Blood on the River

Captain Newport, Captain Smith, and a group of about 20 men go exploring, “in search of gold and silver” (75), while the men and boys left behind continue to work. Richard and James avoid Samuel, so he wonders how he can be more kind to them when they don’t interact. At the end of the day, everyone gathers to pray with Reverend Hunt, and one evening, Samuel feels the “hair on the back of [his] neck bristle” (77) as he is walking back to the tent he shares with Richard and James. That night, he wakes up as the camp is being attacked, and he hears “footsteps, shouting, that god-awful shrieking, the twang of arrows being shot, men crying out in pain” (79). Samuel and Richard survive the attack, which ends after Captain Gosnold fires a cannon from one of the ships, but Abram is wounded, along with 16 other men. Captain Gosnold appears, holding James’ body; the young boy was killed while he was seeking safety.

After Reverend Hunt and Samuel pray for James, Samuel confesses to the reverend that he blames himself for the death of the young boy. Samuel feels he “should have kinder to him so that he would trust me” (81) and that he should have explained to James what to do in the case of an attack. Reverend Hunt explains to Samuel the significance of forgiving oneself as well as forgiving others. Richard is also upset, and Samuel wonders if he “will ever forgive me, for my meanness to James while he was alive” (82).

Captain Smith and the explorers return to camp; the odd behavior of their Native American guide alerted them to the possibility of a raid. The council meets to plan for the future, and Samuel tries to listen in on the discussion. He overhears that the tribes are “a kingdom of warriors” (83) and they live in an organized system, led by a powerful leader called the Powhatan. President Wingfield accepts that the idea of a palisade, a protective feature he once rejected, is necessary.

The men and boys work quickly to construct the palisade. Samuel notes that the sailors and “our laborers, soldiers, and other working men” (84) are the ones who have “strength and speed” (84), unlike the gentlemen who are reluctant “to dirty their velvet” (84). The men who leave the confines of the fort are attacked, and two men are killed. Captain Smith teaches Samuel how to use a sword, using the armor of one of the slain men, and the captain compares the art of swordplay to dancing, “a dance of death with your opponent” (86). Captain Smith defeats Samuel at first, but soon, Samuel’s “blade finds its mark” (88), and Captain Smith is proud of Samuel’s progress. He promises to teach Samuel every day and that tomorrow, Samuel will learn how to use a weapon “much more powerful than this sword” (88).

When Captain Smith and Samuel begin their lesson the next morning, Samuel is somewhat disappointed to find out that his new weapon is the Algonquin language, which will be his “protection outside the fort, and within it as well” (90), not a musket. During the month of June, Captain Smith is cleared of all charges against him, which means he can take his place on the council and make good use of “his good sense and important skills” (91). Later that month, Captain Newport and the sailors leave for England, leaving approximately 100 men behind, promising to return by October with more supplies and taking all the food except “fourteen weeks’ worth of wheat and barley” (91).

A few weeks later, the men begin to come down with a difficult illness, leaving them “groaning and feverish with swollen faces and bloody diarrhea” (91). The men who survive the mysterious illness know not if a curse is to blame, or the salty water, or the damp weather. Samuel tries to help those who are worse off than him and notices that somehow, “President Wingfield is in the finest of health” (93) as everyone else suffers. In secret, Henry brings an egg to his master, Abram, and Samuel is shocked to overhear that there are still eggs stored somewhere in the settlement, as well as meat, wine, and other stores. Henry threatens Samuel and forces him to swear that he “will tell no one what you heard” (94); Samuel promises, but he worries about Richard, Captain Smith, and Reverend Hunt, who are among the most unwell. Men continue to die “while Master Wingfield eats his meat and drinks his wine” (95). After consulting with Reverend Hunt about what constitutes an authentic promise to God, Reverend Hunt tells Samuel to “[c]hoose the path of love and not of fear” (96). Emboldened by his love of the reverend, Samuel decides to talk to Captain Smith in private.

After Master Wingfield is arrested for hoarding foodstuffs that could have saved the lives of many men, he is imprisoned on the Discovery. Reverend Hunt’s health improves, and rainstorms improve the water quality in the river. Captain Smith protects Samuel so he need not fear Henry’s wrath. Samuel tries to befriend Richard by showing him how to use his new sword and then brings Richard to Captain Smith to ask him for armor for Richard. Captain Smith begins training “every able-bodied man” (101) to use a musket, and Samuel learns quickly and hits his target three times.

