The Adventures of Pocahontas and John Rolfe: Book I

Chapter 21: The Dangers of Good Fortune

The Adventures of Pocahontas and John Rolfe: Book I

Chapter 21: The Dangers of Good Fortune

NOVEMBER 18, 1613

Three days had passed since Pocahontas's spectacular hunt. They were making excellent progress on the journey northeast, although John Rolfe had begun to worry that they might be going too far north. If they traveled past Virginia without realizing it, they would be in serious trouble and totally lost. But Pocahontas habitually went wherever the wind took her. It was her intuitive sense that the spirits were trying to tell her to go farther north—perhaps because it would be the most expedient route to get home. The weather thus far had been cold but dry. This changed that very night. Pocahontas, John Rolfe, Juanito Ponce de León, and the animals were fast asleep in their bedrolls when freezing rain started to fall quite unexpectedly, giving them all a rude wake-up call.

They rushed to pack up as quickly as possible and then John Rolfe led Ciceron and the others to a place at a slightly lower elevation where a massive flat boulder protruded horizontally out of a tall bluff. It created a roof-like shelter. The group managed to make it there just in time to avoid a hailstorm. Part of the overhang was high enough for even Ciceron to find shelter from the painful pelting of the storm. It was to their good fortune that the boulder was in a heavily littered part of the forest, downhill from numerous overarching trees. Branches, leaves, and grass had naturally accumulated in the area, providing plenty of fire fuel. Most of the trees in the forest were bare by now or close to it, causing the forest to appear starker than ever. Rolfe shivered a bit as he raked a leaf bed together for Ciceron to rest on. Meeko and Percy licked themselves to dry off.

All shivering, Pocahontas, John Rolfe, and Juanito hurriedly built a fire and dried their things out as much as possible. The Spaniard was particularly cold because his clothes and other items were mostly made of fabrics and not waterproof hide. He was soaked through and through, but Rolfe spent extra time helping him dry his clothes. It was crowded under the overhang. Once their bedrolls were dry enough to put down, John Rolfe and Pocahontas laid them out right next to each other over a bed of crunchy autumn leaves. Rolfe, Pocahontas, Meeko, and Percy were forced to huddle together to make room for everyone, especially the horse. With the moose hide draped fur side down over his back, the stallion had managed to stay relatively dry because the skin acted as a rain barrier. Ciceron relaxed on his leaf bed, chewing on some adjacent dry grasses.

John Rolfe sat up to get everyone's attention once the chaos had finally calmed down. "Listen, it has become clear to me that the weather is only going to get worse and worse from here on out. We may have some good days here and there. Regardless, we will strive to make camp in natural shelters wherever we can find them from now on," he declared, speaking loudly so that he could be heard over the noise of the hailstorm. Pocahontas, Meeko, Percy, and Flit nodded. Rolfe then repeated himself in Spanish for Juanito Ponce de León's sake. The ornery old Spaniard just shrugged.

Pocahontas's shivering worsened until John Rolfe noticed it. "J-John, I'm cold," she chattered, sitting behind him with her back to the cold stone wall. Peering over at her, he noted with alarm that her lips were turning a dull color. "I d-didn't want to interrupt while you were helping J-Juanito but now I'm f-freezing." Meeko cooed at her worriedly. Percy started to whine as he did his best to lick his fur dry, feeling chilled to the bone as well.

John Rolfe moved Percy closer to the fire. He pulled Pocahontas over him so that she was closer too, switching places with her. Reaching over her, he threw more bits of dry wood and bark into the flames. "Did the rain penetrate your clothes?" the diplomat inquired.

"Y-yes, I discovered a hole in the back of my hood when the rain started. Ice c-cold water was r-running down my back the whole time we were searching for this shelter. I n-need to s-sew it up," Pocahontas returned, starting to feel just a little bit warmer.