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 Statistics: A Gentle Introduction (3rd ed.): Test Bank

Chapter 7 Test Questions

Problems 1–5. A business statistician wishes to determine whether current unemployment rates

differ between former communist countries and European/Asian nations that have not been under

communist control. A sample of 10 countries each was randomly chosen from all eligible

countries. The data are as follows:

Former Communist Not Former Communist

(%) (%)

23 12

13 8

33 9

21 14

17 7

24 8

12 10

18 11

27 12

16 7

1. Are the mean percentages significantly different?

a. yes, at p < .05

b. yes, at p < .01

c. yes, at p < .001

1
 Statistics: A Gentle Introduction (3rd ed.): Test Bank

d. no, at p > .05

2. The degrees of freedom for this problem are

a. 20

b. 18

c. 10

d. 9

3. The derived t value for this problem is

a. 7.338

b. 4.816

c. 11.373

d. 12.000

4. The correct statistical decision would be

a. retain the null hypothesis

b. reject the null hypothesis

c. retain the alternative hypothesis

d. reject the directional null hypothesis

5. The appropriate conclusion of this statistical analysis would be

a. The mean unemployment rate (20.4%) in former communist countries is significantly

greater (p < .001) than the mean unemployment rate (9.8%) in countries not formerly under

communist control.

b. The mean unemployment rate (9.8%) in former communist countries is significantly

greater (p < .001) than the mean unemployment rate (20.4%) in countries not formerly

under communist control.

2
 Statistics: A Gentle Introduction (3rd ed.): Test Bank

c. The mean unemployment rate (20.4%) in former communist countries is significantly

greater (p < .05) than the mean unemployment rate (9.8%) in countries not formerly under

communist control.

d. The mean unemployment rate (20.4%) in former communist countries is not significantly

greater (p > .05) than the mean unemployment rate (9.8%) in countries not formerly under

communist control.

Problems 6–10. A psychiatrist is interested in the effects of a new drug for the control of

depression. In a clinical trial, 18 depressed patients were randomly assigned to one of two

groups, either the drug group or the placebo group. One half hour after the administration of the

drug or placebo, their depression was measured by the Coolidge Axis II Inventory’s Depression

scale and reported as T scores (M = 50, SD = 10).

Drug Placebo

52 65

53 59

58 68

50 53

53 59

58 67

55 61

66 70

53 62

3
 Statistics: A Gentle Introduction (3rd ed.): Test Bank

6. The value of the numerator in the t formula for this problem (either or –) is

a. 3.058

b. 55.33

c. 62.67

d. 7.33

7. The degrees of freedom for this problem are

a. 18

b. 16

c. 8

d. 20

8. The derived t value for this problem (either or ) is

a. 3.058

b. 7.33

c. .008

d. 2.120

9. The correct statistical decision would be to

a. reject the null hypothesis at p < .05 (although it would be reported significant at p < .01)

b. retain the null hypothesis (p > .05)

c. reject the null hypothesis at p < .05 (although it would be reported significant at p < .001)

10. The overall results would mean that

a. the new drug significantly lowers anxiety levels compared to a placebo

b. the new drug lowers anxiety levels by a factor of .01

c. the new drug is significant

4
 Statistics: A Gentle Introduction (3rd ed.): Test Bank

d. the new drug lowers anxiety levels compared to a placebo but not significantly

Problems 11–15. The Food and Drug Administration wishes to determine whether the claim that

Vitamin C prevents colds has any truth. In a clinical drug trial, 30 subjects were randomly

assigned to either the Vitamin C group (receiving a daily supplement of the minimum daily

requirement) or the placebo group (who received no supplement but did get a placebo pill). The

number of self-reported colds is recorded after 3 years.

Vitamin C Placebo

3 8

8 8

6 7

7 10

4 11

9 4

2 3

5 7

7 6

11 8

10 4

8 10

7 6

6 8

7 5

5
 Statistics: A Gentle Introduction (3rd ed.): Test Bank

11. The value of the numerator (either or –) in the t test formula for this problem is

a. 0.378

b. 6.67

c. 7.00

d. .051

12. The degrees of freedom for this problem are

a. 30

b. 28

c. 15

d. 14

13. The derived t value (either + or –) for this problem is

a. 0.708

b. 0.378

c. 0.333

d. 0.05

14. What can be concluded from the statistical analysis of this problem?

a. the null hypothesis cannot be rejected

b. Vitamin C doesn’t seem to prevent colds any better than a placebo

c. the mean number of colds is not significantly different between the two groups

d. all of the above are true

15. What significance level should be reported?

a. p < .05

6
 Statistics: A Gentle Introduction (3rd ed.): Test Bank

b. p < .01

c. p < .001

d. p > .05

Chapter 7: The t Test for Independent Groups

1. c. yes, at p < .001
2. b. 18
3. b. 4.816
4. b. reject the null hypothesis
5. a. The mean unemployment rate (20.4%) in former communist countries is significantly
greater (p < .001) than the mean unemployment rate (9.8%) in countries not formerly
under communist control.
6. d. 7.33
7. b. 16
8. a. 3.058
9. a. reject the null hypothesis at p < .05 (although it would be reported significant at p <
.01)
10. a. the new drug significantly lowers anxiety levels compared to a placebo
11. a. 0.333
12. b. 28
13. b. 0.378
14. d. all of the above are true
15. d. p > .05

