The passage in this letter, “She hazarded the beating out of her owne braines to save mine,” is inconsistent with the preceding portion of the paragraph which speaks of “the exceeding great courtesie” of Powhatan; and Smith was quite capable of inserting it afterwards when he made up his

“General Historie.”

Smith represents himself at this time—­the last half of 1616 and the first three months of 1617—­as preparing to attempt a third voyage to New England (which he did not make), and too busy to do Pocahontas the service she desired.  She was staying at Branford, either from neglect of the company or because the London smoke disagreed with her, and there Smith went to see her.  His account of his intercourse with her, the only one we have, must be given for what it is worth.  According to this she had supposed Smith dead, and took umbrage at his neglect of her.  He writes: 

“After a modest salutation, without any word, she turned about, obscured her face, as not seeming well contented; and in that humour, her husband with divers others, we all left her two or three hours repenting myself to have writ she could speak English.  But not long after she began to talke, remembering me well what courtesies she had done:  saying, ’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:’  which though I would have excused, I durst not allow of that title, because she was a king’s daughter.  With a well set countenance she said:  ’Were you not afraid to come into my father’s country and cause fear in him and all his people (but me), and fear you have I should call you father; I tell you then I will, and you shall call me childe, and so I will be forever and ever, your contrieman.  They did tell me alwaies you were dead, and I knew no other till I came to Plymouth, yet Powhatan did command Uttamatomakkin to seek you, and know the truth, because your countriemen will lie much."’

This savage was the Tomocomo spoken of above, who had been sent by Powhatan to take a census of the people of England, and report what they and their state were.  At Plymouth he got a long stick and began to make notches in it for the people he saw.  But he was quickly weary of that task.  He told Smith that Powhatan bade him seek him out, and get him to show him his God, and the King, Queen, and Prince, of whom Smith had told so much.  Smith put him off about showing his God, but said he had heard that he had seen the King.  This the Indian denied, James probably not coming up to his idea of a king, till by circumstances he was convinced he had seen him.  Then he replied very sadly:  “You gave Powhatan a white dog, which Powhatan fed as himself, but your king gave me nothing, and I am better than your white dog.”

Smith adds that he took several courtiers to see Pocahontas, and “they did think God had a great hand in her conversion, and they have seen many English ladies worse favoured, proportioned, and behavioured;” and he heard that it had pleased the King and Queen greatly to esteem her, as also Lord and Lady Delaware, and other persons of good quality, both at the masques and otherwise.