Pocahontas

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

JOHN SMITH

After the crew is readied the ship is steered side to the shore where we will build our fort. Thomas and Ben gaze at the dense forest. I reckon they've not seen anything like it, being people that have lived in overpopulated London all their lives. As if ban and Thomas hear what I'm thinking Ben says,

"It's incredible!" he gets a delayed response from Thomas who says,

" And it's all ours! I've never seen anything like it!" A thin smile creeps across Thomas's face. Jon joins them with a rope ladder and starts to unroll it off the side of the ship as a rowboat splashes into the water.

"It can look like Ratcliffe's knickers for all I care!" He says, "Just as long as we get off this stinking boat. For some odd reason then I picture the governor in his knickers and a group off the crew laughing at him.

I slip on my armor and let out a silent laugh while walking to the side of the ship.

"Come on men," I say while I put on my helmet,"We didn't come all this way just to look at it,"

Then all of us climb down the rope ladder dangling from the side of the ship and into the rowboat that awaits us. It rocks as the inexperienced Thomas leaps aboard but steadies. He gets a disapproving look from Ben and Jon but I'm not hard on him. After all, he's never been out to sea, these dogs are some of the oldest crewmen in England. I've been working with ships since I was twelve and I'm twenty-two now, but you can learn a lot in just ten years,including how to deal with savages.

Two more crewmen hop aboard the rowboat and get into positions with me at the bow. Someone tosses me and the man at the tiller a gun and I barely catch it before it hits jon in the head. Before I can regain balance there's a sudden jerk and the rowboat glides through the water, the paddles slashing up water every few seconds.

Some of the fog still remains un this part of the river but is only half as powerfull as the fog we encountered earlier. The rowboat speeds up to a steady pace and gets closer to shore. A small creek leading behind the selected are starts to draw us in. My eyes scan slowly through the fog and trees.

I'm already watching for Natives. If there's one thing I've learned from my previous years of exploring, there'll be Natives almost everywhere you are brave enough to venture near. The trees here rise taller than the ones usually do in England, in England, the trees wither from the smoke of nearby chimneys and there aren't many trees in the neighboring islands of Scotland and Ireland.

The boat moves further along the creek. I spot a nice place to pull the rowboat ashore and direct the men towards it. "Over there," I say, gesturing to the spot I want the small boat parked. I jump out in the creek where the water is only about six inches deep and pull the boat up against the fine sand.

"Tell the governor We've seen no sign of Natives," "I say to Jon, "And that the location looks almost perfectly smooth for building,"

"Right then," says Jon, "Ben help me shove off,"

With that, Ben and Jon disappear back into the fog and row up the creek to the ship. Thomas and the others remain on the ground but I spot a tree that I could get a nice vantage point from if I could climb up far enough.

I hear shouts from the ship as i reach the base of the tree. The governor has made his decision, We will stay here to form the colony.

"John!" Thomas shouts as I'm about half way up the tree, "what in the blazes are you doing up there? Come and help us get the ship tied up!"

"One moment!" I shout down, "I'm getting a better look!"

I climb as far up as I can until I know the branches won't support my weight and through the leaves of the tree in front of me are many rolling hills with endless forests and trees. It looks to me like mapping this out will be my biggest accomplishment yet.

I turn around to see what I can see in the other direction, but am greeted with a flat wall of stone that comes up to my waist. I grip on tightly with my hands and pull my legs over the edge and onto the cliffs almost flat top.

I am greeted by a strange creature I've never seen before. It obviously isn't shy or frightened because it walks right up to me. While it walks circles around me I take in some of its features. Mostly gray with black stripes on its tail, big beady eyes, very bushy fur.

"Hello," I say. The creature stares up at me with what I might take as a confused look. Its nose starts twitching and it lifts itself on its hind legs and starts to dig in my pockets. The creature sticks its claws in and pulls out one of the many flat biscuits that were brought along for the voyage. I squat don so I'm almost face to face with the creature.

"You hungry?" I ask, " Here, have some more, I'm sick of 'em!" I hand the thing a few more biscuits which are devoured quickly.

"Like it ay?" I ask, "Try eating it for five months straight,"

I hand the wee beast another. After receiving it the creature waves a hand at something in the bushes a few yards away on the other side of the cliff near the trees.

"Is there another one of you back there?" I ask. I stand up and start to stride over to the bushes. I begin to pull away the bushes with my hand and a small bird comes whizzing out! The bird zooms around my body and head faster than the speed of light and i try to block with my hands and feel a sharp peck of this strange new species beak. Another new species within one minute? This pace is full of suprises! I think. A bugle sounds and I hear Thomas shout, "John, better get down here! the Governor is coming ashore!"

"Okay!" I shout at Thomas," I'm leaving!" I shout at the bird. I scurry down the tree and rush across the sand and grass to where the ship is tied up.This place is mad! I think.