7
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
As we neared a little knot of guards, he cried out:
"Come on, thou fool, I will teach thee to sleep at thy post again! I
will tear the very flesh from thy bones!" And with that he unlocked
the door which barred our passage, and passing the man who stood
beside it, he kept on down the hall. I could hear the men on the
other side mutter to themselves as it swung to, but what they said I
could not catch.
We were alone now in the hall, no one was in sight of us. Peering
around him the old warrior halted a moment, and turning to me, one
eye closed, he winked; then with a growl, he resumed his journey.
Several more doors we unlocked and passed through, meeting a
dozen little groups of men in the hall, but Sir Henry said not a word,
only as we neared them, he would curse me for my tardiness and
laziness, and swear to tear me limb from limb.
With my cap pulled down over my face and wrapped in the great
dark cloak, I followed him, my head bowed as though in dejection
and fear; and so we traversed the great building, until finally we
stood at the huge door that led out into the open air, where he
halted. There was no one there, and unbolting it, he motioned for
me to walk out.
"Forget not to deliver the message that I gave thee to Lord
Pendleton," he said, in a loud tone of voice, for the benefit of any
who might chance to see us, "thou dog, and waste no time about it,
or I will trounce thee well with my stirrup—begone!" And with a
kindly look upon his old face, he pushed the door to, and I heard the
chain rattle as he secured it.
I stood alone in the low courtyard of the prison, the cold night air
blowing against my face. Carefully I picked my way over the uneven
stones, with which the yard was paved, until I reached the gate
which led into the street. It was unlocked, and opening it, I stood
once more upon the street of London—free.
A man started from the shadow of the wall, and came toward me,
his head muffled in his cloak; as he neared me, I saw that it was
Bobby.
"I had almost given thee up," he whispered. "But come, we have no
time to lose. It will be only a few hours at the most until they
discover thy escape, and they will search all England thoroughly for
thee." And catching me by the arm, he hurried me down the street.
"Where art thou going?" I asked in a low tone of voice.
"To the river," he answered. "I have a fleet boat there, and we will
row down to where Governor White lays. He has consented to
conceal thee for a day or two, until he gets out of England, and then
thou canst reveal thyself, for it will not matter then. He is under
great obligations to Raleigh, and I persuaded Sir Walter to ask this
of him; it was the only way we could save thee, and White would cut
off his right hand for Walter."
Down the dark streets we hurried; I could hear Bobby panting as he
rushed along. This was violent exercise for one who had lived an idle
life for years. Every moment I expected the dark tower behind us to
twinkle with lights and ring with shouts, as they discovered my flight
and made haste to pursue me. But no sound came from its black
depths; it lay still and gloomy. We passed only a few belated
nighthawks and wayfarers, as they staggered home after a night of
revelry, and they endeavored to give us a wide berth, for we were
two able-bodied men, and they cared not to tackle us.
Finally, turning into a dark lane, we stood by the river's brink. Bobby,
putting his fingers to his lips, gave a shrill whistle; an answer floated
back from the dark water, and I heard the sound of oars as a boat
came forward to us.
"It is manned by four tenants from my estate near London," he
whispered. "True as steel they are; rather would they be cut to
pieces, than to say one word of to-night's work."
The boat swept up to the dark wharf where we stood.
"Careful," he muttered, "watch where thou dost step. Do thou go
first," and he motioned towards the boat.
I stepped down into it and he followed. Without a sound the men
pushed off, and bent to their work with a will; the little boat
hummed through the water. I could not see the faces around me,
only four dark forms, pulling with all their strength upon the oars.
They rowed on in silence, uttering no sound as we passed through
the twinkling lights where the vessels lay at anchor, rising and falling
with the tide.
Behind us stretched the city; before us the silent river, and I knew
not what beyond that. God only knew when I would see England
again; an exile, with only one true friend beside me, I was hurrying
from London like a thief, from the land where I had been born and
reared. Engaged with such thoughts as these, I sat silent and
moody; beside me Bobby, his face upon his hand, sat as preoccupied
as myself. We had left the ships now, and were pulling down the
river, with no glimmer of light in sight.
"Where art thou going, Bobby?" I asked. "Thou hast left all of the
ships behind thee, and art making down the river."
He roused himself and looked around him.
"Where art thou going, Bill?" he cried. "This is not where the vessel
lies," and he bent forward to peer at the silent figure near him. As
he did so he sprang to his feet, his sword in hand. "What have we
here?" he shouted in alarm. "This is not my boat!"
I was just about to rise beside him, dagger in hand, when from the
stern of the boat, among some oilskins and packages, a man arose.
At the first sound of his voice I was up, for I knew the curt, ironical
tones.
"My dear gentlemen, pray be seated," he said. "You are my guests,
and I beg that you be not alarmed; I will watch over you well." With
a mocking smile upon his face, stood Lord Dunraven.
The men had dropped their oars and sprang up to overpower us. As
one hardy mariner caught my left arm with both hands, I raised my
dagger and plunged it full into his brawny breast; with a groan he
rolled down at my feet, knocking down his companion in his fall.
Bobby was struggling in the grasp of the other two men behind me;
Dunraven was coming at me with drawn sword—there was no time
to be lost. The seaman who had been knocked down struggled to
his knees. I raised my foot, and kicked him full in the face, with all
my might. With a cry of pain he fell back, and I, losing my balance,
sprawled over him as he went down.
I heard Dunraven's sword whistle over my head as I fell; it would
have caught me full in the throat had I not done so. He stumbled for
an instant as, carried away by the force of his blow, he sought to
recover himself. Leaning forward I caught him by both knees, and
rising to my feet, I swung him high over my head a moment, and
then cast him far out into the water, as though he had been a log.
The two men had Bobby down in the bottom of the boat, and were
tying him securely with ropes, he struggling to release himself.
Catching up a cutlass, I sprang forward, and cut at the head of one
of them who had turned to meet me. The blade caught him full on
the neck, and almost severed his head from his body. He stood erect
for an instant, the blood spurting from his throat, and then with an
awful yell he went down, both hands clutching blindly at the bottom
of the boat in his agony. The other rogue waited for no more, but in
an instant was over the side of the boat, and I heard him as with
vigorous strokes he swam down the stream.
"Thomas, for Heaven's sake, untie these cords from my arms!"
Bobby cried, at my feet. "These rogues have bound me as though
they thought I would fall asunder; the cords cut into my flesh like a
sword."
Bending over him, I cut the rope with my bloody cutlass, and helped
him to his feet.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"God only knows," he answered, "I do not. We will miss the ship!"
he cried, wringing his hands. "What a fool I was, not to be sure that
I had gotten on board the right boat. Dunraven must have caught
wind of my scheme somewhere, and laid this trap into which I
walked like an idiot."
"Thou couldst not know it," I answered. "Do not blame thyself.
Yonder goes an oar!" And one of the oars, loosed from the socket by
