of course, compelled to do, and finding his provisions failing him he put the Portuguese crew on shore and sailed for Bermuda, where he managed to excuse himself to the Governor.  Powell again went to the West Indies pirating, and in May he arrived with three prizes, laden with meal, hides, and ammunition.  Tucker received him kindly and treated him with consideration, until he had the goods in his own possession, when he reproached the Captain with his piratical conduct and called him to account for his proceedings.  The unlucky buccaneer was, in the end, glad to escape to England, leaving his prizes in the hands of the Governor.

The discipline and hard labor required of the people reduced them to a condition but little better than that of slaves, and caused many to make desperate efforts to escape from the islands.  Five persons, neither of whom were sailors, built a fishing boat for the Governor, and when completed they borrowed a compass from their preacher, for whom they left a farewell epistle.  In this they reminded him how often he had exhorted them to patience under ill-treatment, and had told them how Providence would pay them, if man did not.  They trusted, therefore, that he would now practice what he had so often preached.

[Illustration:  Reproduction of Smith’s engraving, 1614, showing his coat of arms with the three Turk heads.]

These brave men endured great hardships in their boat of three tons during their rash voyage; but at the end of about forty-two days they arrived at Ireland, where their exploit was considered so wonderful that the Earl of Thomond caused them to be received and entertained, and hung up their boat as a monument of this extraordinary voyage.  The Governor was greatly exasperated at their escape, and threatened to hang the whole of them if they returned.

Another party of three, one of whom was a lady, attempted in a like manner to reach Virginia, but were never afterwards heard of.  Six others were discovered before they effected their departure, and one was executed.  John Wood, who was found guilty of speaking “many distasteful and mutinous speeches against the Governor,” was also condemned and executed.

As there were at that time only about five hundred inhabitants on these islands, it would appear from Captain Smith’s History that Tucker hanged a good percentage of them.  Many were the complaints that were forwarded to England concerning the tyrannical government of Tucker, and he, fearing to be recalled, at last returned to England of his own accord, having appointed a person named Kendall as his deputy.

Kendall was disposed to be attentive to his office, but wanted energy, and the company took an early opportunity to relieve him; this was not very agreeable to the people, but they did not offer any resistance.

Governor Butler arrived with four ships and five hundred men on the twentieth of October, 1619, which raised the number of the colonists to 1000, and at his departure three years later, it had increased to 1500.