETING OF POCAHONTAS AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH

And now Captain John Smith, who, during all this time, had been on long voyages of exploration and adventure, hearing that Pocahontas had come to England, remembered the old times and all that the little Indian maid had done for him, and so, attended by some friends, he went down to Branford to greet her. When Pocahontas saw him a flood of recollection overcame her, and she was greatly moved. She turned from him, hiding her face in her hand, and for a long time could not speak. At last she said, "They told me you were dead."

Then she reproached him for calling her the Lady Rebecca, the name given her since her marriage, and told him that he should call her child, as he used to do, and said, "You did promise Powhatan what was yours should be his, and he the like to you: you called him father, being in his land a stranger, and by the same reason so must I do you."

But Captain John excused himself, saying, "I durst not now allow of that title, since the King commands that you be treated as a Princess."

Then Pocahontas answered, "You were not afraid to come into my father's country, and to cause fear in him and all his people but me, and fear you here I should call you father? I tell you then I will, and you shall call me child. And so I will be forever and ever your countryman."

And then, when Pocahontas had grown calmer, these two, after years of separation, again sat together, and talked long of the old days in Virginia.

Uttamatomakkin, glad to see an old friend in this strange land, told how he had been commanded by Powhatan to seek out Captain John, to know the truth, if he still lived, for they could not believe all the rumors they heard concerning him.

24. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH GOES TO SEA AGAIN

After this meeting Captain John became more restless than ever, and soon set sail again. And when alone upon the deck of his ship he thought often of the Virginia colony for which he had toiled, and risked so much, and of Pocahontas, and of her help in his time of need. No doubt he saw again before him the little Indian girl who had saved his life, and the maid who brought him succor, and, when the time came, saved him once more by her warning. And his heart was warmed with gratitude, and he wished her happiness in her new life. But always for him ambition and action called. So he sailed away to help found new colonies, this time to that part of America which he named New England, and where he opened the way for the Pilgrim Fathers, who afterwards built a new Plymouth in the new world. From Jamestown and Plymouth other colonies spread along the coast, until in time they joined hands and formed a new nation, the United States of America.

25. POCAHONTAS LONGS FOR HOME

When Captain John had gone, the thoughts of Pocahontas more than ever turned toward home, and she wearied of the crowded English land, and longed for her native forests again. Daily she gazed from her window toward the west, where lay Virginia, and her early life. And she pined, and thought much of the old days in her native wilds, when into her sunny life came the golden-haired stranger, with his people, and of the great changes that had befallen her and her race through that coming.

She often talked with old Uttamatomakkin of Virginia, and of Captain John, and grew more and more homesick, till her husband became alarmed lest she fall ill from longing, and he tried to hasten their departure. They journeyed down to Gravesend, where their ship was lying, but were compelled to wait while it took on supplies for Jamestown.

At last, however, the good news was brought that the ship was ready. Preparations were quickly made for the long voyage, and the day was set.

26. THE END OF THE STORY OF POCAHONTAS

Though the ship lay ready in the offing, and the sailors had come to convey them on board, and though at last Pocahontas had turned her face toward home, alas! it was not to be. A sudden weakness overcame her, and gently, looking toward the setting sun and Virginia, she quietly fell asleep,--to rest forever in a foreign land.

From her son, who years after returned to the land of his birth, many proud families still trace their descent. As long as Virginia lives her name will be dear to that state. And for us all, who have inherited this great land, this first page of a nation's history, the story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith, with its echo of primitive days, its romance and dangers, its daring courage and perseverance, will always mean more than simply a tale of adventure of the little Indian girl and the gallant soldier.