The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Coming of the White Men: Stories of How Our Country Was Discovered, by Mary Hazelton Wade

BY
MARY HAZELTON WADE
Author of "ten little indians," "ten big indians,"
"the little cousin series," etc.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
SEARS GALLAGHER

W. A. WILDE COMPANY
BOSTON CHICAGO

Copyright, 1905,
By W. A. Wilde Company.
All rights reserved.

The Coming of the White Men

The true American is happy in the thought that his country is a great and glorious one. He can say with his heart as well as his lips, "This is the land of the Free and the home of the Brave."

Those who journey far from their native land and find themselves in foreign countries tell us how they are stirred and thrilled when by any chance the stars and stripes of the American flag meet their view. These stars and stripes stand for the struggles for freedom, the brave deeds in the cause of right and justice, the heroism of those who have laid down their lives that their country should still live, and the brother-love that binds together all the men, women, and children who can say, "I am an American!"

It is only right that the boys and girls of America, as soon as they are able to understand, should hear the stories of those who took the first steps toward the building of this nation—those who risked life6 and fortune and who were willing to face unknown dangers for the sake of freedom.

If these boys and girls of America are to grow up with the earnest desire of keeping the sacred trust that must descend to them; if they are to keep this country the land of the free and the home of the brave; if their aspirations and ideals shall be of the highest and the purest, so that the powers and privileges of America shall increase rather than diminish with the coming years, then let the plant of patriotism take root early in their hearts that it may grow with their growth and blossom in perfect fullness with their maturer years.

His name wasn't Sam and he wasn't their real uncle, but everybody else called him Uncle Sam, so Joe and Lucy followed their example.

He was tall and thin and had a sharp face. A funny little tuft of hair grew on his chin and when he was thinking deeply he was fond of stroking this tuft with his big bony hand.

His clothes always seemed to be old-fashioned. When the neighbors were speaking of him they would sometimes say, "How much he looks like the newspaper pictures of 'Uncle Sam.'"

"Whenever I meet him, he somehow makes me think of America," said Joe's father. "I never knew anyone who loved his country as dearly as he does. He is perfectly happy whenever he can get anyone to listen to stories of our great men and the things that happened here long ago."

It was for these reasons that people began calling him Uncle Sam before Joe and Lucy were born.

His real name was Ebenezer Wilkins, but the children had to stop and think before they could remember it. He lived in a cosy little cottage at the end of the village and kept house there all alone from one year's end to another.

Everybody loved him. His kind blue eyes looked tenderly upon each child in the place. If measles or chicken-pox shut a boy or girl away from playmates, Uncle Sam was sure to hear of it. Then, when his day's work was done and he had eaten his supper of bread and milk, he would visit the sick child and make him forget his troubles as he told stories of boys and girls who lived in the early days of the white people in America.

Joe and Lucy were twins. Somehow or other Uncle Sam had grown to love them more than any other children in the country round. When they were babies he used to dandle them on his knees. He taught them to take their first steps alone. He bought a book of "Mother Goose's Melodies" on purpose to learn the rhymes and afterwards repeat them to the listening babies.

Sometimes he even stayed home from church on13 Sunday mornings so as to take care of these twins and give their father and mother a chance to go away together.

"Twins are a great care, a great care," he would say slowly. But he would add with a twinkle in his eyes, "They are never too much of a care for Uncle Sam."

"He is better than any real uncle in the world," said Joe, as he and Lucy opened the gate leading into the old man's garden.

It was a summer evening and the sun was just setting. The rows of hollyhocks and marigolds looked prettier than ever in the sunset light.

"Uncle Sam loves bright things," said Lucy, looking at the flowers. "He is always finding something new to admire. That is why I like to walk in the woods with him."

By this time the children had reached the door of the house, and stepped inside. They never stopped to knock; Uncle Sam would not have liked it.

"I've brought you some cookies, Uncle Sam," said Lucy, handing a covered dish to the old man.14 "Mother made them this morning. She put raisins in them because she knew you are fond of fruit cookies."

"I can make bread and cook meat and potatoes, but cake is beyond my skill. It takes women-folks to do such work." The old man laughed softly as he put the cookies away in the cupboard.

"It is a lovely evening. Won't you come out on the porch and tell us stories in the twilight?"

As Lucy spoke, she reached up and put her arms around Uncle Sam's neck. He was so tall he had to bend down to let her do so.

"I suppose you want me to tell you about Cinderella for the fiftieth time, or maybe you would rather hear about Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp?"

"No, Uncle Sam," said Joe before Lucy had a chance to answer. "We are getting too big for fairy stories. We have just begun to study geography at school. We like it better than anything we've ever had. So Lucy and I have been talking it over. We said we would ask you to tell us true stories now about America, and the Indians, and the15 brave white people who first dared to come here, you know, and all such things."

"I've been thinking of that very thing, children. I have been longing for the time when you would like to hear some of the history of this glorious country. You will like it, too. Why, it is better than any fairy stories that ever were told."

In five minutes more the old man was sitting in his big easy chair on the porch. Lucy was perched on one of the broad arms of the chair, and Joe on the other.

"Very well. Shut your eyes for a minute so you cannot look at those rows of hollyhocks in front of you. I want you to see a different picture. You must take a peep at this country of ours before a white man ever set foot on it."

"Now, then. First you must notice the great forests that stretch over a large part of the land. Wild beasts are roaming about in the darkness of those woods. Wolves and foxes, bears and wildcats16 live a free and happy life, for the sound of a gun has never yet been heard.

"Turn your thoughts next to the great plains of the west. Thousands of buffaloes are wandering about. The herds are so vast that in some places the earth is fairly black with them.

"Here and there, over the country, stand the villages of the Red Men. They are usually built near the shores of streams or ponds so that fresh water may be plentiful.

"There are no stores, no factories, no churches, no roads, from one shore of America to the other.

"At first, it may seem strange to you that the Indians made no roads, for they were traveling a good deal of the time. They moved their homes whenever the game became scarce where they happened to be living. Besides that, they delighted in war and one tribe was continually taking some other one by surprise.

"They did not, however, go about in the way white people do. They journeyed on foot in single file and the narrow paths they trod through the forests can be seen to this day. Some of those paths are hundreds of years old. They are many miles in length. Such paths are called trails.

"I have traveled over one of the Indian trails. It was in the state of New York. It made me feel queer as I thought of the painted Red Men who so long ago made that path through the dark woods.

"The clothing and houses of these people were quite different in the different parts of this country. The games and festivals of one tribe were often unlike those of any other.

"Some Indians lived in tents covered with the skins of wild animals. Others had houses of birch bark. Then again, there were tribes who braided grasses into pretty mats with which they covered the framework of their houses.

"The food was also different. In the south, where the air is warm and pleasant almost all the year, the Red Men ate a great deal of fruit. Up here in the north they lived largely on the corn that the women planted and tended, while out on the great plains they ate quantities of buffalo meat."

"I didn't need to close them at all," she said. "I can always see the pictures you paint with words. You make them so bright, Uncle Sam."

"Some other time, my dear, we will talk more18 about the Red Children, but now we will turn to the first white men who visited America.

"The first visitors from Europe were bold Norsemen. Their homes were in the far north. There were many deep, narrow bays along the shores of their own country and they loved the ocean from the time they were born. While they were still children, they learned to sail over its rough waves, and by the time they were young men they were quite fearless. The worst storms and the fiercest winds did not make them tremble.

"From year to year they kept sailing farther and farther westward in their queer boats."

"They would seem queer to us because they had such high prows and sterns and because large figures of dragons and other strange creatures were often carved on the ends of the boats. The sails, too, were of a different shape from any you ever saw.

"But let me go on with my story. It happened one time that some Vikings, as these brave Norse seamen were called, sailed so far into the west that they came to an island they had never seen before. This was Iceland. You have heard the name, haven't you, children?"

"Iceland lies about half-way between Europe and America, but it is much farther north than we are. The Norsemen who came upon it by accident, called it Snowland."

"I think that is a pretty name. I wish it were called Snowland, now," said Lucy, half to herself.

"The one who first saw Iceland did not remain there. He went back to Norway. Four years later, another Norseman was driven to the coast of Iceland by a storm. Before he left it, he sailed all around its shores and found it was an island.

"When he got home again, he said it was such a pleasant place that another daring Viking decided to go to Iceland to live. He carried seeds for planting and cattle to furnish milk and meat. He stayed there all one winter. It was so cold that the poor cattle died.

"When spring came, the Norseman made ready to plant his seeds, but the land was still covered with ice. 'This is not a fit place for anyone to live,' he cried. He once more packed his goods on his ship and sailed for Norway.

"That, however, was not the end of the white men's life in Iceland. Ten years after that another band of Norsemen went there and settled. They lived in peace and comfort. Children were born and grew up in that cold island of the north. They were carefully taught by their parents and became wise men and women. This settlement in Iceland lasted for hundreds of years.

"You children may wonder why I tell you so much about the Norsemen coming to Iceland, but it is like the first step of a ladder. Perhaps you are getting tired, though, and do not wish to hear any more to-night."

"Well, then, if Iceland was the first step toward America, Greenland was the second one.

"Some of the early settlers in Iceland were driven westward in a storm while they were out sailing. It was then that they first saw the rocky shores of Greenland.

"A good many years after this there was a certain man living in Iceland named Eric the Red. He did not get along very well with his neighbors21 and had many quarrels with them. He said to himself:

"He sailed away from Iceland and was not heard of again for three years. When he came back on a visit, he spoke of the place where he had been living as 'Greenland.' He thought:

"Now I know why it was called Greenland," said Lucy, laughing. "Whenever we sing 'From Greenland's Icy Mountains,' I always wonder about the name. I knew it must be a cold and icy land, because of the words of the hymn."

"Yes, that was the way of it. The name Greenland sounded very pleasant to the people of Iceland and a large company of them went back with Eric to settle among the icy mountains you sing about.

"We come now to the third accident and the third step that brought the Norsemen to our own land.

"Eric the Red had sons. They were bold and daring sailors, like their father. During the long winter evenings they used to listen to the stories of22 the older people. There was one that they liked best of all. It was the tale of a young man named Biarne who was trying to find the way from Iceland to Greenland. His father had gone there with Eric, and Biarne wished to follow him.

"He started off in the right direction. When he had sailed out of sight of land, a thick fog settled down. Then a north wind began to blow. Day after day, the ship was driven by the strong north wind. Biarne could do nothing but wonder, 'Where are we going? Surely, this wind will never carry us to Greenland.'

"At last the fog cleared away and not long after that the Norseman and his crew found they were sailing near a shore on which trees were growing. Low hills rose behind it. It could not be Greenland, truly, for Biarne had been told that the hills there were high and that they were covered with ice.

"When Biarne refused to land, his men were quite angry. 'I must go on with my search for my father,' he told them. 'I only care now to find him.'

"Again they set sail and after two more days they saw land again. It was low and wooded, so Biarne knew that this could not be the country he was seeking.

"'I will not stop here,' he told his men. Of course they grumbled, but they were obliged to do as he wished.

"Three more days passed, and a land with high and snowy mountains came into sight.

"'I am sure this is not Greenland, either,' said Biarne, and he would not stop. He sailed along its shores, however, long enough to find it was an island.

"In three days from that time, he reached the shores of Greenland. When Biarne at last cast anchor he was very near that part of the country where his father was living.