the struggle, floated out into the stream. I jumped forward and
caught another as it was about to follow suit. "Catch yonder one,
Bobby! I shouted, and quickly he did so. Only two remained out of
four; one of the others had floated away, probably when the seamen
had loosened it.
"Where dost thou say we are?" I asked. "We had best turn back
upstream, and make for the ship."
He was standing up, and peered around him.
"I know yonder house," he said finally, pointing out to where a great
many-gabled house gleamed far away in the darkness. "'Tis Sir John
Norton's house, and it is five miles from where Governor White lies,
and the tide is against us; we shall never make it before morning,"
and he groaned hopelessly.
"Do not despair," I said cheerfully. "Take one of the oars and we will
have a try at it. We will go under if we must, but first we will make a
game fight," and seating myself, I began to tug at one of the oars.
Years ago I could row, but I had grown older now, and rowing was
more difficult to me. Slowly we turned, and began to pull against the
tide; it was about three o'clock in the morning, and we had only two
hours at the most to make the ship, for she sailed at five o'clock, as
Bobby informed me. He, tugging opposite, cursed his luck, as with a
groan he bent to his task. Of Dunraven and the sailor we heard
nothing. They had disappeared, and the dark river told no secrets.
I shall never forget that night's work, as with aching back I pulled
for my life, and not only mine, but for Bobby's as well; for to my
repeated offers to put him on shore, and let him strike through the
country for his estates, he turned a deaf ear.
"Leave thee to thy death?" he cried indignantly. "No, I have not sunk
so low as that. Thou couldst never make the ship alone, and to
remain in England is but to invite certain discovery. They will scour
all England to find thee, and there is no place that thou couldst
remain in safety. No—we will both sink or swim together."
My hands, unaccustomed to the hard work, had blistered, and every
stroke gave me pain. The sweat stood in large drops upon my
forehead, and ran down my face; my back seemed as though it
would break, as I bent to the work; my breath came in quick gasps.
Two miles gone—and it was four o'clock. I stopped for an instant,
and tearing off the sleeves of my doublet, I handed one in silence to
Bobby, and wrapping the other about the handle of my oar, resumed
my task.
It was only a question of a few moments with me; we were crawling
slowly upstream, the tide beating against us as though in league
with Dunraven, and eager to hold us back. It seemed to me that I
had rowed always; that I had done naught from my birth but tug
with bleeding hands at some heavy oar against the belated tide.
My mind was a blank; I had forgotten all else, save that we must
pull three miles in one short hour, or Bobby was lost. In all broad
England there was no spot where he could safely lay his head, for
the Queen would punish with iron hand one who dared to beard her
in her palace, and to pluck from the very gallows a felon whom she
had doomed to die.
And so I pulled as though an empire hung upon my efforts. How
much longer would this last? Half-past four, and we had pulled a
little over a mile, and must rest. Fastening my oar, I threw myself
flat upon the bottom of the boat. Bobby fell beside me, and with
throbbing hearts we lay there.
Every breath that I drew gave me pain; a mist came before my eyes;
the world seemed to whirl and circle in a mad dance about me; the
river sucking at the boat seemed to my fevered brain to be a thing
of life; the dark trees upon the banks seemed to beckon to me, as
though a company of cloaked monks.
Afar down the east, a light streak was beginning to broaden, the sun
was about to rise. Aboard the vessel all was bustle and hurry; they
were preparing to hoist sail, and at the thought I tottered to my
feet, and bent once more to the oar. By hard work we made another
mile; it was five o'clock now, and we were still some distance from
the ship. There was no use to work longer.
"Bobby," I muttered weakly, "the ship must have gone—let us rest."
"No," he answered, "pull! It will wait for us a moment—pull, man!
we may yet reach it," and he redoubled his efforts.
I bent again to the oar, though it seemed as though my exhausted
arms would wrench from their sockets at each stroke. Around me
danced the river; the roar of the ocean was in my ears; little specks
of fire glimmered in front of my very eyes. How long was a mile?—a
mile—a mile—I had forgotten why we rowed so madly, I only knew
that something terrible would befall us did we not reach a place, I
knew not where, by five o'clock.
Bobby was speaking:
"It is past five o'clock now, and we are nearly there."
"Yes, nearly there," I repeated vacantly; "nearly there." Where was
"there"?
The sun was rising like a ball of flame; red and angry, he was
preparing for another day, and he scowled down upon us with
threatening look, as though we had wronged him, and he but waited
to avenge himself. We turned a curve in the river—there, nearly a
quarter of a mile away, by the side of a dock lay a great vessel, her
decks alive with men. She was about to spread her white sails, and
fly out into the trackless ocean; even as we looked, she came slowly
around, and, the wind filling her great sheets of canvass, began to
move slowly through the water.
Bobby dropped the oar and sprang to his feet.
"It is our ship!" he cried.
And then he raised his voice and shouted with all his might, I joining
him, but in vain; we were too weak from our long efforts, and our
voices could not reach the ship. I waved my doublet above my head,
and Bobby, putting his cap upon his oar, moved it backward and
forward, hoping to attract their attention. But no sound came from
the vessel, steadily she kept on her way to join her two consorts at
the mouth of the river.
The vessel lay below the city, at an old deserted wharf, probably
waiting for us, and her going attracted little attention; only a small
crowd of people stood upon the wharf, idlers and friends of the
adventurers, who had come to say good-by. My companion had
thrown himself upon his face on the bottom of the boat and was
sobbing like a child. I listlessly kept up my efforts to attract the
attention of the vessel, for, though I had despaired of succeeding, I
would not desist until it had passed out of sight.
The great ship keeled as she came round to the wind, and lay
motionless. A culverin boomed, and lo! a boat put out from her and
made for us where we lay. I gave a shout of joy—we were saved.
Vane looked up at my cry of astonishment.
"What is it?" he asked wonderingly. "Art thou mad?"
"We are saved, Bobby!" I cried, and I caught him in my arms and
hugged him in delight. "Saved!"
He had arisen, calm again.
"We had best toss these rogues overboard," he said; "their bodies
might excite suspicion. We can get into their boat, and turn this
adrift; perhaps it will serve to throw our pursuers off the track."
And with my help, he tossed the dead bodies into the river. Two of
them were dead, cold, and stiff; the third, whom I had kicked in the
face, lay as though dead. We had no time to examine him; alive or
dead he must go into the stream, for it would mean certain death to
Sir Robert to leave this fellow behind, to tell of his share in my
escape. So we cast him overboard.
The boat had neared us; a spare, gaunt man, wrapped in a dark
cloak, with a worn, patient face, stood erect in the stern, and as he
came in speaking distance, shouted to Bobby.
"What means this, Captain? I expected thy brother an hour ago, and
have lost time waiting for you."
"I could not help it, Governor," he answered. "We were set upon by
robbers down the river, our men were murdered, and it was only
after a hard fight that we saved our lives. We rowed for two hours
and more against the stream, as though the furies were at our
heels, to catch thy ship."
He said nothing as the boat reached us, and we clambered aboard.
"It is Governor White," Bobby whispered in my ear.