The 50 men who have survived the illness are “half-starved and weak” (101), living on “wormy grains” (101) as no one wants to risk their lives to hunt outside the boundaries of the fort. One day, a panic arises, but the natives who have arrived at the gates only want to trade. They bring baskets “filled with bread, corn, fish, meat, squash, and berries” (102). Captain Smith communicates with them, learning that they are peacekeeping members of the friendly Paspahegh tribe who “will try to convince [the enemy tribes] that we pose no threat” (103). Captain Smith bargains with the natives, but he “does not trade away a single sword or musket” (104).

The month of October 1607 arrives, but Captain Newport does not return with the promised food stores. The residents of the Jamestown settlement are healthy, however, thanks to Captain Smith, who trades well with the Indians, clean water, and improved housing. While working with the others to build houses, Samuel reflects on “what Captain Smith meant about us needing to stand on many legs to survive” (106). In December, Captain Smith and nine others “sail with him in the shallop up the Chickahominy River” (107), looking for a passage to the Pacific Ocean that will “make the Virginia Company investors very happy, and very rich” (107).

As soon as Captain Smith leaves, progress slows, but the servants continue to cook, tote water, and chop wood for the fire. Richard and Samuel work together, which pleases Samuel, and when Master Croft, one of the gentlemen, comes to their cabin for embers, the boys wait for the soldiers to follow suit as no one is willing to build their own fires from scratch anymore. When six men from Captain Smith’s party returns, “[t]here is not a smile among them” (109), and they tell a grim story of capture and violence. Samuel worries about Captain Smith, who has not returned, and feels grateful that he has Richard and Reverend Hunt as friends and allies. Around Christmas, a letter from Captain Smith arrives with Native American messengers, announcing that he is well and living with the Pamunkeys, a friendly tribe. One morning, soon after the start of the new year, Richard discovers that the gentlemen have disappeared, and so has the supply of corn.

The gentlemen have loaded up all the food they have stolen from the Jamestown settlement on to the Discovery, intending to leave “the twenty-five of us commoners behind to starve” (114). The men left behind argue about what to do, but the reverend stays calm, pointing out to Samuel that without wind, the Discovery cannot travel and “[t]here is time for [the reverend] to pray for a miracle” (115). The miracle soon arrives in the form of Captain Smith accompanied by 12 native men, “bare-chested despite the cold” (116). As soon as Captain Smith hears of the gentlemen’s theft, he orders the men to “load the cannons and aim them squarely at the Discovery” (116) and then orders the gentlemen to “[h]alt or be sunk!” (116).

The gentlemen begin to return to shore with the supplies upon learning that two men have been killed during Captain Smith’s exploratory trip, and Captain Smith tells everyone the story of his capture and other exciting tales of his time away from the settlement. Captain Smith describes Chief Powhatan’s intention to execute him and the bravery of the chief’s young daughter, Pocahontas, when she interfered with her father’s plan and saved the captain’s life. The gentlemen arrive and immediately put Captain Smith into chains, arresting him for the deaths of the two gentlemen who had been killed. As the men drag Captain Smith away, Samuel loses control, hurls a rock “at the back of Master Archer’s head" (121), and runs at him in order to “pummel the snot out of him” (122).

Samuel trips before he can reach Master Archer, and Reverend Hunt interferes, both protecting Samuel and taking responsibility for his consequence. As the reverend drags Samuel away to the chapel, Samuel apologizes and Richard follows; Reverend Hunt insists that Samuel “[p]ray to curb your temper” (124). To Samuel’s dismay, the reverend acknowledges the possibility that Captain Smith will be hanged, so the three pray together for a miracle. Later, they overhear the men plotting to kill the gentlemen, but Reverend Hunt scolds them for such thoughts of violence. Samuel and Richard lament the fact that Captain Smith might die the following day, just as they spot a ship on the horizon, “gliding toward us on the wind” (126). It is not the Spanish ship they all dread, but Captain Newport at the helm of an English ship. The boys run to find Reverend Hunt to tell him that “[he] got [his] miracle” (127).