"Whenever Eric's sons heard this story of Biarne, they thought, 'When we grow up, we will go to sea. Then we will try to find the country with green hills and many trees. Who knows what else we shall see in such a pleasant land?"

"The time came at last when the eldest son of Eric was old enough to start on a long voyage. It was in the year 1000. Biarne went with him.

"The first shore that met their eyes was Newfoundland. They landed and found it was a plain covered with stones. They returned to the ships and soon Nova Scotia came in sight.

"After they had looked over that land, they started once more and sailed southward. They came to our own New England. I believe they were not a hundred miles away from where we are this very minute.

"They were much pleased with the place. They found plenty of large salmon in the waters. Trees grew everywhere about them. The air was much warmer and pleasanter than in Greenland.

"There was one thing which delighted them more than anything else. They found vines with great bunches of grapes growing upon them. This is how it happened. One night one of their party was missing. He had gone with a few men to look around and see what they could discover. This man was a German and his name was Tyrker. His friends came back without him. He had wandered away from them. They believed he was lost.

"Everyone felt bad. They thought they should never see him again. Some of them went to hunt for the missing man. They had not gone far when they met him. He seemed wild with joy. He could hardly speak, he was so glad. At first, his friends thought he had lost his mind.

"After a while he was able to say that he had25 found vines with grapes upon them. He knew what they were, for he had seen grapes growing in his own country of Germany.

"It seemed too good to be true. They all knew that the wine they liked so well was made from grapes. They followed Tyrker and found the vines he had described.

"What a treasure they had discovered! Stores of grapes were gathered day after day and carried on board the ship. Trees were also cut down, for the people in Greenland would be glad to have all the lumber their friends could bring them.

"The Vikings said, 'We will call this place Vinland because of the grape vines we have found.'

"As soon as the ship had been loaded with all it could carry, the joyful party left our shores and turned northward once more. During their short visit here they saw no other people.

"When they reached home they told such bright stories of their visit that others wished to go to Vinland.

"Another party of Norsemen soon started. When they got here, they met some people who must have been Eskimos. These savages were quite short and26 had broad faces. They had skin boats such as the Eskimos use to this day."

"I don't know how to explain it except in this way," replied Uncle Sam. "In those days the Eskimos, or some of them, must have lived along these shores, for the Norsemen certainly found them here. The Indians may have driven them away afterwards. We can only guess about it.

"The last Norsemen who came here did not stay long. Many things happened to prevent it. I will tell you of one of these, because it is really funny.

"A bull which the Norsemen had brought among their cattle rushed out of the woods one day. It frightened some Eskimos who had come to trade with the white men. They managed to reach their boats and paddled away as fast as they could go. They thought the bull was some dreadful creature the Norsemen would use against them in war.

"They went away, as I said, but they returned with great numbers of their own people. The Vikings said that they were now like a rushing torrent. They came to fight and to drive the white men from their shores.

"It would have been a sad day for the Norsemen if it had not been for one brave woman. They were fleeing from the Eskimos when she rushed out and faced the savages. She did not try to attack them, but began to strike at herself with a sword. They were so startled that they turned and fled to their boats.

"This was only one of the many adventures the Vikings had in Vinland. They had so many troubles that after a few years they made up their minds to remain in Greenland."

"How do you know all these things are true, Uncle Sam? Did the Norse people write books about them?"

"Those are good questions, Joe. The Norsemen did not write any history of themselves at that time. They did not know how to write. They were great story-tellers, however, and during the long winter evenings they used to tell, over and over again, the things that had happened to them. They made songs about their adventures. Their children learned these songs and when they grew up they taught them to their children. Hundreds of years afterwards Roman priests came among them and told them of the Christian God. At the same time28 the priests taught them to read and write. They now began to write down the history of their people.

"But, dear me, children, I have been so busy talking I never thought how late it is growing. There is your father at the gate. He must be coming for you."

"Thank you, Uncle Sam," said Lucy, as she kissed the old man good-night, "I enjoyed what you told us ever so much."

"I am glad you started with the Norsemen," said Joe. "I always like to hear the first part of anything. So, of course, as you are going to tell us the story of America, we ought to know the very beginning of it."

"My dear boy," said Uncle Sam, "no one knows the real beginning. All I could do was to start with the coming of the white men to this country."

"Here we are, Uncle Sam. We came early so there would be time for a good long story."

The old man sat reading his newspaper in the soft light of the setting sun. He looked up with a pleasant smile to greet the twins as they came arm in arm down the path.

"So you did not get too tired last night, Joe?" he replied. "I didn't know but that you would beg me to go back to fairy stories and leave true ones till you get older."

"Fairy stories indeed!" exclaimed the boy with a look of scorn. "Lucy and I both want to hear about real people. Don't we Lucy?"

"Of course; we said so last night, and we think so more than ever now. Have you made up your mind what to tell us next, Uncle Sam? But perhaps you want to finish your newspaper."

"Newspapers can wait till little folk are asleep in30 their beds, my darlings. Besides, I have a story all ready and waiting. It is knocking at the door of my mind this very moment and saying, 'Please let me out, please let me out.' So out it must come. There, Joe, stretch yourself comfortably in that hammock; and Lucy, take the steamer chair and draw it up close by my side. Now I hope you are both ready for a visit to another part of the world.

"We won't take any trunks, and there will be no sea-sickness, nor trouble of any kind. So let us start at once on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

"Whew! Here we are safe and sound on the shores of Italy. The waves are rolling gently and the air is sweet and pleasant.

"A dark-skinned boy is sitting on the edge of the wharf and looking out to sea. He is watching the ships coming into port. He can see a tiny speck in the distance but he knows it is the top of some mast. As he watches it a sail comes into view under it. It comes nearer and nearer until the whole of a ship can be seen.

"He loved the sea better than anything else. He31 longed to live on it and make long voyages. He did not know what it was to be afraid.

"As he grew up, he read all he could about the earth. He found that some wise men believed it was not flat, as many supposed, but was round. They also thought it much smaller than it really is.

"The young Columbus said to himself: 'If the world is really round, we can reach India by sailing west, instead of making such a long and tiresome journey to the east."

"The people of Europe thought India was the richest land in the world. It had great stores of gold and silver. Beautiful silks and satins, wonderful pearls and emeralds, fragrant spices,—all these things were brought from that glorious land. It is no wonder that Columbus, as well as everyone else, was interested in such a rich country.

"There was another reason, however, why Columbus thought so much about India and wished to find a shorter way of reaching it. He loved the Lord with all his heart. He had been told that the people of the East were heathens and that they worshiped idols.

"He thought: 'I would like to tell these people of the One God and of Jesus, the Friend of all men.'

"As soon as Columbus was old enough, he went to sea with some of his relations. He learned how to steer a ship and how to manage it in storms. He proved himself brave and daring in sea-fights. He studied the winds and tides.

"The time came at last when he spoke to the people of his own town in Italy. He told them he believed he could find India by sailing to the west. They did not listen to him. He himself could not fit up ships to make a long voyage, for he had no money. So he could not try his experiment.

"Years passed by and Columbus went to Portugal. He still had one great desire in his heart. You know what that was.

"He lost no time in speaking to the King of Portugal. The king listened to the plan. He thought it was a wise one. But he did not offer to send Columbus on a voyage of discovery. O, no! He preferred to send some of his own sailors. If the plan succeeded, he thought he would gain more by so doing.

"He sent the Italian away. Then he took the maps and charts Columbus had made and showed them to the wisest men of the country. He thought: 'I will make use of what Columbus knows, but he shall get no reward.'

"Some ships were fitted out and sailed into the west. They had not gone far, however, before the sailors became afraid and turned back. The king of Portugal did not try again."

"We must not leave Columbus," Uncle Sam went on. "The brave sailor left Portugal, but he was not discouraged. He kept thinking, thinking where he should try next. After a while, he thought of Spain. He knew that country was eager for wealth and new lands. He would go there. He started for the Spanish court. His little son went with him.

"The journey through the country was very tiresome. They went slowly, for the roads were rough. The little boy sat in front of his father on the horse's back.

"At last, one evening, they stopped to rest at a convent. Columbus told the good monks of the plan that was so dear to him. He showed them his charts of the world.

"They were much interested. They said: 'Our king and queen must see your charts. We believe they will give you the money to fit out the ships that you need. It will be a great thing for our country if you find a short way to India.'

"Columbus felt happy when he heard the monks' words. He left his little son in their care and went on his way to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella.

"The king and queen listened kindly, but they could see no way of giving money to Columbus. A war was going on at this very time and they needed all their money to carry it on.

"Columbus stayed in Spain for seven long years. He tried to get some of the rich men of the country to listen to his plans and furnish money. It was all in vain.

"At last, just as he was leaving the country, some messengers came to him. They said: 'Queen Isabella wishes to talk with you once more. She would like to help you.'

"How gladly Columbus turned back! He found35 the queen had such faith in him that she was even willing to sell her beautiful jewels, if necessary, for the sake of giving him money.

"He set to work at once to get a fleet ready. Three ships were chosen. Their bows and sterns were built high up out of the water. They were very different from the ships of to-day. Provisions to last a whole year were stowed away in them.

"I don't see why," interrupted Joe. "I should think there would have been plenty of men eager to go."

"Not so, my lad," replied Uncle Sam. "Only the boldest men would dare to sail far into the west at that time. The people of those days were full of queer fancies. They thought they would come to enchanted islands and great dragons and all sorts of fearful things if they went far away from home.

"At last, however, enough sailors promised to go and the great day came for the ships to set sail. How excited everyone was! Would these men ever come back to the shores of Spain? Would they really find India, or was it only the dream of a very bold man?

"The wharves were covered with people who had gathered to see the ships start on their daring voyage.

"They sailed farther and farther into the west; now the lower parts could be but dimly seen; then only the tops of the masts; then they faded altogether from sight.

"Now let us leave the onlookers of the shores and join the brave Columbus on the deck of the Santa Maria, his flag-ship.

"Day after day he guided the ships onward and ever westward. After they had passed the Canary Islands, the men were always on the watch for signs of some new land. After days, and then weeks, on the great ocean the sailors became afraid. They begged their leader to turn back, but they begged in vain. He would not listen.

"At first he tried to keep up their courage by telling them of the riches they would gain, or the honors their church would give them if they carried the teachings of Christ to the heathens. When such words lost their power Columbus became stern. He told the men how angry the king would be if they did not obey their captain.

"The time came when they began to plot against37 Columbus. They said: 'We will destroy him. Then, when we get home, we will say that he fell overboard.'

"Could they ever reach home, now they were so far away? The men became afraid of what might happen to them if Columbus were dead and no one left to pilot them home again. So they did not kill him.

"He knew they did not feel kindly to him and he thought it would be best to make some bargain with them. So he said: 'If we do not see land in a certain number of days I will promise to turn back toward Spain.'

"How eagerly he now watched from the deck of his vessel! It seemed as though his hopes and beliefs would not prove true. The last day came,—the day on which he had promised to turn back if they found no signs of land.

"Lo! a stick carved by some person's hand came floating along by the ship's side. This was not all, for a branch with berries on it was picked up out of the water. Land must be near!

"'I will give a large reward to the man who first sees it,' cried Columbus. As he watched that very38 night he saw a light in the distance. It moved. He called two of his men to look at it.

"Before morning came, a sailor saw the shore in the distance by the light of the moon.

"Children," said Uncle Sam solemnly, "never forget that it was the 12th of October of the year 1492 that Columbus first stepped upon the shores of the New World. He was dressed in a full suit of steel armor and he held the royal banner of Spain as he landed on the island which he named San Salvador.

