The “General Historie” was compiled—­as was the custom in making up such books at the time from a great variety of sources.  Such parts of it as are not written by Smith—­and these constitute a considerable portion of the history—­bear marks here and there of his touch.  It begins with his description of Virginia, which appeared in the Oxford tract of 1612; following this are the several narratives by his comrades, which formed the appendix of that tract.  The one that concerns us here is that already quoted, signed Thomas Studley.  It is reproduced here as “written by Thomas Studley, the first Cape Merchant in Virginia, Robert Fenton, Edward Harrington, and I. S.” [John Smith].  It is, however, considerably extended, and into it is interjected a detailed account of the captivity and the story of the stones, the clubs, and the saved brains.

It is worthy of special note that the “True Relation” is not incorporated in the “General Historie.”  This is the more remarkable because it was an original statement, written when the occurrences it describes were fresh, and is much more in detail regarding many things that happened during the period it covered than the narratives that Smith uses in the “General Historie.”  It was his habit to use over and over again his own publications.  Was this discarded because it contradicted the Pocahontas story—­because that story could not be fitted into it as it could be into the Studley relation?

It should be added, also, that Purchas printed an abstract of the Oxford tract in his “Pilgrimage,” in 1613, from material furnished him by Smith.  The Oxford tract was also republished by Purchas in his “Pilgrimes,” extended by new matter in manuscript supplied by Smith.  The “Pilgrimes” did not appear till 1625, a year after the “General Historie,” but was in preparation long before.  The Pocahontas legend appears in the “Pilgrimes,” but not in the earlier “Pilgrimage.”

We have before had occasion to remark that Smith’s memory had the peculiarity of growing stronger and more minute in details the further he was removed in point of time from any event he describes.  The revamped narrative is worth quoting in full for other reasons.  It exhibits Smith’s skill as a writer and his capacity for rising into poetic moods.  This is the story from the “General Historie”: 

“The next voyage hee proceeded so farre that with much labour by cutting of trees in sunder he made his passage, but when his Barge could pass no farther, he left her in a broad bay out of danger of shot, commanding none should goe ashore till his return:  himselfe with two English and two Salvages went up higher in a Canowe, but he was not long absent, but his men went ashore, whose want of government, gave both occasion and opportunity to the Salvages to surprise one George Cassen, whom they slew, and much failed not to have cut of the boat and all the rest.  Smith little dreaming of that accident, being got to the marshes at the river’s head, twentie myles