"What wouldst thou have me do with thy boat?" White asked, eying
us closely.
"Turn it adrift," I answered. "It has done its work." And leaving it,
we pulled towards the spot where the ship lay awaiting us.
"You must have had a time of it," he said. "Your faces are dripping
with sweat, and the blood is all over your doublets."
"Such a fight as I have never made before," Bobby replied. "I had
given up hope several times, but still we kept on. How camest thou
to wait for us?"
"I suspected something of the sort," he answered quietly, "and so
we waited for a while. But I had given you up in despair and was
about to sail, when one of the sailors spied your boat, and called my
attention to it. I knew at once who it was, and so came back to pick
you up. But pull, men!" he cried—"pull! We are much delayed as it
is."
He was plainly worried, and I did not blame him. All London
doubtless knew of my escape by now, and they were scouring the
country high and low for me; at any moment we might come upon a
party of the searchers, and then good-by for White and his voyage.
It was light now, and we could be plainly seen from the banks of the
river; the bustle and hum of the city came dimly to our ears. They
would probably search the ship before they would let it sail—no
wonder White's cheeks were pale.
A few moments, and we neared the ship; a crowd of eager faces
peered down at us, sailors and adventurers, men of all sorts and
conditions, they jostled and pushed each other, and the hum of their
voices reached my ears, as, assisted by two sailors, I stumbled up
the ladder, and down into the cabin, followed by Vane. Concealment
now was useless, our only safety was in flight. Should our ship be
stopped, all on board knew of our arrival, and discovery was
inevitable.
White closed the door behind him.
"I am risking much for Walter Raleigh," he said. "We must take to
our heels now, and evade them as best we can. Do you both stay
below, until I send for you. I will set Sir Robert off at some point
further down the river, where he can reach his place without
suspicion," and with that he hurried out of the room.
The wind had freshened, and with all her sails set, the vessel flew
through the water. We were passing among the shipping docks now,
for I could see the sides of the vessels from the little open window
where I stood.
A hoarse shout struck my ears—"Stop! in the name of the Queen, I
command thee!"
"What is it?" I could hear White answer. "We are delayed, and are
making all speed to join our consorts—we cannot stop."
"Thou dost go on at thy peril!" the voice roared. "A prisoner doomed
to die has escaped from the Tower, and we are to search each
vessel. It will take but a moment, and my orders are to fire on every
ship that disobeys. Wait but a moment."
White shouted back: "I will go on a little further down the river, and
stop at yonder wharf."
"No!" shouted the man, his voice becoming fainter, for the ship was
staggering through the water with the speed of a race horse. "Stop!
or I shall fire on thee."
White did not answer, only I heard him urge the men to put on more
sail. A moment—then a dull roar, and the culverins crashed, as
somewhere behind us they fired. A scornful laugh from the deck.
Evidently we were out of range now. Then I heard a cry from above:
"The man-of-war is making sail for us!" And there was the sound of
hurried steps, as the men ran to and fro upon the deck in fear. If we
could only keep this up but for a few minutes, we would soon be
upon the high seas. The wind was blowing a very gale, as with every
stitch of sail set, the vessel plunged through the water. It was broad
daylight now, and every moment was golden to us; at any instant a
vessel might block our way, and all would be lost.
Four long hours passed; several merchant vessels had gone by on
their way to London, their crews pointing at us and staring in
wonder as we dashed on at full speed. One or two had attempted to
hail us, but we had paid no attention to their repeated shouts, and
had kept steadily down the river. Our pursuer had fallen far behind
us and was out of sight; only the rippling Thames lay before us.
A man knocked upon the door and informed us that Governor White
awaited us on deck, and we followed him to where White stood, a
little apart from his men.
"We have almost reached the ocean," he said as we approached
him. "If Sir Robert desires to land, he had best do so now; but say
the word and thou shalt go ashore where thou dost wish."
Bobby turned to me.
"I have half a mind to go with thee, Thomas," he said in a low voice.
"It would be a change of scene, and I would be company for thee in
that strange land."
I shook my head.
"No," I replied, "thy duty is here; there is enough for thy hand to do,
without wandering out into an unknown wilderness. Thou must
watch over Margaret," I whispered in his ear. "What will she do here
at the mercy of Dunraven? No, thou must remain. We have come to
the parting of the ways—thine lies in England; mine in distant
Virginia. We will walk as best we may, nor murmur though the task
seem hard, and dark the way before us. Thy boat awaits thee—we
must part."
"Thomas," he replied, "I cannot see thee go thus, for I feel that it
will be years before I see thy face again, if ever. That land swarms
with hidden dangers and I cannot see thee go alone."
"It is best," I answered. "Thou couldst do no good. Tell the Lady
Margaret that I remain as ever her humble servant—and may the
good angels watch over you both."
White came forward. "I grieve to interrupt your parting, gentlemen,"
he said, "but time is precious, for I know not what moment our
pursuer will round yonder bend, and cut off our retreat."
"Thou art right," I answered, wringing Bobby by the hand once
more. "Over with thee, old friend, and remember all I have said to
thee. Keep up a brave heart, and all will be well."
He made no answer; perhaps some thought of what I had been to
him choked his voice; he only clasped my hand tighter for an
instant.
"Would that I could go with thee," he said brokenly. "I will think of
thee often, as thou dost wander in exile beyond the sea," and
turning, he descended the ladder into the little boat that awaited
him.
Swiftly they carried him to where a great and majestic oak stood
overhanging the water, like some forest monarch, with its sturdy
head upraised against the sky. I watched him as he sat with bent
head, his face turned towards the shore. A few moments and the
boat touched the bank. He sprang out; the men had turned back,
and with rapid strokes were coming toward the vessel, leaving him
standing looking at me as I leaned upon the rail. He was only one
hundred yards away, for the river was narrow at this point, and
raising my voice, I hailed him.
"Remember the trust I have confided into thy hands," I shouted,
"and stand stanch and true."
"I shall not forget," he answered, with a wave of his hand. "It is of
thee that I think."
The adventurers were crowding around me with bulging eyes;
evidently they were swelling with curiosity as to what this strange
occurrence could mean, but they said naught to me. The boat had
returned, and with a rush the vessel spread her sails and pursued
her journey. I watched as long as I could see the solitary figure,
standing by the giant oak, waving his sword at me. Finally I could no
longer see the glimmer of the sun upon the steel; only a tiny black
speck, and at last that too faded from my view—I had left him.
We passed the mouth of the river and struck the ocean. In front of
us, a mile or two away, two vessels rocked and tossed upon the
bosom of the Atlantic.
I heard White's voice by my side.
"It is the Dart and the Goodwill," he said, "our two consorts. We will
soon overtake them."
Like a seagull that plumes her feathers, ere she takes some long
flight across the blue sea, the vessel seemed to hesitate and waver,
as though uncertain of her course. Striking the long roll of the surf,
she quivered and rocked a moment, and then spreading her wings,
she took her departure out into that great unknown—the boundless
ocean.
 CHAPTER XIV
CROATAN