"He planted the cross of the Christians and, with his officers and men around him, knelt down to thank God for His great goodness in bringing them so far in safety.

"'How beautiful, how beautiful!' Columbus exclaimed as he looked about him. Tall palm trees were moving gently in the warm breeze; strange and lovely flowers were growing all around; birds of bright colors flew overhead.

"But these were not the only things to fill the brave sailor with wonder. He and his men were soon surrounded by strange-looking people. They had straight black hair and dark red skins. They wore little or no clothing.

"'This is India, without a doubt,' said Columbus, 'and these people are Indians.'

"He noticed the gold ornaments in their ears and he thought with delight of the treasures he would carry back to Spain to good Queen Isabella.

"The Red Men were as much surprised as the Spaniards. They whispered to each other, 'These white beings must be gods come from the heavens to visit us.'

"Then they pointed to the ships and said, 'The great birds that have brought them to us are now floating on the water.'

"The Indians wished to show honor to their visitors. They hurried to their simple homes and gathered grains and fruits. They brought them as presents to the Spaniards.

"The white men were glad to receive the corn, cotton, and fruits. They feasted on the delicious cocoanuts and bananas, yet they were not satisfied. Gold was what they most wanted. When they asked the Indians where to find it, the savages pointed towards the south."

"I am glad Columbus wasn't a Spaniard," said Joe, who had kept still a long time for a lively boy. "I just hate the Spaniards. I believe all they care40 for is riches. It's a good thing we beat them in the last war."

"My dear child," replied Uncle Sam, "You should hate no one. We may thank the Spaniards for one thing at least. If it had not been for them, Columbus might never have been able to cross the ocean and discover America. You must remember they gave him the ships and money he needed."

"It was the good Queen Isabella," said Joe, "and she didn't seem at all like the rest of her people. But please excuse me for interrupting you, Uncle Sam."

"That is all right, Joe. It shows you are a good listener. Now we will go back to Columbus resting among the palm trees.

"I am sure you children would have loved him. He had bright, keen eyes, yet they were kind and loving; and he moved about with the air of a king."

"He had the right to do so," said Lucy, thoughtfully. "He couldn't help feeling how great he was."

"You are quite right," answered Uncle Sam, as he patted the little girl's head. "Even the steps of a brave man must be different from those of a41 coward. The bravery gets into them without the man's thinking about it.

"But dear me! It is getting late, and I am only half through my story. We have turned our backs on Columbus and left him alone with the Red Men quite as long as is polite. He enjoyed himself very much with them, however, and stayed several days on the island.

"Then he took to his ships once more and sailed about among the different islands which he called the Indies. He thought that the right name for them, as he still believed he was near the mainland of India.

"Each time they landed, his men kept asking the natives where gold could be found. Each time they were disappointed. But Columbus thought it must be near at hand. He never dreamed that he was still far from the land of spices and precious stones.

"At the end of twelve weeks he said, 'We ought to go back to Spain and tell what we have discovered.'

"He gathered stores of the strange fruits and grains and rich woods and packed them safely away in the ships. He also took some of the brightly-feathered birds.

"He left a part of the sailors on one of the islands. They were to make a settlement. Then they would have a home ready for Columbus when he should come again with more of their people.

"When he had chosen some of the Indians to go back with him, all was ready and he began to cross the great ocean once more."

"He must have been almost bursting with pride and joy," cried Joe. "And the voyage home must have seemed long, because he had so much to tell."

"It came to an end at last, although there were terrible storms and the ships came very near being wrecked," Uncle Sam went on. "At length, however, they reached Spain.

"The news of their return spread quickly. As soon as Columbus landed crowds gathered to hear about his voyage and the whole country was filled with joy.

"When Columbus went to court to tell his story to the king and queen they would not let him stand before them. 'He is too great a man,' they thought. 'He has gained the right to sit in our presence.'"

"Columbus wasn't a king, but he was certainly43 as great, only in another way. Ferdinand was quite right in thinking so. He and his good wife listened with delight to the story of the greatest voyage any man ever made.

"They believed as Columbus did that a short way to India had been found. They eagerly examined the curious things brought to them from the west. They ate of the delicious fruits and admired the bright birds and beautiful woods.

"They said: 'We will have a grand procession through the streets of our city. Columbus shall wear beautiful garments and shall ride in the midst.'

"The Indians, bright with paint and feathers, went first of all in the procession. Crowds of people lined the streets to see the Red Men, the curious fruits and flowers, the parrots, and the stuffed bodies of animals they had never heard of before.

"They wished, most of all, to look upon the great man who had dared to sail so far into the west and who had brought India with all its riches to Spain. For everyone believed this was what Columbus had done.

"Many entertainments were prepared for the great sailor. Nearly everyone wished to give him honor. A few, however, were jealous.

"One day while Columbus was at a dinner party given in his honor one of the king's courtiers said:

"'It was not a hard thing to do what this Italian has done. Anyone else might have done the same thing.'

"Of course the man said this because he was jealous and did not like to see so much attention given to a poor sailor from Italy.

"Columbus did not seem troubled at this man's words. He took an egg from the table and handed it to the speaker. Then he said:

"The man tried, but could not do it. It was passed from one person to another. Everyone failed. At last it came back to Columbus. He took it in his hand and struck it gently on the table so that the shell was slightly cracked. Then, taking away his hand, he left it standing on end.

"'It is also easy for anyone to find the Indies after I have shown the way,' was the reply of Columbus.

"Not long after this the great man made ready for another voyage across the ocean.

"How different everything was now! There was no trouble now to find sailors willing to go with him. Indeed, it was almost too easy. Everyone was anxious to visit the Indies. They believed it was the quickest way to gain riches and comfort.

"When the second fleet was ready to sail there were seventeen ships and fifteen hundred men. Only think of it! It was almost like a traveling city.

"They had no trouble in crossing the ocean, but when they came to the island where Columbus had before left a part of his men, there was no sign of them nor of the homes they had made.

"He sailed into a fine harbor about forty miles away. The men landed and began to build the first city of the New World for white people to live in. They called it Isabella after the good queen of Spain.

"Columbus spent some time as governor of the settlement. Then he went back to Spain with news of the white men's city in the west. He did not stay long, however. He was soon restless for a third voyage across the great ocean.

"He sailed farther to the southward than he had before. For the first time he saw the shores of46 South America. Then he went back to the settlement in the West Indies, but the people were not glad to see him."

"Children," he said, "I must tell the truth and say that Columbus was not as good a governor as he was a sailor. It would have been hard work for anyone to rule his people, for they had to work hard and they were not satisfied because gold was not plentiful.

"'It is not what we expected,' they cried angrily. 'We thought you would bring us to a land filled with gold and diamonds.'

"Some of them even whispered among themselves, 'Columbus is not what he pretends to be. He has cheated us badly.'

"At last they declared they would not let him stay there any longer. They put chains upon him and sent him back to Spain."

"Look at Columbus now," said the old man. "There he sits on the deck of the ship with heavy chains bound on his arms like one who has done a47 great wrong. Yet he gave a whole continent to the people who put them on him.

"'I will take off your chains,' said the kind-hearted captain of the ship. It is a shame for you to wear them.'

"'No, no. Let them remain,' answered Columbus. I will wear them as a token of the kindness of princes.'

"How different was his third landing in Spain! This time there were no crowds waiting to show him honor. He was carried before the queen, who wept in pity at the sight of her old friend in chains. The brave man now broke down. As he tried to tell his story his words were choked with sobs.

"Isabella did not desert him, however. She helped him to fit out another fleet and he started on his last voyage. He sailed among other islands of the West Indies and returned to Spain after a great deal of suffering. He was sick and poor. There were many who once could not do too much for him but who now mocked him.

"He died with the belief that he had found a short way to India. He had no thought of what he had really discovered. It is a shame he did not get the honor he deserved."

Uncle Sam rose suddenly from his arm chair and began to walk up and down the room. "Yes, it is a shame. A burning shame. Children, let us sing 'Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean.'"

The old man turned to the little organ at one side of the room. In a moment the house was filled with the voices of Uncle Sam and his two young friends. When the song was over, the children kissed him good-night and started for home.

That same night after the children had gone to bed Lucy was just falling asleep when Joe called out:

"I say, Lucy, I wonder why our country isn't always called Columbia instead of America."

"Do keep still, Joe. I was so nice and sleepy and now you have waked me up," answered his sister. "You can ask Uncle Sam the next time you see him."

Two or three evenings afterward the old man was on his knees weeding his pansy bed when he heard steps near by.

"Here I am, my little pink of a Lucy," and he straightened himself up by the side of the apple tree around which the pansies were growing.

"That is a lovely place for them. They don't have too much sunshine. How large the blossoms50 are! May I have that big purple one? It looks at me like a loving face."

"He has gone on an errand for mother. After that, he's coming here. But we can't stay very long this evening. Mother said we must go to bed early to-night so as to be fresh for the picnic to-morrow. You are going, aren't you, Uncle Sam?"

"I'm so glad. Mother said I must be sure to tell you not to take any lunch. We shall carry enough for you. It is a lovely lunch. Roast chicken and nut cake and apple jelly. I can hardly wait for to-morrow. Now aren't you glad you are going?"

"It makes me hungry to think of it, so you and I will have to eat some cherries I picked this afternoon."

"Aren't they beauties! How juicy they are. Red cherries are prettier, but I think I like these blackhearts the best. Here comes Joe now."

"Cherries are ripe, cherries are ripe," sang Lucy,51 as her brother sat down on the steps, quite out of breath.

"Christopher!" exclaimed Joe as soon as he could speak. "I've had an awful long walk and I'm as tired as anything."

"You shouldn't say 'Christopher,' nor 'awful,' either, Joe. They are as bad as slang."

"You needn't preach, Lucy. I should like to know a better word than 'Christopher' in the whole language. Wasn't Columbus's name Christopher?"

"I know that. It is all the more reason for not making the word so common. He was too great a man. But, Uncle Sam, that makes me think of what Joe was saying the other night. He and I both think Columbia is a better name for our country than America."

"You remember, of course, that Columbus never knew what he had discovered. He thought he had visited the shores of Asia. Some years after his first great voyage another man from his own country of Italy sailed out into the west. His name was Americus Vespucius. A little hard to say, isn't it?

"He was a merchant who had made several long52 voyages already. He went farther south than Columbus and sailed along the shores of South America.

"'It is a vast country,' he said to himself, and he was the first one to call it the 'New World.' He wrote long letters telling of what he had seen. The man who printed these letters called the New World America in his honor. And it has been called America ever since. But I like Columbia best myself, children. The name is very dear to me."

"What shall I next tell them about our glorious land?" he said to himself. "Oh, now I know. I am sure they would like to hear about John Cabot and the codfish. It isn't a very long story and there is just time enough before they should go home."

The twins were quite willing to listen. They had already found that true stories were quite as interesting as make-believe ones.

Once upon a time there was a little boy who lived in Italy. It was about the time that Columbus lived there, too. The boy's name was John Cabot. He53 loved the sea as Columbus did. He liked to listen to stories of strange lands.

When he grew up he was not satisfied to stay at home. He began to travel and made longer and longer journeys. After a while he went to England and made his home in that country. He did not stay there, however, for he wished to learn all he could about the world.

On one of his journeys he traveled to Arabia. He met some men there who were leading camels loaded with spices. People used a great deal of spice in their food and drink, so it was very precious to them.

