A pitiable outcome, this, of all the hopes of fair "harbours and
habitations," of golden dreams, and farflung dominion. All those whom
Raleigh had sent to Roanoke were lost or had perished. Those who had named
and had first dwelled in Jamestown were in number about a hundred. To these
had been added, during the first year or so, perhaps two hundred more. And
the ships that had parted from the Sea Adventure had brought in three
hundred. First and last, not far from seven hundred English folk had come
to live in Virginia. And these skeletons eating snakes and adders were all
that remained of that company; all those others had died miserably and
their hopes were ashes with them.

What might Sir Thomas Gates, the Governor, do? "That which added most to
his sorowe, and not a little startled him, was the impossibilitie. . how to
amend one whitt of this. His forces were not of habilitie to revenge upon
the Indian, nor his owne supply (now brought from the Bermudas) sufficient
to relieve his people." So he called a Council and listened in turn to Sir
George Somers, to Christopher Newport, and to "the gentlemen and Counsaile
of the former Government." The end and upshot was that none could see other
course than to abandon the country. England-in-America had tried and
failed, and had tried again and failed. God, or the course of Nature, or
the current of History was against her. Perhaps in time stronger forces and
other attempts might yet issue from England. But now the hour had come to
say farewell!

Upon the bosom of the river swung two pinnaces, the Discovery and the
Virginia, left by the departing ships months before, and the Deliverance
and the Patience, the Bermuda pinnaces. Thus the English abandoned the
little town that was but three years old. Aboard the four small ships they
went, and down the broad river, between the flowery shores, they sailed away.
Doubtless under the trees on either hand were Indians watching this retreat of