For long days and nights we rocked to and fro, rising and falling with
the waves, only the blue water stretched around and about us. No
vessel, no land in sight, nothing but water, water, water all around,
and afar the distant horizon as it seemed to stoop and blend with
the ocean.
The second morning out I stood leaning on the rail, gazing far out in
front of me. "Ugh," said someone, and raising my eyes, I saw
standing near me a savage, red and fierce in his paint and skins, the
feather of an eagle in his coarse black hair, his dark gleaming eyes
upon my face. It was the Indian whom I had seen with Raleigh one
night at Lady Wiltshire's.
Margaret had sat by me that evening, and had been kinder than her
wont. Several times as her clear laughter had rung at some jest of
mine, I had seen the piercing eye of the Indian wander from Lady
Wiltshire, who was questioning Raleigh about him, and rest for an
instant upon Margaret's face, wonder and admiration upon his own;
and then meeting my eye, he had turned his face hastily away.
Sir Walter, on leaving, had halted by us an instant.
"Manteo has been spellbound by thy wondrous beauty, Lady
Margaret," he cried gayly. "Thou hast added one more victim to thy
long list," and he cast a teasing look at her.
A slight flush had crept into her pink cheeks at his words.
"Since when hast thou turned flatterer?" she cried, archly tossing her
golden head. "I had thought thee more sincere, Sir Walter."
I thought of that merry evening, as I saw the Indian upon this
vessel.
He uttered some guttural words in his native tongue, a few of which
I understood, the dialect being very similar to the one I had learned
upon the island Eldorado, although some of the words were
different. I could not put the words together that I understood.
There were the words "night" and "maid" that I comprehended, but
I could make no sense out of the two, so I shook my head, and tried
a few words in the language of the natives of the island.
He seemed much excited when I spoke to him in something that
resembled his native tongue, and stalking forward to where a group
of men stood, he said something to one of them, and catching him
by the sleeve, conducted him to where I stood. The man was a
strange-looking individual, with pale hollow cheeks and little green
cat eyes, that could not meet my own, but shifted to and fro
whenever they caught my look; gaunt and hungry he seemed as he
stood in front of me, dressed in a long black doublet.
The Indian, grave and stately in his skins, spoke several words
rapidly in his own tongue.
The man translated. "Manteo would know where thou didst learn a
language that resembles his own?"
"Tell him that I learned it long ago in another region—perhaps in the
sun," I answered; "who knows?"
"What foolery is this?" said he, and as he spoke to the chief again,
he sniffed indignantly.
"Translate what I have said," I replied sternly, "without any more
words, or by the gods, I will teach thee a lesson that thou shalt not
forget," and I frowned at him.
His knees quaked under him at this, and he spoke to the chief
quickly in his own language.
"Ugh," grunted the savage, his fierce eyes upon my face, and again
he uttered a few words.
The white man interpreted. "Where is the beautiful one, who sat
with the white chief in the lighted wigwam many moons ago, when
Manteo saw them in the camp of the pale men?"
"Tell him," I said, "she is far away, and I am alone." He did so.
"And now," I said to the white man, "who art thou?"
"John Marsden," he answered, cringing low, "a poor apothecary at
thy lordship's service, who seeks his fortune in the new region
beyond the sea."
"And how camest thou to know the Indian's language?" I said
sternly. "Answer me that."
"I have been in the household of Sir Walter Raleigh for the last two
years or more," he replied, "where the savage was; and having little
to do much of the time, I amused myself by learning the native
tongue. I expect it to be of service to me in Virginia." And he bowed
with a pale smile upon his hollow face.
"I doubt not that thou wilt find it so," I said, turning my back upon
him, for I distrusted his knavish face. If ever Dame Nature had
stamped upon a mortal countenance the brand of a rogue, that one
was John Marsden.
I saw much of the Indian in the long days and weeks that followed;
he had taken a strange fancy to me, and dogged my footsteps, as
though he were some tame animal, and I his master. One morning
he brought me a little basket that he had cut in the shape of a wolf's
head from a nut. As I looked at the beautiful carving, I realized how
much work and labor it must have cost him, and was touched by his
thought for me.
"The Eagle is pleased," said the Indian.
"Yes," I answered. "I thank Manteo, and will wear it around my
neck," and I fastened it in the little gold chain with the coin and
trinket of my lady.
The savage's eye flashed with pleasure.
"It is well," he answered, a look of delight passing over his dark face
for a moment, as a bolt of lightning flashes for an instant over the
lowering clouds, and then vanishes. "It is enough." And as though
ashamed of his emotion, he left me, and disappeared down the
companionway.
I learned to speak the tongue of Manteo; it was very like the one
that I had learned before. I amused myself by talking with the
Indian, becoming more fluent in his language. We had grown to be
fast friends, and I had begun to think much of him. He was a
strange creature; he never forgot a kind word, and he loved his
friends almost to idolatry, and despised his foes with a deep
implacable hate, that was a revelation to me.
He called me "the Eagle." Why I never knew, unless it was from
some fancied resemblance that he thought he saw in my face to that
bird.
"Why dost thou call me the Eagle, Manteo?" I asked him one day.
"My brother is like the Eagle," he answered gravely; "he flies far
above the dull realms of earth. The Eagle is the chief of birds, lordly
and courageous, even as my brother is a chief among his fellows,"
and he scanned my face with his dark eyes.
"Manteo is mistaken," I answered with a laugh, "I am no chief."
"Manteo was not born yesterday," he replied. "He knows the royal
blood when he sees it. My brother is a great chief."
I did not reply; if he chose to think me a chief, well and good; and
rising to my feet, I walked to where Governor White stood, looking
out over the water.
"Governor," I said, "hast thou an extra hatchet that thou canst spare
me?"
"Surely," he replied, for he was a kindly, thoughtful soul, ever ready
to lend a helping hand to his friends. "Sam," he shouted to one of
the sailors who stood near, "get thee down below, and bring up one
of those new hatchets. What dost thou want with it?" he asked
gently.
"I wish to give it to the Indian," I answered. "It will please him
much."
He smiled sadly. "Thine is a strange fancy," he said, "that thou
shouldst love the savage."
"He is a man," I replied; "a true and noble soul, stripped of all the
dross that eats and corrodes the pure metal from the heart of his
brother, the white man, who calls himself his superior. He has not
learned to forsake his friends when they have fallen into misfortune,
or to crowd with fawning smile around the great and powerful. He
has much of worth, Governor, that we, who laugh at his barbarous
ways, might do well to imitate."
"Yes," he answered absently, his eyes fixed upon the distant horizon,
"he has much of good in him.
"I was thinking of my little granddaughter, Virginia," he continued
wistfully; "she will be three years old in August, a bright happy baby
when I saw her last. Now she is just beginning to totter around and
to lisp childish prattle—that is if the savages have not murdered her
with all the rest of the colonists. Often at night, during the two
weary years that I have been in England, endeavoring to get men
and ships to sail back, have I awakened, dreaming she was being
slain by the Indians, with her screams in my ears, her baby hands
clutching my garments. Even now I fear to touch foot upon the
island, afraid that they are gone. It is terrible, Sir Thomas—awful,"
and he shuddered, his face pale. "If I should find them alive and well
when I arrive, I shall thank God upon my knees.
"But here is thy hatchet," he said, as the sailor appeared with it in
his hands. "Only take care that thy friend does not brain us in our
sleep," and he tried to smile at me.
"Have no fear," I answered, "I will vouch for him." And taking the
weapon in my hand, I retraced my steps to where I had left Manteo.
He still sat alone where I had left him, for he would have naught to
do with most of the men; only with White and myself, and one or
two others, would he mingle at all, the others he treated with cold
scorn and contempt. His head was upon his hands, as I approached
him and seated myself opposite on the deck.
"Manteo, I can give thee naught that is as valuable as the little
basket that thou didst carve for me, but here is something that my
brother can use and remember me by," and I put the bright new
hatchet into his hand.
He glanced up at me, a look of wonder upon his savage face, for
Raleigh would never allow him to have any weapons, fearing that he
would become enraged at some fancied insult, and would kill his
tormentor.
"Is it for me?" he asked.
"Yes," I answered. "It is for thee, a chief and warrior."
He took it in his hands, and felt of its sharp edge with his fingers.
"Manteo will never forget," he said. "The Eagle has treated him as a
brave; these others think of him as a woman." With that he betook
himself away, and in a few moments I saw him at the grindstone,