John Cabot began to talk with the men. He asked them where they got all those spices. They pointed still farther to the east and explained to him that it was a long, long way off.

"If I should go west far enough I should surely come to the east. The wise men must be right when they tell us the earth is round."

After he went back to England he heard the great news from Spain. A man named Columbus had54 done just what Cabot thought possible. He had reached the east by sailing west.

"It is truly wonderful," said the people. It was the talk of the whole country. John Cabot was as much excited as everyone else. He asked the king of England to send him on a voyage to the newly-found country. The king thought:

"The Spaniards should not be the only ones to bring back the riches of India. We must have a share of their good fortune."

He was quite willing, therefore, to send John Cabot, who was a wise man and a good sailor. Cabot's son went with him on the voyage.

They came to the mainland of North America, but they were much farther north than Columbus had ever been. It was quite cold and the place looked bare and lonesome.

They saw no Indians, but there were some fishnets lying about near the shore. These nets being there showed that probably people were not far away.

"What great numbers of fish there are in these waters," exclaimed Cabot. "I never in my life before saw so many. 'The Land of the Codfish' is a good name for this country."

He did not stay long, for food was becoming scarce. So the ship soon started on the homeward voyage. When they reached England the sailors told wonderful stories about the "Land of the Codfish." They said:

"The waters were so thick with fish that the ship sometimes could not move as fast as it otherwise would. One thing amused us very much. It was the strange sight of bears fishing! The great creatures swam out into the water and caught the fish in their paws. Sometimes the fish were so large that they fought hard to get away, but the bears nearly always won the battle."

John Cabot told the king he had discovered the country of China. He was treated with the highest honor and called "The Great Admiral." He was dressed in rich silks. The king promised he should have a sum of money given him every year for the rest of his life.

"It is all very well to make a voyage to the west and find the east, but that is not enough. I should like some of the gold and gems and delicious spices found there."

So it came about that John Cabot and his son56 started out on a second voyage. When they reached North America this time they sailed along its shores for a long distance. They saw Indians dressed in skins and wearing ornaments of copper. But they found no gold nor spices.

Cabot still thought he had visited Asia. The king of England did not care about him any longer, however. He was of no use if he could not bring to England the treasures of India. This is probably the reason we know nothing more about John Cabot.

We do not even know how long he lived nor when he died. His son Sebastian lived to be a bright and lively old man and was always glad to hear of the voyages of others to far-away places.

When Uncle Sam had finished the story of John Cabot he told the children why he wished them to remember it.

"Columbus made his voyages with the help of Spain," said he. "That country claimed the right to hold the lands he discovered. That is why the people who settled in the West Indies and in almost all of South America came from Spain and spoke the Spanish language.

"Years after the time of John Cabot they sent people to settle here. They spoke our language and planted English ways and English thoughts with their corn and potatoes."

Uncle Sam laughed as he added, "Maybe you and I would have been Spaniards if it had not been for John Cabot. I wonder how you would have liked that, Joe. I know you are not too fond of your Spanish cousins."

"My dear boy, this world isn't so very large after all, and one great Father loves us and cares for all. Of course, we think America could teach Spain one or two things, but I don't doubt she could help us in some ways, too. No one is perfect, Joe, or else we shouldn't need to live in this world. Come, children, give me a kiss and run off to your little beds."

"Good-night, sleep tight, and don't let the mosquitos bite," Lucy called to her old friend as she followed Joe down the path.

A finer day could not have been chosen for the picnic. When the party started for the pine grove four miles from home there were six carriages full of people. It was a lovely place for a picnic party and Joe and Lucy played hard all day with their little friends. Six o'clock came all too soon.

"Please stay a little longer and eat the rest of our lunch for supper," begged the children. The older people were quite willing.

"It is a good thing we can get plenty of good water from that spring," said Lucy's father. "It is nearly as cold as ice water and certainly as cold as anyone ever ought to drink. I should like to come here every day for the sake of a drink of it."

"I love to hear the water as it makes its way down over the rocks. They say the spring never dries up, even in the hottest days of summer," said Uncle Sam, who was standing near.

"Uncle Sam! A story, a story!" cried some one, as they settled themselves on the grass to eat chicken sandwiches and apple turnovers.

"That spring makes me think of something you might like to hear. It is true, though it is nearly as strange as a fairy story. I suppose the older ones all know it."

"Do tell it, Uncle Sam," cried the children, and their parents seemed as willing to listen as the little ones.

As the evening clouds changed from silver to gold and crimson, and the young moon peeped shyly out in the evening sky, Uncle Sam told the story of

A long time ago there was a young knight in Spain named Ponce de Leon. He was gay and handsome, fond of dress and of good times. Columbus had made his voyages to America and come back to Spain to die.

The men whom he had left in the West Indies needed a governor. The king looked around his court. At last he chose Ponce de Leon as the best man to send to the New World. The knight was60 quite willing, so he went to live in the island of Porto Rico, one of the West Indies.

His life was an easy one. He did very little himself but was a cruel master over the poor Indians who had to work hard at his bidding. Before the white men came among them they had easy times, swinging in their hammocks, bathing in the clear waters, and eating the wild fruits which were so plentiful.

"These white men are great and wise," the Indians had thought at first. "We must serve them and give them all we can. They wish gold. We will show them where they can find it in the earth and the beds of the rivers."

These poor savages of Porto Rico were gentle creatures. They knew little about war. When they found the Spaniards had no love for them and cared for nothing except gold, it was too late to save themselves. They were forced to wait upon their white masters. They had to work in the gold mines as they had never worked before. They missed the pleasant sunlight. They became weak and sick. Great numbers of them died.

All this time Ponce de Leon was storing away great piles of the gold the Indians brought him. He made a poor governor. The king of Spain at last sent word he should no longer rule over the island of Porto Rico.

He was now growing old. He had been sick many times. He began to think of what the Indians had told him. They said:

"Much gold can be found in the land north of us. Something better than gold can also be found there. It is a wonderful fountain. If anyone tastes of its waters he shall never be sick again but shall be young forever."

The heart of the Spaniard leaped for joy. "That is what I want," he said. "Such a fountain is indeed better than all the gold in the world."

He started out with a gay company of his friends. They sailed about among the islands, stopping here and there to feast and make merry.

Still they sailed on toward the north till at last they came in sight of a land beautiful with flowers. It was a glorious Easter Sunday. The air was sweet with delicious odors.

"I will call this place Florida," said Ponce de Leon, "because it is the Flowery Easter."

He and his men spent some time wandering about through the country, always looking for the wonderful fountain.

"Listen!" one of his friends would cry as he heard the sound of running water and thought it might be the Fountain of Youth they were seeking.

They were disappointed again and again. At last they went back to the ships and sailed for Spain. They had found plenty of fruits and flowers. They had met many Indians, some of whom were friendly and gentle, but others were fierce and warlike. Their eager eyes never beheld the Fountain of Youth.

Ponce de Leon did not give up his hope of finding it, however. He told the king of Spain of the beautiful country of Florida and that he hoped to find gold there. The king said:

"You may be the governor of this new land if you will take others with you and settle there."

The old man went back to Florida. Alas! he only went to pain and trouble. As he was about to land,63 a party of Indians came out to meet him. They were not willing to let the white men come on shore. A fight took place. Ponce de Leon was shot. A poisoned arrow entered his body and made a frightful wound. He went back to the ship and set sail for Cuba. His wound did not heal, for the poison from the arrow was still working.

"People used to have such silly notions," said one of the party, as they packed up to go home.

"The more they traveled, the wiser they became," replied Uncle Sam. "There is nothing like travel to make our minds grow. Some time I may go round the world myself. I'm not too old yet."

"I hope you will let Joe and me go with you," said Lucy, as she took hold of his hand and pointed to the waiting carriage.

Joe and Lucy were sitting on Uncle Sam's steps. They were busy making daisy wreaths.

"We will put a double crown on Uncle Sam's head," Lucy whispered. "Then we will play he is the king of Spain sending Ponce de Leon to Florida."

The old man heard her. "I shall look quite royal with such a grand crown," he said with a laugh. "But to-night you had better pretend I am England's good Queen Bess. She lived long after John Cabot. Let me see! It was about seventy-five years from then to the time Walter Raleigh first met her."

"There! I've finished my wreath, so please let me put it on your head. Then I'll be very still while you talk to us," said Lucy.

"Oh, Uncle Sam, you look just lovely," exclaimed the little girl, standing up to admire her friend.

Then she and Joe settled themselves at his feet65 to hear the story of Queen Elizabeth and her brave knight:

A long time ago there was a little boy in England named Walter Raleigh. He was a very beautiful child and as brave as he was handsome.

While he was still very young he left his quiet home in the country and went to war in other lands. In a few years he came back to England. Now, however, he was a tall, strong man, as brave and handsome as ever.

One afternoon he dressed himself in rich and beautiful clothes and went out to walk. He wore a white satin vest, a brown doublet embroidered with pearls, yellow shoes tied with white satin ribbons and sparkling with precious stones, and a wide hat trimmed with a long black plume. His dark hair fell in curls over his shoulders. He was a grand sight, indeed.

He had not walked far when lo! he saw Queen Elizabeth coming that way. The ladies of her court were with her. Suddenly the queen stopped. A pool of muddy water stood in her pathway, for a shower had fallen only a short time before.

What should she do? The queen stopped to think how she could keep from wetting her dainty shoes.

No sooner had she done this than Walter Raleigh stepped forward, threw off his rich cloak, and spread it over the pool. A dry way was thus made for the queen to pass over.

She turned to the young man and, thanking him, gave him a sweet smile. Then she went on her way, but she did not forget him. She asked her ladies his name. When he afterwards appeared at court she was ready to show him kindness.

She found that Walter Raleigh was not only a true gentleman, but that he was also brave and wise.

He went to sea in the queen's ships and showed that he was a good sailor. He fought in battles for his country and proved that he was a fine soldier. He read many books and wrote beautiful poems. In those times, or any other times, it would be hard to find a better, braver, finer gentleman than Walter Raleigh.

For many years the English people had given little thought to America. When they found John Cabot did not discover a short way to India, they lost interest in the New World.

"O Queen," he said to Elizabeth, "you are a great67 ruler. But you could become more powerful still. Why do you not claim some of that land across the great ocean before Spain seizes all of it? We have learned from sea captains who have been there lately that it is rich in beautiful woods and many other good things."

Raleigh hated the Spaniards and had already fought against them in the wars. He knew they were settled in Mexico, Florida, and the West Indies. He did not wish them to get hold of the rest of America. Neither he nor Elizabeth, however, dreamed of the great size of the country.

"I will fit out some ships," the queen answered, "and you may send people to settle on the land which I will give you in America."

Two ships were made ready. The men who sailed in them did not plan to settle in America. They went only to look around and find a good place where settlers could come afterward.

They landed on different islands near the shores of the mainland. It was farther north than Florida. The air was warm and pleasant. The explorers found many fine trees of oak and cedar. Grapes and melons, corn and peas, were plentiful.

The Indians whom they met seemed willing to68 be friends. They admired the white skins of their visitors and brought presents to them. The white men gave them beads and other cheap ornaments.

The Englishmen stayed among them for several weeks. The Indian women made feasts for their visitors and bathed their feet and washed their clothes. The time came at last when the white men said:

"We must go back to England and tell about this beautiful country. We will take home some furs and skins and we will carry a bracelet of pearls to Walter Raleigh."

