Pocahontas

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

JOHN SMITH

I arrive at the edge of Pocahontas's village right behind the man who Thomas shot, Kocoum Pocahontas called him.

One of the Indians begins to speak. I can alreday tell he's angry. I'm shoved to my knees in front of him as the others begin to talk to him in the language I only know some of. I only make out some of the words like "This white man," or "find her,"

The man in front of me points his spear at my throat and I realize he must be the chief, Pocahontas's father. He's better dressed than the others with a wolf fur coat and feathered hat. He says something strange but I know it can't be good, because I can decipher one chunk of the sentence.

"At sunrise, he will be the first to,"

I'm hoping that the last word isn't die, because Pocahontas hasn't talked alot about death. She's tried to avert most of our topics away from the tension between our people.

Suddenly I hear Pocahontas running through the crowd. She stops a few steps from the chief, her father, and begins to talk in him native tounge. He quickly cuts her off and shouts at her in a powerfull and dangerous voice. After a short lecture to her, he adresses the Indians behind me and I'm quickly carried, or shoved rather, away and tied up to one pole of many in the middle of the village.

After a while a large bonfire is started and the Indians, mostly men gather around painting their faces and chanting. One of the elderly men doesn't dance with the others but performs what apears to be some sort of ritual. I've already given up struggling adn stand quietly, That is until I remember the knife I hide in my boot at all times. I squat down to the bottom of the pole and fummble around the inside of my boot.

"Succes!" I whisper to myself.

I begin to slowly saw away at the rope, trying not to draw attention to myself. Thank goodness these people don't check for weapons. I feel the rope snap in two and rasie up, being sure to keep my wrists together until the right moment. I revolve so I'm facing the woods edge. There's a break in the crowd where I can see a perfect spot to slip through the strangely crafted log barrier. The break in the crowd disappears and reappears for a third time before I take off, elbowing past people and slipping through the wood.

Even though I've caught them by surprise I'm nearly impaled by two arrows. I wind my way through the woods until I'm met face to face with Pocahontas.

"This way!" She half-whispers.

She leads me through the edge of the woods to the edge of her village and we stay low so that the people searching on the other side of the village where I escaped don't see me.

"Thomas didn't mean to kill him." I say to Pocahontas as we run to the canoes,"He was only trying to protect me, Tell them that,"

"I will," she responds, "Just go," she says, shoving an oar into my hands.

She then slips back into the woods. I stare after her before finaly snapping back to reality. I jump in the small boat and paddle as fast as I can, not stopping or slowing, but I can hear more oars splashing behind me and know that even with Pocahontas's help there is no hope for me. If she's watching she knows it to.

I am to die by the hands of her people at sunrise.