putting a razor edge upon the weapon.
Save for the Indian and White, I saw little of my fellow-passengers;
for in some way my story had gotten out among them, probably
some of the men had seen me in London, and I felt the chill in their
bearing towards me. As I would near a group of men laughing and
talking, the noise would cease, and they would stop to peer and
whisper, until I had passed on. They said no word, uttered no gibe;
they knew of my swordsmanship too well for that. Wonderful stories
had been told of my valor and daring; of my matchless skill with the
sword in the great fight with the Spanish Armada. So they feared to
cross me, they could only gaze and whisper among themselves. That
was enough though, and I shrank from contact with them as though
they had the plague; only White, kind and gentle, ever the same,
and the Indian remained.
White had spoken to me of the rumor only once. One night as I
strode the deck impatiently by myself, for the Indian had gone below
to mend a broken arrow, the Governor joined me. We had talked of
different things, until finally he had said gravely:
"These stories that have been circulated about thee, Sir Thomas—
they are false?"
"Yes," I replied quietly, "they are lies of the whole cloth."
"I am glad," he said gently. "I should grieve if they had been true of
so gallant a gentleman," and then he had turned the subject to
other things. He had never spoken of it again.
The Indian had observed the demeanor of the men too, though he
made no sign. Once when I stood moody and dejected, alone and
apart, oppressed with the bitterness of my life, he came up
noiselessly to where I stood, and touched me upon the arm.
"The curs bark at the heels of the gray wolf, the monarch of the
forest, but they dare not touch him, lest they feel his fangs." And
looking down into his dark eyes I knew that here at least was one
who understood, and in his savage way sympathized with me, and I
was comforted.
Much company had Manteo been to me during the long winter
nights, when we sat in the cabin together; I, busy polishing my
sword or mending my belt, he sitting opposite, the long stem of his
pipe between his lips, blowing out the curling wreaths of the fragrant
tobacco from his teeth. Wonderful tales would he tell as we sat
there; tales of savage warfare and of the chase; strange stories of
savage love and hate. How when a young brave would wish a squaw
from among some neighboring tribe, he would steal out and capture
her by force or cunning, and carry her back with him to the lodges
of his people; how they hunted the savage bear and panther among
the trackless forests.
Sometimes White would drop in to smoke a pipe with us, for I, too,
had learned to love the soothing weed, and we would both sit
solemnly puffing at our pipes, the room white with smoke, as
Manteo would recount some marvelous adventure, or chant some
savage song, while in our ears still rang the deep roar of the restless
sea.
It was on the first night that White came, when opening the door to
his knock, I spied underneath his arm the sparkling handle of my
gold-hilted sword. With a cry of joy, I took it as he held it out to me.
"How camest thou by it?" I asked.
"Sir Robert Vane sent it to me the day before thy coming on board,"
he answered, "and bade me give it to thee upon thy arrival. I crave
pardon that I have not returned it before now, but in truth I have
been so busy that I have not thought of it once. It is a splendid
sword, and one worthy of thy valor."
"'Tis a good bit of steel," I answered, "and has served me well, for
which I prize it much, and have grieved that I had lost it. But sit
thee down, and hear the Indian tell of his strange country."
White took the proffered seat, and listened with grave face to the
tale of the chief.
The apothecary, John Marsden, I had met often upon the deck. I
had seen him moving among the men, talking and gesticulating, and
it was after these talks that they had cast the bitterest looks upon
me. So in some way, dimly, I know not how, I began to connect him
with the matter. He seemed to be always friendly with me, strove to
make himself agreeable, but even when he strove the hardest, his
uneasy eyes would belie his pleasant words, and he made no
headway in my favor.
One morning, rising early from my bed, while all the rest of the
company were wrapped in sleep, I came upon him and another
rogue, a carpenter, Hawkins by name, in earnest confab by the
cabin. As I was about to turn the corner of the cabin, I heard my
name called; peering out cautiously, I saw them standing with bent
heads, only a few feet away.
Marsden was speaking, his thin, piping voice lowered to a whisper.
"We have been out three months, and thou still dost hesitate; dost
thou call thyself a man, and yet fear to attack one lone mortal?"
"He is the devil himself," grumbled his companion, "and he will have
with him, not only White, but his shadow, the savage. The men
shrink from arousing them, for it will mean death to some of us."
"Fool," replied the apothecary, "creep upon him in the night. A thrust
of the knife, and 'twill all be over. Thou shalt have a capful of bright
gold when thou doest the work."
"It is well to talk about 'a thrust of the knife and 'twill all be over,'"
grunted Hawkins, with a scowl, "but the infernal Indian, who sleeps
in the cabin with him, one eye open, would be on thee by that time.
A blow from that cursed hatchet that he hauls around with him all
the time, and it will all be over with a vengeance. Thou art so
anxious for it, why not do the job thyself, and keep the capful of
gold that thou talkest of so bravely."
The other shrugged his shoulders.
"It is out of my line," he muttered; "had it been my work, I had done
it long ago."
"Why not a drop of some powerful drug in his wine?" said the
carpenter. "It would do the work full as well, and much quieter. He
would die of some lingering fever, and it would all be well, no one
would be the wiser; but this other, that thou speakest of, is a
dangerous business."
At that moment footsteps sounded around the other side of the
deck, and White came in sight. They had just time to separate;
Marsden to lean upon the rail and gaze thoughtfully off upon the
water; his companion to throw himself flat upon the deck, his cap
over his face as though asleep, when the Governor reached them.
He stopped to speak to the apothecary, for he had ever a cheery
word for all, and I turned around and slipped away quietly to the
stern of the vessel.
Here was a pretty kettle of fish. Someone, I knew not who, was
plotting to kill me. I had three to watch now—Dunraven, DeNortier,
and my brother Richard; each had some motive for wishing me out
of the way; none of them were too good to stoop to any means to
accomplish their end. The first two would slay me because they
feared that I stood between them and the woman they loved;
Richard, because he had some fear that in some way, I know not
how, I would wrest the estates and title out of his hands. I knew not
upon whom to fasten the guilt, for it might be any one of the three.
It was important that I should learn who was at the bottom of the
matter, and turning I made my way back to the cabin which I shared
with the Indian. He had just awakened, and was yawning upon his
pallet as I entered; closing the door, I came forward to where he lay.
At the first sound of my footsteps, he had turned his head quickly,
and he now squatted upon the floor opposite, his black eyes
restlessly roving to and fro.
"What is it?" he asked. "There is a cloud that hides the sun from my
brother; let him speak."
"Manteo," I said, "wouldst thou save me?"
"Let the Eagle speak," he answered. "Manteo will do anything for his
brother."
"Listen, then," I said in a low voice. "I have three enemies who have
sought my life long, and but a moment ago, I heard the pale one,
Marsden, speak to the fat carpenter, plotting my death. I would
know which of the three it is that sets on foot this scheme; do
nothing rash, only dog both of these men, search their cabins when
thou dost get a chance, and let me know what thou findest. My
brother must be as cunning as a serpent, for he tracks those who
are subtle and wary."
"Manteo understands," he answered, his face brightening. "It shall
be as my brother says," and he glided silently from the room.
Three days had passed, and still the Indian had said naught. I knew
he was at work, silently, quietly following the conspirators, for once
as I turned the cabin upon the deck, I had seen a sudden shadow
upon the floor but as I looked around I had discovered nothing. I
knew it must have been Manteo, for no one else could have
vanished in an instant like that. Out of mere curiosity, I searched
everywhere for him, for I knew the savage Indians prided
themselves upon their skill and cunning. I peered into every nook
and cranny, looked behind every box and barrel, but as well look for
last year's flowers or the frost of a winter ago—he had vanished. I
knew that he would say nothing until he had found some trace of
what he sought, and so I waited in patience.
I had walked about the deck most of the morning and was weary. It
was near noon, so I made my way to the cabin where I dined by
myself, unless White or the Indian ate with me. My dinner sat hot
and smoking upon the table as usual, and by it the customary bottle;
for the Governor kept me supplied with his own wine, and as fast as
I emptied a bottle (which was but slowly, as I drank sparingly) I
found a fresh one at my plate. A little piece of paper lay upon the
table. I picked it up and looked at it.
 "A bottle of my best wine; see how thou dost like it."
"White."