How his eyes must have sparkled at the sight of the pearls! They were as large as peas.

"The Indian women wear such pearls as ornaments," the sailors said. "The men often go about with reeds in their mouths. Bowls of walnut shell are fastened to these reeds and filled with the dried leaves of a strange plant. Then the Indians set the leaves on fire. They suck the smoke through the reeds and blow it out of their mouths. They seem to take great pleasure in doing this."

The sailors were speaking of the tobacco plant and the smoking of its leaves. They had never seen either before.

The queen was not married. She sometimes said: "I am wedded to my country, and that is enough." It was because of this that she was often spoken of as the "Virgin Queen." She always liked to be called by this name.

At this time she made Walter Raleigh a knight and that is why he has always since been called Sir Walter Raleigh.

The next year he sent out one hundred people to settle in Virginia. They must have been very brave to seek a new home among the Red Men across the great ocean. They landed on one of the islands which their people had visited the year before. They set to work at once to make a home for themselves.

It was not long before some rough houses were built and English housekeeping was begun in America.

The Indians were not as kind as they were the year before. They were jealous of the white men. They thought:

"It was well enough for them to visit us, but we do not wish them to live here."

They had good reasons for not liking the strangers, for the white men did not treat them wisely.

I will tell you of one thing that happened to make the Indians angry. When the Englishmen were on an exploring expedition a silver cup was stolen.

They were so angry they marched to an Indian town near by and burned it to the ground. The red people of the town fled into the woods, so no harm was done to them. They were very angry, however, because their homes were destroyed. They said to one another:

From this time the settlers were not safe. They never knew when the Indians might attack them. Many of them were sick and longed to go back to England.

When summer came and an English ship sailed into the harbor, most of them were glad to get on board and bid good-bye to America.

They carried back with them three things which did not grow in England. These were Indian corn, white potatoes, and tobacco.

Sir Walter Raleigh planted the potatoes at his home in Ireland. The people there liked them so much that potatoes were soon growing in every part of the country. That is why they were afterwards called "Irish potatoes."

As for the tobacco, Sir Walter became so fond of smoking it that he was often seen with a pipe in his mouth. Of course, this was then a strange sight in Europe. The first time the knight's servant saw his master smoking, he was frightened. He thought Raleigh was on fire. He rushed forward with a pitcher of water and dashed it over his head. The sudden bath must have been a surprise, but it probably made the good knight laugh heartily.

"I will not give up so easily. Virginia is a beautiful country. It will make a good home. I will try again to make a settlement there."

The very next year he sent out a still larger number of people. There were men, women and72 children. When they reached the island where the first settlers had lived, they found the English fort had been destroyed. Deer were roaming freely through the deserted village.

They did not lose heart. They set to work and new houses were soon built. They tried to make friends with the Indians.

At this time a dear little baby was born. She was named Virginia in honor of the queen and of her parents' new home. She was the first white child of English people born in this great land of America.

Poor little Virginia Dare! You shall now hear her sad story. Her grandfather was the governor of the English settlement. After a while he said to his people:

"I will sail back to England to get help, for the Indians are not friendly to us."

He was gone a long time—much longer than he expected to be. When he reached England he found that war was going on, and Raleigh was busy fighting for his country.

Two ships, however, were loaded with supplies and started to America. Alas! they had not gone73 far before they had a fight with the Spaniards and were obliged to go back to England.

It was three years before Virginia's grandfather was able to cross the ocean again. What long, anxious years they must have been!

When he reached Virginia there was not one of his people to greet him; no daughter to meet him with smiles and kisses; no little grandchild to sit on his knee and put her arms around his neck.

All were gone—the fort, the village, men, women, and children. He looked about for a sign of what had happened. This only met his eyes: It was a tree into which these letters had been hurriedly cut:

What was the meaning of these letters? Was it to let him know that the white people could be found among the Croatan Indians? Had they been made prisoners by that tribe of Red Men? He went to them and to other tribes in the country around, but he was not able to learn anything about his lost dear ones. At last he went back to England with a sad heart.

No one knows to this day whether Virginia Dare was killed by the Red Men or whether she lived74 to grow up among their children and learn their ways and language. She and her people are spoken of to-day as "The Lost Colony."

When Sir Walter Raleigh heard the sad news he was discouraged. He had spent all his money and still had no colony. Queen Elizabeth died a few years after this. King James, who now ruled over England, was not his friend.

The king kept the brave knight in prison for twelve long years. At last he ordered the good Sir Walter Raleigh's head to be cut off.

This was the end of that brave Englishman, after a life of good and noble deeds.

"What a pity no one knows what became of little Virginia Dare," said Lucy, sadly. "I hope she wasn't killed by the Indians. I'd rather think she died of the measles or scarlet fever."

"Poor little child," said Uncle Sam softly. "It must have been a rough life for her in the wild woods of the New World at that time, even if the cruel savages had let her alone. My heart goes out also to Sir Walter Raleigh, for he worked so hard to have English people settle here. The saddest part of it is that he did not succeed.

"He lived long enough, however, to hear of other people going to Virginia and making a home there. They would surely have failed, too, if it had not been for Captain John Smith."

"A common enough name, to be sure," answered Uncle Sam. "But the John Smith I am thinking76 of was very different from any other. If you children can stay long enough this evening, I will tell you about him."

"Mother said we needn't come home till eight o'clock unless you got tired of us before that time."

"The idea of my getting tired of you and Joe, Lucy! I would be a lonely old man if it were not for you children. You help to keep me young. I can't think what I should do, either, if I had no one to listen to the stories that keep running through my head. Just now it is fairly bursting with the brave deeds of John Smith."

"Dear me! Don't let it burst, Uncle Sam. Do begin the story this very minute," cried Lucy, trying to look frightened.

A moment afterward the little sitting-room was so still that anyone could have heard the big clock ticking in the corner. Then Uncle Sam began to tell of the strange life of

As soon as he was old enough he was set to work at a trade. His parents were poor and they thought, "It is a good thing to have a trade, for then a man can always get his own living."

The young John Smith could not agree with them. He did not like his work, so he did what other boys sometimes do. He ran away. Then his troubles began, for he had a hard life. He tried all sorts of things.

He became a soldier and later he went to sea and was out in such a terrible storm that his ship was wrecked. Again he was out in a ship when another storm came up.

"John Smith carries bad luck wherever he goes," the men whispered to each other. "He has brought this storm upon us."

They threw him overboard. As he was a good swimmer and not far from land, he managed to reach the shore in safety.

This is only one of the stories John Smith told of his strange life when he was a young man.

Not long after that adventure he took part in a war against the Turks. He was as brave as ever, for at one time he killed three Turks and cut78 off their heads. He had no one to help him do it, either.

He did not succeed as well afterwards, for the Turks caught him and made him a slave. His cruel master fastened an iron collar around his neck and made him work very hard. He had to thresh wheat.

One day when he was working in the wheat field his Turkish master rode up on horseback and began to whip him. How angry he was! He seized his heavy flail and killed the Turk with one blow.

He must lose no time in getting away now. He lifted a bag of wheat to the back of the horse, jumped up behind it, and off he rode as fast as he could go.

He wandered through the wilderness for a long time. At last he reached the seashore and got on board an English ship. When he reached England there were many people ready to listen to his wonderful adventures.

On the other hand, John Smith heard many stories about the land across the great ocean—of little Virginia Dare and her lost people, and of the Red Men who lived such a free life in the forests79 of America. This was not all, however, for people were saying:

"Why not try again to settle in Virginia? It is a beautiful country. The weather is warm and pleasant there. It must be easy enough to live in such a place, if we can only get along with the Indians."

John Smith eagerly listened to all this talk. England was too quiet for him. He did not enjoy his life there, he liked excitement too well. He said:

He soon had a chance, for a number of men were at that time getting ready to start. They were not the best kind of people to make a new home in a strange land. Very few of them knew how to do any kind of work. They had heard that the Spaniards found gold in America. They thought they themselves might pick it up on the ground in Virginia. They said to each other:

They did not know how hard work it would be to make themselves safe, as well as comfortable.

They settled at a place they called Jamestown, in honor of James, the king of England.

When the Red Men saw these newcomers, they were not pleased. They were not willing to have the Englishmen settle in their country. They said:

The English were taken by surprise. They did not have their guns with them when the Indians drew near with their bows and arrows. It would have been a sad day for John Smith and his party if the Indians had not been frightened off.

Something came whizzing over their heads. The next moment the branch of a tree came tumbling down in the midst of them.

They fled from the place as fast as their legs would carry them. They did not stop to look around to see what had happened. If they had seen, they would not have understood.

But the white men knew. Some of their friends on board of the ship had seen their danger. They had fired a cross-bar shot from a cannon. That was a bar of iron with a cannon-ball at each end.81 Such shot are not allowed to be used now-a-days.

Although John Smith and his friends were saved at this time, many other troubles were waiting for them.

They made some houses to live in, but made them so poorly that they leaked and were very damp. They had brought food with them, but there was not enough to last long. It is not strange that many of the party became sick and died.

Those who still lived looked at the gardens of the Indians with a great longing. They watched the fields of corn waving in the breeze, and when it was ripe they tried to buy the grain.

They could not get it by offering money to the Red Men, for the savages had no use for money—that is, for our kind of money. John Smith said to his people:

"I will tell you what I will do. I will take some beads and other cheap trinkets and will go up the river in a boat. I can surely get some corn if I am willing to give the trinkets in return."

When the Indians saw the beads, bits of looking-glass, and other ornaments, they longed to have them. They wanted them so much that they gladly82 gave Smith a boatload of corn. In this way he saved his people from sickness and death.

These white men called themselves "gentlemen." They had never done any work in England. John Smith showed them they could only save their lives by work. It must be hard work, too.

If it had not been for him they would not have known enough even to build their houses. He taught them how to plough the ground and plant corn so as to raise a crop for themselves. He said to them:

Such a wall is called a palisade. It would have been helpful in keeping their enemies away. The wall was not built, however. The men were lazy and they thought:

"Captain Smith cannot be right. We are able to defend ourselves without any palisade."

King James very much wished the settlers to look for three things. They were to search for Virginia Dare and her people; they must find gold, and they were also to look for some waterway through the land leading to the Pacific Ocean, or the South Sea, as it was then called.

It was more than a hundred years since Columbus discovered America. Yet still no one dreamed of the size of this country. How surprised John Smith and his people would have been to learn that they would have to travel three thousand miles westward before they reached another ocean.

As soon as Captain Smith had a chance he sailed along the shores and up the rivers. He was looking for a way to reach the South Sea. One day he went up the James River in a boat with two of his friends. They came to another and smaller river flowing into the James.

They went on and on. The river became narrower and narrower. At last Smith jumped ashore and left the other two men in charge of the boat. He told them to guard it and on no account to leave it for a minute. He would go inland to see what he could find.

He had not gone far when some Indians crept out of the woods. They took the two men by surprise and killed them. Then the savages hurried after Smith. He fought hard and managed to make a prisoner of one of the Indians.

Quick as a flash, he bound his prisoner in front84 of him. In this way he made a shield for himself. The Indians could not shoot at the white man without running the risk of killing one of their own people.

By this time they had driven Smith into a swamp. The brave man was sinking deeper and deeper into the mud. It was not long before he sank up to his waist in it. He could no longer run nor fight. He would have to give himself up.

