serious matter. Captain John Smith waited until the others had had their
say, and nothing practical had been suggested, then he rose and began:

"Gentlemen of the Council, there is but one thing to do. Since our
larder will not fill itself, needs must someone go forth again to seek
for food. Give me two men and one of the ship's boats and I will set off
to the northward, up that river the Indians call the Chickahominy and,
God helping me, I will bring back provisions for us all and make some
permanent treaty with the savages to supply us till our crops be grown."

President Wingfield agreed to Smith's demand. The barge was got ready
with a supply of beads and other glittering articles from Cheapside
booths, and Smith set off with the good wishes of the wan-faced
colonists.

After they had reached what seemed to Smith a likely spot for trading,
he took two men, Robinson and Emery, and two friendly natives in a canoe
and set off to explore the river further, bidding the others to wait for
him where he left them and on no account to venture nearer shore.

He was glad to be away from the noise of complaining men at Jamestown,
many of whom were ill and fretful from lack of proper nourishment and
some, who because they were gentlemen, would not labor yet repined that
they could not live as gentlefolk at home. On this expedition he was
with friends, even though he knew not what enemies might be lurking on
the shore; and he realized that the natives were growing less friendly
as time went on and they began to lose their first awe of the white men.
But he had no fear for himself; he had faced too many dangers in his
adventurous life to conjure up those to come.