I picked up the bottle. It was dusty and covered with cobwebs, and
upon it was the label, "La France, 1408." I seated myself, and taking
the bottle in my hand, looked at it. It was a mellow liquid, yellow
and generous with age. Over one hundred and fifty years ago, some
hand long since gone had pressed the grapes, and laid the bottle
away for some unborn man to quaff in the ages to come. It was too
good wine to gulp down with my food; I could wait until I had
finished dinner, and sip it at my leisure.
Putting the bottle down, I went to work with a will at the platters
before me. A pleasant sigh came from my lips. I had finished my
dinner, and a pleasing feeling of languor and content swept over me
—that thoughtful, expansive sensation, that we only experience after
a good meal, when we are in a mood for thought and reverie, at
peace with the world and ourselves. Talk about a clear conscience! It
may be a great thing to make thee feel happy and contented, but if
thou canst not have that, by all means, my friend, have that next
best thing, a full stomach, and an hour to muse and ponder over life
and all it contains.
It was in this retrospective, peaceful mood that I pushed aside my
plate, and tilting my chair back against the wall, fell to studying the
label upon the bottle, and watching the light as it glistened upon the
wine, as I turned the bottle this way and that. No such liquor as this
had I seen since I drank the wine of the King of Spain with
DeNortier, that night in the far-away isle of Eldorado.
Opening the bottle, I poured out a glass of the noble fluid, and held
it up to the light; it sparkled as though it held imprisoned within
itself the sunlight of merry France. Such wine was for kings and
nobles, and not for a friendless and forgotten man, alone and
deserted; it should grace the banquet board where mirth and
laughter rang, and the toasts were drank to the clink of the glasses.
The goblet still stood upon the table in front of me, as I sat there.
Idly I jostled the wine to and fro in the bottle, as I absently toyed
with it. I started abruptly. What was that? A little grain of some
white substance for an instant rose to the surface, and then sank
out of sight as though eager to be lost from view. A sudden thought
came into my mind, and like a flash I turned the bottle upside down.
Yes, in the bottom, clinging to it, was some whitish powder which
had not yet dissolved in the liquor. It was some poison I doubted
not. The villainous Marsden had taken the hint of the carpenter, and
had chosen the quieter way.
At my feet lay a great black cat, which White had brought out with
him from England, and which had grown quite friendly with me.
Leaning over I took from the platter, in which lay the remains of my
meal, a bit of meat, and dipping it into the glass, I threw it to the
animal. She snatched it up greedily and gobbled down most of it;
then lying down again, she resumed her nap. I sat there silently
watching her; five minutes she lay there, asleep. Perhaps after all I
had been mistaken, had misjudged the man—but no, with a wail of
agony the cat sprang to her feet, and with staring eyes and
trembling body began to run around the room, uttering cry after cry
of dumb brute pain. For a minute she ran thus, and then sinking
forward on her paws, she lay quiet. I touched her with my foot—she
was dead.
And so I would have been by this time, had I not tardily delayed
drinking the wine. Would have lain cold and stiff in my agony, with
outstretched limbs and staring eyes, for the powerful drug lost no
time in accomplishing its deadly work. Rising I took the bottle and
glass in my hand, and carrying them to the window, cast them out
into the ocean, and as I did so the door opened and the Indian
appeared. At one glance he took in the room, my pale face, and the
dead cat, as it lay in the middle of the floor.
"What is it, my brother?" he asked.
"The pale one has poisoned my wine," I answered. "It was only by
chance that I discovered it in time; and to make sure, I soaked a
piece of meat in the wine and gave it to the cat. Thou canst see the
result," and I pointed to the animal.
The Indian's eyes flashed.
"The pale one shall suffer," he answered, "let not my brother fear.
Manteo will, when the time is ripe, bury his hatchet in his skull, and
his scalp shall dry in the lodge of Manteo."
"Do nothing rash," I said, "the time is not yet ripe."
He grunted, and opening his clenched fist, extended to me a little
piece of paper, that he had held concealed in his palm.
"Let my brother look at the magic paper," he said. "I found it in the
mantle of the pale one."
I took it—only a line. "Be wary and vigilant; he has the nine lives of
a cat. Make sure that he does not escape thee this time." No name
or address, but I knew the crest on the paper; it was Dunraven's. So
this was his work. To be sure I might know his hand; he was a
master at such as this.
"Watch them still, Manteo," I said. "At any moment they may try to
cut my throat."
Not a muscle of his face moved as he replied: "Manteo will watch."
I walked up upon the deck. Marsden was standing with his back to
me, talking to Governor White. At the first sound of my voice he
started as though he had been shot.
"I thank thee most sincerely for the noble wine which thou didst
send me, Governor," I said. "It was worth a king's ransom."
The Governor smiled gently; plainly he was ignorant of the plot to
poison me, and pleased at my praise of his wine.
"'Twas a bottle of some old wine that I bought in Paris years ago. I
had forgotten that I had it, until I discovered it a day or two ago,
covered by the cobwebs and dust. I thank thee, sir, for thy praise of
it," and he bowed.
Marsden, his face ghastly, was still looking at me as though I were a
ghost; plainly he had never thought to see me again on earth.
"Master Marsden is ill," I said to White. "Perhaps he needs some
wine. And now I think of it, there is some of that wine of which we
have just been speaking in the bottle. It would help him to quiet his
nerves." And I turned as though to go down for it.
"No," he murmured, his cheeks like chalk. "It is a mere headache,
which I have had all day, and which struck me with a sudden twinge.
Do not trouble thyself about the wine, Sir Thomas."
"It is no trouble," I replied politely, and I made as if to hurry down
the companionway.
"No!" he shrieked. "I will not have it. It always unsettles me," he
continued apologetically, lowering his voice to its ordinary tone, "and
for that reason I cannot touch it, when I have these headaches."
"Oh, well," I replied, "if thou wilt not drink it. But, pray, what causes
these headaches, some sudden shock or disappointment?" I was
delighted that I could taunt him thus; each sharp thrust that I gave
him was as balm to my soul.
"No," he answered, a gleam of anger in his green eyes. "When I see
some foul and loathsome creature it always affects me thus," and he
smiled his ghastly grin. With this parting thrust he left us, and