Even after they had taken him ashore he had hope. With quick thought he drew a small compass from his pocket and offered it to the leader of the party. He told the Indian to look at the needle. He showed how it pointed. He explained that anyone who carried it could tell in what direction he was going.

The savage was so pleased that he would not let the others do Smith any harm. They started for their home with their prisoner. They did not travel like white men. They walked in single file and made no noise.

They carried Smith to several Indian villages. Everyone was curious to see him. Many of their85 people had never looked at a white man before. They said to each other:

They looked at the compass and saw that it would really tell directions. They thought:

Smith wrote a letter to his friends in Jamestown and asked the Indians to send it to them. When the Red Men had done this and found that those queer marks on a piece of paper told a story to the white men, they were even more surprised. They said:

What should they do with him? While they were trying to make up their minds about this, they kept Smith shut up in a hut. They were not cruel to him, however. O, no. They brought him quantities of food to eat. There were bread made of corn, roasted deer meat, and all the dainties which they themselves liked best. Smith thought:

"We will take our prisoner to the great chief, Powhatan, and he will tell us what to do."

Smith was brought out and carried in a strange procession to the village in which the chief was then living. He was kept there for some time before the chief would receive him.

When the day came at last, Powhatan was dressed in the grandest Indian fashion. He wore a long robe made of feathers. His face and arms were painted. His people stood around him. He wished Smith to think he was great and powerful.

The white man was brought before him. Smith eagerly watched to see if there were any signs of mercy in the stern face.

Powhatan talked for some time with his warriors. Then two of them got up and went to the side of their white prisoner.

They led him off a short distance and stretched him out on the ground. They placed his head on a stone.

"They are going to kill me," Smith said to himself.87 "I am bound so tightly I cannot possibly get away. There is no help for me now."

Then a strange thing happened. Just as one of the Indians raised his club to end the white man's life, a young girl rushed to his side. She was Powhatan's favorite daughter. She threw her arms around Smith's neck. Then, turning toward her father, she cried:

The beautiful girl had grown to love Smith during his stay in the village. While he was shut up as a prisoner he had made whistles and strings of beads for her. His kindness pleased her and her gentle heart was filled with pity for the white man.

"I will spare the man's life for the sake of my child. He shall stay among us and spend his time making ornaments for Pocahontas."

This is the story Smith afterwards told of the time when he was in the hands of the Indians. Some people, however, do not believe it is quite all true.

At any rate, his life was saved and Pocahontas was the friend of the white people ever after.

"You may go back to Jamestown if you will promise to send me two cannons and a grindstone as soon as you arrive."

When he was once more safe among his own people he found they were in great trouble. Some of them were planning to run away in the only large boat. The others would then be left to the mercy of the Red Men. They were all much in need of their wise leader.

The promise to Powhatan was not forgotten. The Indians, however, who had come back with Smith to get the cannons and the grindstone could not carry them home. They were too heavy. So the men were quite willing to take some trinkets instead.

Many times after that the people of Jamestown suffered because they did not have enough to eat. They were saved again and again by Pocahontas, who filled her boat with baskets of corn and paddled down the river to her white friends.

"We will creep upon the Englishmen and take them by surprise. Then we will kill them."

She was brave as well as good. She did not lose a moment, but hurried away through the dark woods. She did not stop till she reached Jamestown. Then she told of the Indians' plot. She warned Smith to be on his guard. Then she hurried away into the darkness once more.

The white men tried again and again to make friends with Powhatan. They gave him a bedstead, a red cloak, and a wash-basin. They thought he would now be willing to sell them corn.

Not so, however. After he received these presents, the great chief became so proud he would not think of trading with the Englishmen.

They were almost starving when Smith thought of a new plan. He took a box of blue glass beads and showed them to Powhatan. He said:

When the chief heard this he longed to have some for his own. What precious things they must be!

"You will see by this that Captain Smith did not90 always tell the truth. It was because of just such deceits as this that the white men afterwards had so much trouble with the Indians," said Uncle Sam.

The corn was just what Smith wanted, but he would not let the savages know how glad he was. His boat was quickly filled with the precious grain and he set out for Jamestown with a happy heart.

His troubles were not yet at an end. One day while he was at work, a bag of gunpowder exploded near him. Poor Captain Smith was badly burned and in great pain. Worse still, the burned flesh did not heal after many days.

With a sad heart he bade them good-bye and left them to get along as well as they could by themselves.

When Captain John Smith had gone, one trouble after another fell upon the people of Jamestown. They came near starving to death. They were glad to eat anything which would keep them alive. Dogs, snakes, and even toads were killed for food.

Most of the men had already died when some ships came sailing into the harbor. They brought91 some more settlers, as well as food and clothing from England. The worst was now over.

Pocahontas was still the friend of the white men. She grew up to be a beautiful young woman and married an Englishman named John Rolfe. The wedding took place in a little church at Jamestown.

The rest of the story of Pocahontas is soon told. She was a good wife to John Rolfe, and a year after they were married they had a lovely baby boy. John Rolfe went to England on business and took his wife and baby with him. The beautiful Pocahontas was invited to court by the king. She was treated with great honor as an Indian princess, but it did not make her vain or silly.

While she was in England she met her old friend John Smith. She had been told that he was dead and she was much moved at seeing him.

Alas! Pocahontas did not live to see her own home again. Just as she was about to sail to America a dreadful sickness came up her. It was the smallpox. She died in a few days, but her baby son went back with his father to Jamestown and lived to be a noble man.

John Smith is often called the father of Virginia. After his burns had healed, he left England in search of new adventures.

He sailed again to the shores of America. He came to a place much farther north than Jamestown. He looked upon a land with rocky shores. It was not like Virginia. He called this part of America "New England" and so it has been called ever since.

Smith sailed all along the shores of New England. He went in and out of its bays and harbors. He made a good map of what he saw. Then he went back to his own country to show his map to the king.

The next year he sailed on his last voyage. This time he wished to settle in New England. He met with many troubles. There was a dreadful storm and he was chased by pirates. Last of all, he was overtaken by a fleet of French ships and made a prisoner. After a while he managed to escape and get back to England.

This brave and daring man lived long enough to hear of other people settling in New England. That is another story, however.

"Hurrah for Captain John Smith! Next to Columbus he was the bravest man I ever heard of. I wish I could have seen him kill that Turk."

"I should have liked to have been there when he offered those blue beads to Powhatan," said Lucy. "He must have been laughing inside when he did it."

"As for me, I like to think of his making those lazy Englishmen do some work," said Uncle Sam, stroking his chin.

The neighbors all said there was no laziness about Uncle Sam, so it is no wonder he spoke as he did.

"Uncle Sam is like John Smith in some ways," the children's father said not long afterwards.

He had come into the back yard where Joe was stretched on the ground with Lucy's arms around his neck.

"We are playing that I am John Smith and Lucy is Pocahontas. She is trying to save my life. Uncle Sam told us all about them." Joe sat up to explain.

"Yes, Uncle Sam is a good deal like John Smith. He is afraid of nothing. He is always busy, and94 he can turn his hand to anything. One time when he was a boy he was out sailing. The sail was an old one and a sudden gust of wind caught it and tore it badly. Uncle Sam was a long way from home and the sun was already setting. Quick as a thought he took off his shirt, tore it open, and patched the sail with it. That was the very thing John Smith did when he was away from Jamestown on one of his excursions."

"Listen! That is thunder, Uncle Sam. I'm afraid we are going to have a storm. I wish I had covers to my ears so I couldn't hear that dreadful rumbling."

"Nonsense, Lucy. There is no use in being afraid of anything. You should have lived long ago among the Dutchmen in New York. They would have told you it wasn't thunder, but was the sound made by Henry Hudson and his men as they played ninepins with the dwarfs in the caves of the Catskill mountains.

"But there! You don't know anything about Henry Hudson. Sit down, dear, in that little chair close to me and turn your back to the window. Then you will not see the lightning. I will tell you such a nice story you will not listen to the thunder, either."

"I ought not to be afraid with you, Uncle Sam. I wish Joe were here, though. He would like to hear the story."

"I will tell it to him some other time, Lucy. Or you may tell him yourself. But here he comes now, just in time."

Uncle Sam leaned back in his armchair, pulled the beard on his chin, and began the story of

It is nearly three hundred years since John Smith went to Jamestown. He left a dear friend in England who was also a great sea captain. His name was Henry Hudson.

At that time England was jealous of Spain because of her riches. The Spaniards had found many gold and silver mines in America.

England was also jealous of Portugal, a small country joining Spain. The Portuguese had found a way of reaching India by sailing southward around Africa and then eastward. They brought home shiploads of gums, spices, precious stones and rare woods. So the Englishmen thought:

"We must get rich, too. Why cannot we reach India by sailing to the northeast or the northwest?"

They looked about for a brave and able captain who should find out if this could be done. They chose Henry Hudson.

He sailed into the northern seas. He met with icebergs that made the air very cold when they were still a long way off. He saw many whales.

Henry Hudson and his men killed some of the whales. They boiled the fat and made many barrels of oil. This was the best oil known at that time for burning in lamps. It was also useful in other ways.

The brave captain sailed far into the northern seas. It was now so cold that great masses of ice almost stopped the ship.

"We must turn back," Henry Hudson said to his men. "It is of no use to sail any farther northward in hopes of finding a passage to India."

When he got back to England, the people were pleased to learn about the whales. They sent more ships to capture the great monsters and bring home the oil.

Once more they sent Henry Hudson to look for a short way to India by a northern passage.

Again he failed because of the ice in the waters, and again he came home disappointed.

About this time the people of Holland heard of Henry Hudson and what he was trying to do. People who live in that country are called Dutch98 or Dutchmen. It was a rich country for so few people. They said:

"We had better send for this English captain. We will get him to sail in our ships. We do not wish the Englishmen to find a shorter way to India than we know now. If they do, they will become richer than we are."

So they sent for Hudson. They offered him such good pay that he went to Holland and made ready to take one of their ships into the north. As he was about to sail he received a letter from his old friend John Smith.

The letter told him he should sail to the westward if he wished to find the best way of reaching India. Just north of Virginia there was a narrow strait. If a ship passed through that strait, it would enter the ocean that washes the shores of India.

We all know now that Captain John Smith was wrong about this. But Henry Hudson thought it must be true.

He turned his ship, the Half Moon, towards the west. He sailed in that direction till he reached the shores of Newfoundland. Then he went southward as far as Virginia, keeping near the coast. He now turned his ship about and slowly sailed99 to the north. He entered many of the bays and coves that reached into the land. He was always on the lookout for the strait of which Smith had written.

At last he sailed into a fine harbor which no white men had ever seen before. We call it to-day the harbor of New York and know it is one of the best in the world.

Indians came down to the shore in crowds. They were curious to see the strange-looking boat and the people with the white faces and hands. The Red Men wore feather cloaks and necklaces of copper. They wished to make friends with their visitors and offered them beans, oysters, and tobacco.

There were sweet smells in the air and the open places along the shore were covered with grass and flowers. The ship did not remain long in the harbor. Hudson found he was at the mouth of a river. He thought:

So the ship sailed farther and farther up the100 river. It stopped at several places where friendly Indians came out to meet the white men. Hudson landed at one of these places and visited an Indian chief.

In the village he saw great piles of corn and beans. He noticed the bark houses. The Red Men asked him to stay all night with them and placed a mat on the ground for him to sit on. They brought him food in a red wooden bowl.

