At a word of command from him, the guards moved aside and the huge
warrior walked slowly around Smith, examining him from head to foot.

There was a pause which, the Englishman knew, might be broken by an
order to torture and kill him. He did not understand their hesitancy,
but he meant at any rate to take advantage of it. He must engage the
attention of the giant chief before him. Slowly he pulled from his
pocket his heavy silver watch and held it up to his own ear.

Never had Opechanchanough and his men experienced such an awe of the
unknown. For all they could tell, this small ball in the white man's
hand might contain a medicine more deadly than that of his pistol. They
stood like children in a thunderstorm, not knowing when or where the
bolt might strike.

But nothing terrible came to pass. Then Opechanchanough's curiosity was
aroused and he put out his hand for the watch. Smith, smiling, held it
towards him in his palm and then laid it against the chief's ear, saying
in the Pamunkey tongue: "Listen." Opechanchanough jumped with
astonishment and cried out:

"A spirit! A spirit! He hath a spirit imprisoned!"

Then one by one the captors crowded forward to look at the
"turtle-of-metal-that-hath-a-spirit," and many were the exclamations of
astonishment.

In order to increase this feeling of awe and to lengthen the delay,
though he did not know what he could even hope to happen. Smith felt in
his pocket again and brought out his travelling compass. It was of ivory