shambled forward to where the men stood.
A little knot of them were coming forward now to where we were,
the leader, the carpenter Hawkins, a pace in front of them. When
they were almost in reach of us they halted.
"What is it?" asked White, his kindly face grown stern and harsh, for
there was something different in the appearance of the men. They
had lost their quiet and sober expression, and in its place there was
a look of anger and determination.
The carpenter spoke, his words humble enough, but there was that
in his tone that seemed to make his request a command. Behind
him, on the deck below, the whole body of the men, adventurers
and sailors, were gathered.
"We have a favor to ask of thee, Governor," he said, twisting his hat
between his fingers.
At his first words I had drawn my sword, and putting my fingers to
my lips, I gave a low whistle, the signal that Manteo and myself had
agreed upon should there be trouble. It had come like a flash of
lightning from a clear sky, without a word of warning; for I guessed
that Marsden was at the bottom of the whole thing, and that I was
to be the bone of contention.
"What is it?" answered White sternly, looking at Hawkins.
"The whole crew wishes to know whether these charges against Sir
Thomas Winchester are true," he growled, glaring at me sideways
from under his bushy brows. "If it be so, Governor, what they tell of
him, he is not fit company for honest men," and he spat upon the
deck viciously.
"Since when hast thou been appointed ruler over us?" asked White.
"Begone! lest I hang thee from the yardarm," and he motioned him
back with his hand.
"All this is well said, Governor," sneered the fellow, his face black
with rage, "but we would know the truth—we are men."
"Leave me to deal with him Governor," I said. Stepping forward, I
faced him. "Hast aught to say against me?" I asked. "If so speak it
to my face, thou cur, and do not sneak behind my back. Come, draw
steel, and we will settle the matter now."
But the fellow plainly had no desire to face me alone, and drew back
a step.
"Fair play, men," I shouted to the crowd below. "We are all honest
men of England, and have fought and bled for her; this rogue has a
grudge against me, and yet he fears to face my steel. With your
hearts of oak to see fair play, I will meet him."
A murmur arose. "What of the rumor, sir?" cried a weather-beaten
old tar.
"'Tis false," I answered. "As I expect mercy from my God at the last
day, 'tis false, instigated only by my enemies. Come, ye are men,
sturdy and true. You will see fair play—for an old soldier of England."
A dozen voices arose. "Give the gentleman a show—stand back—
give him a chance. Let him fight Hawkins." And a score of men
sprang out from among the throng. "Clear the deck!" they shouted.
"All come back but Hawkins."
As the cry rose, those who had stood by the carpenter turned, and
crept one by one back down to where their fellows stood, until only I
and Hawkins faced each other. The fellow was no coward, whatever
his faults; he knew that he was nothing like my match with the
sword; knew that I would kill him without any mercy like a dog, and
yet he stood his ground, his cutlass, which he had drawn, in hand.
He would have retreated at that last moment, could he have done so
without showing the white feather; but there was no way to do it,
and retain the respect and admiration of his fellows, and losing
these, his power would be gone. He had advanced too far to back
down now, his only safety lay in fighting to the end. There was
naught else left.
"I will end thy trouble for thee," he growled, as he made ready.
"Better men than thou have tried and failed," I answered. "The foul
creatures of the deep shall feast upon thy body this night," and I
moved forward to cross blades.
But as I did so, there was a quick rush of soft feet, a shout from
White, and with a groan Hawkins fell, a gleaming hatchet buried in
his skull; beside me stood Manteo.
A cry went up from the men, and then died away. White sprang
upon the rail.
"I warn all to return to their duty," he shouted. "But fail for an
instant to obey me, and I shall turn the culverins upon you. Those
who escape them will hang in chains. Disperse instantly, or else a
worse thing shall befall you."
An instant the mob wavered; they needed only a man of spirit to
lead them upon us, but their leader lay dead, and there was none to
take his place.
"Dost hear me?" roared White, "or shall I fire?"
They hesitated for an instant, and then broke and scattered, the
sailors to their work, the rest to their tasks, whatever they might be.
The mutiny had blown over.
White descended from his perch.
"It was a close shave," he said as he neared me. "A little more and it
would have been good-by for us. That stroke of thy red friend was
the best thing that could have happened. Nay, scold him not, it was
at the right time, and probably saved our lives. Manteo has done
well," he said to the Indian.
"It is good," proudly answered the chief. "He would not see his
brother imperil his life against such a dog as this."
"Bill," shouted White to one of the sailors who stood near, "do thou
and Sam fasten a solid shot to this fellow's feet," pointing to the
carpenter, "and cast him overboard." And he walked away.
As I made my way down to my cabin, I ran full into Marsden, who
crouched down behind the ladder.
"It is awful," he groaned; "much innocent blood will be shed, and I
hide my eyes from the scene."
"Get out!" I said, giving him a kick with a right good will, which
sprawled him on his face in the middle of the floor. "Thou needst
have no fear; the storm has blown over, and thy precious head is
safe." And with that I left in disgust.
We were now nearing the shore of Virginia. For the last day the
boughs and barks of trees could be seen on the water, and this
morning about five o'clock, the man had called out from the mast
the magic word "land." In a few moments the decks were crowded
with men, as with eager gaze they strained their eyes to catch the
first glimpse of old mother earth, which for five months we had not
seen. Away to the left of us, and several miles behind, could be seen
the other vessels, following in our wake, as they had during the
whole of the voyage.
By noon we had neared the shore, of what White told me was
Roanoke Island, on which was a settlement of the colonists. No
sound greeted our ears as we approached the shore, fringed with a
forest of dark, unbroken trees. We fired our culverins and
musketoons repeatedly. No answer—only the boom of the surf came
back to us, and the woods re-echoed to the roar of the guns.
The Governor was standing by my elbow, his face distraught and
anxious.
"Why do they not answer?" he groaned. "What has become of
them?"
"Perhaps they have run out of powder and ball," I answered, "or
probably they have strayed over to the other side of the island, and
have not had time to come within shooting distance."
"I fear that they have been slain," he said gloomily, "for only about
four miles around is the settlement."