They wished to show that they were truly his friends, so they took some arrows and threw them into the fire. This told him more than the Indian words he could not understand.

When he sailed again, Hudson noticed that the river was getting narrower. At last it was so shallow that his ship could go no farther. He sent some men in a small boat to see what they could find.

"This is no way to the Pacific," they said when they came back. "The river comes to an end just beyond us."

The ship was turned about, and Hudson sailed down the river and out into the harbor again. He gave his own name to the river he had discovered,101 and it is still called the Hudson River. He never saw it again.

Now came the long voyage across the ocean. The Dutch people were sorry that Hudson had not found what he was looking for. They were pleased, however, to learn of the lovely country and the wild animals covered with fur that were to be found in its forests.

"The Indians are pleasant and willing to be friends. They kill great numbers of the wild animals with their bows and arrows and they tan the skins." So the sailors said.

"Why not send some of our people to live on the shores of the Hudson River?" thought the thrifty Dutch. "They can carry with them shiploads of knives, axes, beads, and other things the Red Men like. They can trade those things for the furs that bring high prices here in Europe."

They brought chests full of linen, as well as the shining pewter dishes they used in housekeeping. In fact, they packed in their ships everything they needed to make themselves comfortable and happy.

When they built their houses in America they102 made them look as much as possible like the homes they left behind them. They made their fireplaces large enough to hold logs of great size. In the cold winter evenings these logs crackled and burned brightly while the Dutchmen with their wives and children sat before the fire and told stories.

Every house had a porch. As the sun set and the moon came out in the summer time, the men sat in the porches telling stories and smoking their pipes while their wives sat knitting beside them and the children romped and played around the dooryards.

They still dressed in the fashions of their country. The men had hats with broad brims and coats with wide skirts. The women wore so many short skirts they looked like opened umbrellas.

These Dutch people were honest and they had kind hearts, so they got along pretty well with their Indian neighbors. They hated idleness and they were very neat.

All of them worked during the day, but when evening came it was a time for rest and pleasure. Then were told the stories of the old days in Holland, of fairies, and of the gnomes who lived underground digging copper and gold.

When the thunder rolled in the sky, they would nod to each other and say: "It is only Henry Hudson and his men playing ninepins with the dwarfs in the caves of the Catskill mountains."

After the brave captain had discovered the Hudson River and gone back to Europe, he tried once more to find a short way to India. He thought it best to cross the ocean again, but to sail farther north than he had done on his first voyage to this country.

After he had reached the shores of America, he came into a large bay. The land around him was bare and dreary. The ship was kept all winter in this bay on account of the ice. The sailors suffered very much from the bitter cold. Many of them became sick and died before the spring opened and the ice broke up enough to let the ship move on.

By this time the food was almost gone. The day came when Hudson took the last of the bread and divided it among his crew. He was so sad and hopeless that tears filled his eyes.

The sailors blamed him for bringing them there104 and were very angry with him. They thought, "We shall all lose our lives through him."

They were not even moved by his tears. When they had eaten the bread, they seized him and put him and some sick sailors into a small boat. Then they sent them adrift in the cold, dreary waters of the great bay.

They were never heard of again. This is all we know of the last days of that very brave Englishman, Captain Henry Hudson.

As for the wicked sailors, some of them met with better fortune than they deserved. Soon after they had treated their captain so badly, birds came flying by. The men shot some of these and saved themselves from starving. After that they had a fight with Indians on the shore and several of the sailors were killed. The others managed to gather a small supply of food with which they started for home.

Even then they suffered a great deal from hunger. They were so weak they had to sit down to sail the vessel. All of them would have died if they had not met another ship, which took them aboard and carried them home.

"I hardly noticed it. I was thinking all the time about Henry Hudson," declared Lucy.

"I suppose Hudson never met his old friend John Smith after he got the letter," said Uncle Sam, thoughtfully. Then he went on, "They were both Englishmen, yet those who settled in Virginia with John Smith made a very different home for themselves from those made by the Dutch who followed Henry Hudson.

"The Dutch had their own ways; the English had theirs. The Dutch planted gardens. They raised flocks of sheep, which furnished wool for the women to card and spin. They gave beads and blankets of red wool to their Indian neighbors. They took in return game and beautiful furs. They sent the furs to Holland.

"They got up in the morning at sunrise, and went to bed at sunset. They ate dinner at eleven o'clock in the morning, and tea parties were often given at three in the afternoon.

"They had grand times at Christmas and New Year's, when feasts were spread and everyone dressed in his best clothes.

"It was the Dutchmen who gave Santa Claus to American children. They brought the dear old106 fellow from Holland along with their chests of linen and pewter dishes."

"Hurrah for the Dutchmen! I say," exclaimed Joe. "Christmas wouldn't be half the fun it is without Santa Claus. Do you know, Uncle Sam, last year was the first time Lucy and I knew he was not a real man. Why, we used to think he came down our chimney every Christmas Eve with his pack of presents. We talked up the chimney to him when we went to bed and told him what we wanted. I know now that you and father and mother are the only Santa Claus."

"Now I think of it, the pictures of Santa Claus make him look like a fat and jolly old Dutchman," said Lucy.

"After their people were well settled, the children of Virginia enjoyed Christmas," Uncle Sam went on. "They lived on big plantations where their fathers raised tobacco. The houses were large and pleasant. Beautiful trees grew near and gave plenty of shade in the hot summer time.

"At Christmas, wild turkeys were roasted in the big fireplaces. The rooms were trimmed with holly and evergreens. There were dinner parties, and dances that lasted all night. The ladies wore flowered107 silk dresses with long trains. Their hair was powdered and 'done up' on the head so it looked like a tower. The men wore knee-breeches and shoes with bright buckles. Their coats were of silk or velvet and trimmed with much gold and silver lace.

"The white people in Virginia did not work hard. They made their black slaves care for the great fields of tobacco.

Uncle Sam stopped for a moment to stroke his chin and slyly pull Joe's hair, for the boy had turned his head to look at his sister.

"Ouch! That isn't fair, Uncle Sam," cried Joe. "I will try to forgive you, though, if you don't do it again and go on with your story."

"The Dutch were the first ones to bring slaves to Virginia. They sailed to Africa and caught the poor savages in their homes. Then they carried them on board ship and afterwards sold them to the white planters in America. That is one way the Dutch became rich.

"You may praise the Dutch for giving you Santa Claus, Joe. You may blame them, however, for108 being the first to bring the dreadful curse of slavery to this beautiful land."

"We may thank the Lord for sending us a good helper. It is because of that helper that the people of America are now free."

The old man got up and made a deep bow before a picture hanging above the organ.

"There is the face of one who loved his fellow men," he said, pointing to the picture.

"When you children know a little more about your country, you shall hear the story of Abraham Lincoln."

"I think mother cooks the best Thanksgiving dinners in the world," said Joe, with a sleepy yawn. "It seems as though I could never be hungry again."

"It is no wonder you feel as you do. I don't see where in that small body of yours you were able to stow away so much turkey and mince pie, to say nothing of the squash and mashed potatoes, the cranberry sauce, nuts and raisins," said Uncle Sam. "I wonder if you ever thought why we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The people of other countries do not have this holiday. If you are not too sleepy I will tell you about it."

Uncle Sam had been spending the day with the parents of Joe and Lucy. The children's mother had said, "Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without Uncle Sam to share it with us. Even if my sister Mary comes with her whole family, we can make room at the table for our dear old friend."

The great dinner had been eaten and cleared away. The short day was coming to an end when Uncle Sam spoke of a reason for Thanksgiving Day.

"Sleepy! I guess not. A story is just the thing before the lamps are lighted and we play games," said Lucy.

"Just the thing," repeated her cousin Mabel. She was a year younger than Lucy and copied everything the older girl said and did.

"We all like stories," added Arthur, a tall boy of ten years. He was quiet and fond of books—very different from noisy Joe, who loved him the best of all his cousins.

"Once upon a time," began Uncle Sam, "there were some people who lived in England. They were good and honest, but they could not do just as they wished. The king said everyone in the country must worship God in a certain way. That way must be the same in every church.

"It happened that some of his people did not agree with the king. They said: 'Everyone ought to worship God, but all should be free to worship in the way they like best.'

"These people gathered together, and every Sunday they met in their own little churches. This111 did not please the king and he made their lives very unpleasant.

"Of course they were not happy. They thought: 'Why should we stay here in England where we are treated so badly? Holland is not far away and the Dutch people are kind and friendly. They are willing that everyone in their country should worship as he likes. Let us go to Holland where we can be free.'

"The plan seemed good. A small company of men, women and children left England for a home among the Dutch.

"At first, they were happy and contented in Holland. The boys and girls became men and women. The babies grew up into boys and girls. One thing grieved their parents. Their children were fast forgetting the English language. There were no English schools where they could learn their lessons.

"'This is not right,' said the older ones. 'No people could be kinder than our Dutch friends, but we do not wish our own children to grow up and forget their own country and the beautiful English language.'

"'I will tell you what we can do,' said one. 'We112 have heard a good deal about America. Some of our people have settled in Virginia. They write that it is a fine place and that the air is soft and pleasant all the year. Let us go to America. We will seek a home not far from Virginia.'

"The others thought these were wise words. They left their Dutch friends and went back to England. They wished to visit it once more before they bade it good-bye forever.

"Two ships were soon ready and one hundred pilgrims sailed for America in the year 1620.

"'We are like pilgrims,' they had said to each other, 'for we travel from place to place.' From that day to this they have been called by the name of the 'Pilgrims.'

"They had not sailed far before one of the ships began to leak. Its captain said: 'It is not safe to cross the ocean in such a poor boat.' So he turned back to England.

"All the Pilgrims now crowded into the second ship. It was called the 'Mayflower.'

"A long voyage was before the travelers. They were tossed about by storm and wind. Almost all of them were seasick. A hundred people in the113 small cabin of the Mayflower must surely have had a hard time.

"Land was sighted at last. It was their first view of their future home, America. How happy the children must have felt when they thought of running and playing on dry land once more!

"It was in November when they sailed around the end of Cape Cod. The Pilgrims had not meant to come so far north of Virginia.

"Some of the men left the ship and went on shore. They found a place where the earth looked as though it had been lately dug up. Perhaps something was buried in this spot. Sure enough! It was some dried corn which the Indians had put there for safe keeping.

"The men were pleased at the goodly sight. They carried the corn to the ship. 'We may have need of it,' they said. They were honest people, so when they afterwards found out what Indians had stored the corn there, they paid for it quite willingly.

"A brave man named Miles Standish had come with the Pilgrims. He was English, like themselves. They first met him while they were living in Holland. He had gone there to help the Dutch in a war against Spain.

"Miles Standish did not belong to the same church as the Pilgrims, yet the more he knew them, the better he liked them. When they spoke of coming to America he said:

"They were much pleased, for he was a brave and able soldier. He could help them if they had trouble with the Indians.

"After they found the corn, some one proposed to go along the coast in a small boat. It would be the best way of finding a place to settle. As they moved along, they saw some huts covered with mats. They thought these must be the homes of Indians.

"They went back to the ship without finding a place to settle. Some days after that they started out again. It was a very cold day in December. The spray froze as it fell on their clothing.

"When they were several miles from the ship they landed and made ready to spend the night out of doors. They built a wall of logs. They said:

"'We can sleep behind this wall. Then if the Indians should creep upon us, we can defend ourselves.'

