After Smith’s return, as we have read, he was saved from a plot to take his life by the timely arrival of Captain Newport.  Somewhere about this time the great fire occurred.  Smith was now one of the Council; Martin and Matthew Scrivener, just named, were also councilors.  Ratcliffe was still President.  The savages, owing to their acquaintance with and confidence in Captain Smith, sent in abundance of provision.  Powhatan sent once or twice a week “deer, bread, raugroughcuns (probably not to be confounded with the rahaughcuns [raccoons] spoken of before, but probably ‘rawcomens,’ mentioned in the Description of Virginia), half for Smith, and half for his father, Captain Newport.”  Smith had, in his intercourse with the natives, extolled the greatness of Newport, so that they conceived him to be the chief and all the rest his children, and regarded him as an oracle, if not a god.

Powhatan and the rest had, therefore, a great desire to see this mighty person.  Smith says that the President and Council greatly envied his reputation with the Indians, and wrought upon them to believe, by giving in trade four times as much as the price set by Smith, that their authority exceeded his as much as their bounty.

We must give Smith the credit of being usually intent upon the building up of the colony, and establishing permanent and livable relations with the Indians, while many of his companions in authority seemed to regard the adventure as a temporary occurrence, out of which they would make what personal profit they could.  The new-comers on a vessel always demoralized the trade with the Indians, by paying extravagant prices.  Smith’s relations with Captain Newport were peculiar.  While he magnified him to the Indians as the great power, he does not conceal his own opinion of his ostentation and want of shrewdness.  Smith’s attitude was that of a priest who puts up for the worship of the vulgar an idol, which he knows is only a clay image stuffed with straw.

In the great joy of the colony at the arrival of the first supply, leave was given to sailors to trade with the Indians, and the new-comers soon so raised prices that it needed a pound of copper to buy a quantity of provisions that before had been obtained for an ounce.  Newport sent great presents to Powhatan, and, in response to the wish of the “Emperor,” prepared to visit him.  “A great coyle there was to set him forward,” says Smith.  Mr. Scrivener and Captain Smith, and a guard of thirty or forty, accompanied him.  On this expedition they found the mouth of the Pamaunck (now York) River.  Arriving at Werowocomoco, Newport, fearing treachery, sent Smith with twenty men to land and make a preliminary visit.  When they came ashore they found a network of creeks which were crossed by very shaky bridges, constructed of crotched sticks and poles, which had so much the appearance of traps that Smith would not cross them until many of the Indians had preceded him, while he kept others with him as hostages.