"They had no trouble during the night, but in115 the morning there was a terrible sound. It was not like anything they had ever heard before. It was the warwhoop of the Indians.

"'The guns!' They were in the boat where the men had just carried them. There was a quick rush to the shore, while arrows came whizzing about their heads. Then 'Bang! bang!' went the guns, and the frightened Indians ran back into the woods.

"The Indians thought the white men carried thunder and lightning in the iron tubes. Although brave, they could not stand against such fearful weapons.

"The explorers hastened away. After a while they came into a small harbor. The land along the shore had been cleared of woods. Brooks flowed through it into the sea.

"'This would be a good place for our people to live,' Miles Standish thought. The others thought so too.

"John Smith had visited this very place before and had marked it on his map. As soon as the men came back, the ship set sail and brought the pilgrims to the chosen spot.

"'God's will has led us here,' thought the good116 people. 'It must be the best place for our new home.'

"One hundred persons had left England, but one hundred and two landed on Plymouth Rock. How was that?"

"This was the way of it. Two babies had come to the Pilgrims on their way to America. One was born in mid-ocean, so they called him Oceanus. The other was a little girl who first saw the daylight when her people were near the shores of their new home.

"'We will name her Peregrine,' said her parents. 'Peregrine means wanderer, and she is a little wanderer, without doubt.'

"How good it must have seemed to the women and children when they left the small, close cabin and the dirty ship. They had to live on board, however, until the men had built a long, rough house on the hillside. The whole party would have to live in this till better homes could be made for each family.

"'I cannot wait around here any longer. I must go back to England. Take all your goods from my ship as quickly as possible.'"

"I should think the Pilgrims would have hated to see the ship leave," said Joe. "If they got homesick they couldn't go back to England, no matter how bad they felt."

"They were not the kind of people to give up," replied Uncle Sam. "Before they went on shore they had a meeting in the cabin of the Mayflower. They made some good laws for themselves. They all promised to obey them. Those promises were very helpful when troubles came.

"And troubles did come, too! The first winter at Plymouth, which was the name they gave their new town, seemed to them long and very cold. It was not really a very hard winter for New England, but the climate from which they had come was much milder. In Old England they were not used to so much cold, snow and ice as they now had, and they did not know how to protect themselves properly.

"The food was poor and scarce. The one big house was not made tight enough. The freezing air, snow and rain came though the many cracks.118 One brave Pilgrim after another was seized with fever or other illness. Before the warm days of spring came to cheer them one-half of them had died. Alas! little baby Oceanus was one of these.

"They did not sit still and think over their troubles. Everyone who was able kept at work. The men cut down trees in the forest with which to build houses and a little church. They caught fish and lobsters. They dug clams.

"The women washed and cooked and spun, and made everything as homelike as they could for their husbands and children. The men carried their muskets with them wherever they went. Miles Standish had told them:

"'We do not know when the Indians may take us by surprise. We must be always ready.'

"The very day when the Pilgrims first stepped on Plymouth Rock they saw Indians peeking at them from over the hilltop. That was all, however. In a few minutes the Red Men were out of sight. It was a long time before any of them were seen again.

"One day early in the spring the white men were having a meeting to talk over some plans. Suddenly an Indian came into their midst. He was119 painted in the best style of his people. He wore a bear-skin over his shoulders.

"The men hastily seized their muskets. The Indian calmly looked from one face to another. He seemed in no hurry. Then he slowly said:

"How good those words sounded! All were filled with wonder and delight. They were puzzled to think where this savage had learned English words.

"Then they led him to their house and gave him a good dinner. Samoset, for that was his name, seemed in no hurry to leave. He stayed hour after hour. When night came the Pilgrims made up a warm bed by the side of the fireplace. He slept there all night, while the white men kept watch. They were not yet sure whether he meant to be their true friend. When morning came they gave him some presents and he went away proud and happy.

"He soon came back, bringing with him his friend Squanto and some other Indians.

"Squanto could talk more English than Samoset. He told the Pilgrims he had seen white men before120 and had lived with them. He had crossed the great ocean with a white captain who came to Plymouth with John Smith.

"The white people had treated him kindly and had afterwards brought him back to his old home. It was the very place where the Pilgrims were now living. When Squanto got back he found that his family had all died of a dreadful sickness. Many of his tribe had died from it at the same time. That was why the others had burned their homes and moved away from Plymouth.

"Squanto was a good friend to the white men. He came to live with them. He showed them how to plant corn so it would grow well. He put a dead fish in each hill to make the ground rich. He taught them the Indian ways of hunting and fishing. If it had not been for his kindness and knowledge the rest of the Pilgrims might have died for want of food.

"Not far away from them lived an Indian chief named Massasoit. Squanto belonged to his tribe. 'We would like to see Massasoit,' said the chief men of the Pilgrims. They thought they would be much121 safer from attack if they made peace with the Indian chief who lived nearest them.

"One day the great chief came to Plymouth. He liked the white men. Before he went away he promised to be friendly to them. Massasoit kept his word and was a good and true friend to the Pilgrims until he died.

"One time news came to Plymouth that Massasoit was very sick. Some of his white friends went to see him. They found him stretched on a rough bed in his little hut. He had a fever. The hut was almost filled with Indians. The medicine men were there. They were making a fearful noise. They thought an evil spirit had taken hold of Massasoit. They were trying to drive it away with the noise. Then the chief would get well.

"The Indians have great faith in their medicine men. They are their priests, as well as their doctors.

"'That noise is enough to make anyone ill,' said the white men. 'The air in the hut is heavy and very bad because there are so many people in it. Massasoit can never get well at this rate.'

"They got the crowd to leave the wigwam. Then they gave the sick chief the proper medicine122 for his illness. The fever soon left the chief and he believed that his white friends had saved his life.

"One day an Indian who did not belong to Massasoit's tribe came into Plymouth. He brought a snake-skin filled with arrows and laid it on the ground.

"The arrows were taken out of the snake-skin. Then it was filled with bullets and sent back to the unfriendly Indians.

"This said as plainly as any words: 'If you come to attack us with your arrows, we will shoot you with our bullets.'

"When the savages saw the bullets they were afraid. They said, 'Ugh! Ugh!' but they did not dare to touch them. They at once sent the fearful things back to Plymouth. They changed their minds about fighting white people who used firearms."

"There's nothing like being brave," he said slowly. "The Pilgrims would not even think of123 giving up, and that is why they held out against all dangers. You remember I told you that only half of them lived through that first winter. They were very careful not to let the savages know how many of them had died. They were even careful not to make mounds to mark the places where their friends were buried. They thought the Red Men might count the mounds. They would know by that how few of the settlers were left.

"As soon as the spring came, corn was planted over the graveyard. The tall stalks were soon waving to and fro, hiding it from sight."

"Now the people were very busy. Gardens were planted; fish and lobsters were caught in plenty, and everyone was happy. In the summer wild berries were to be had for the picking, and the gardens which had been planted began to yield nice vegetables.

"Then came the beautiful days of the New England autumn. The harvests ripened and fields of corn seemed to cry:

"Squashes and pumpkins and other good things124 were ready for the picking. Men, women, and children were busy and joyous.

"'The Lord has blessed us. We should praise Him for His mercy to us in this strange land.'

"He set aside a day for prayer and thanksgiving. Feasts should be spread and all work given up. His orders were followed.

"What numbers of pies and puddings were made for that day! What quantities of fish and wild turkeys were brought by the men and cooked by the women!

"Thanksgiving morning came at last, and after a good breakfast everyone went to church. In those days not even the babies were left at home, but were carried to church in their mothers' arms.

"There was a long service in the church. A very long one it must have seemed to the children, who kept thinking of the great dinner to come soon. The last hymn was sung, the last prayer made, and all turned their steps to the tables loaded with good things to eat and drink.

"The Pilgrims had invited Massasoit and some of his people to share their feast. The Red Men were pleased when they received the invitation.

"They took their bows and arrows and went out into the forest. They shot some red deer. Early on Thanksgiving morning they arrived in Plymouth, bringing the game they had killed.

"When the great dinner was ready at last, one hundred Indians with hungry stomachs were ready to share it with the white people.

"It must have been hard to entertain the visitors. They could speak and understand only a few words of English. Now and then they would give a deep grunt to show they were well pleased.

"They stayed not only to dinner, but to supper, also. Even then they were in no hurry to go home. Many of them spent the night with their white friends. They seemed to think Plymouth was a very pleasant place."

It was quite dark outside before Uncle Sam finished the story of the first Thanksgiving Day. But big logs were burning in the fireplace and giving a soft light all over the room. The old man could see the children's happy faces. He knew they were126 having a good time, though they had kept so quiet.

"I am ready for blind-man's-buff," he said, suddenly jumping up "I'll be the blind man. Come, we have been still long enough."

Lamps were quickly lighted. In a minute the room was filled with the laughter of the Young folks as Uncle Sam dashed right and left trying to catch them in his long arms.

"The little Pilgrims though they had a good time on Thanksgiving Day. But their parents would no let them make much noise. Dear me! If children are not allowed to make a noise, they can't be happy." Uncle Sam was talking to himself as he walked home after the party.

Just then his big black cat rubbed against his legs. "Hullo, Buzz, is that you. And did you think I was speaking to you? Here, smell of this turkey bone. I brought it home so you could have a feast, too."

Uncle Sam bent down and rubbed the cat's soft fur. The he went into the house, leaving Buzz outside to enjoy his Thanksgiving supper.

"It is the very evening for roasted apples and pop-corn," the old man said soon after his young friends arrived. "Joe, you run down cellar and get some of the biggest apples you can find. Lucy, dear, take these ears of corn and shell them. We will put the apples in the hot ashes and pop the corn over those lovely red coals."

"Oh, what fun!" cried Lucy. "You are always thinking of the nicest things to do. I never knew anyone like you."

"I hope the Pilgrims had a few Uncle Sams with them," said Joe, coming back with the apples.

"They popped corn sometimes, but not in our way," the old man said. "I don't believe anyone of them ever saw a corn-popper. They used to hide the kernels in the hot ashes and then watch for them to come shooting out over the room.

"Then what fun there was as the children scrambled to get them! They enjoyed it, and I am glad they did. Poor little children, they did not have too much fun at any time. You must not blame their parents, though. They had been brought up that way themselves. They thought they must be very strict or their children might grow up to be bad men and women.

"'Spare the rod and spoil the child,' they said over and over again. And they also often repeated these words: 'Children should be seen and not heard.'

"Now I believe children should look forward to Sunday with pleasure," Uncle Sam went on. "It ought to be the best day in the week for everybody, young and old. But, dear me! the poor little Pilgrims had to keep so still and sober from Saturday evening to Sunday evening, it must have been painful. Not a loud word must be spoken, not a laugh must be heard. Then there was the long sermon Sunday morning. Hours long! Just think of it!

"Rain or shine, heat or cold, everyone went to church. That is, unless he was too sick to sit up. They went in a sort of procession. The women and children walked in the middle. Some of the men129 marched ahead and the rest at the end of the line. They carried their guns, for they must be ready for an attack by the savages at any moment.

"There was no fire in the church on the coldest day of winter. Some of the people carried foot-stoves to keep themselves warm. These were iron pans or cups in which live coals were carried. The children sat in one part of the church and their parents in another."

"I know what you are thinking," said Uncle Sam, who noticed the smile. "You are thinking that the children could whisper together during the long sermon. That is a great mistake, Joe. There was always a man in the church who looked out for such things. He stood where he could see everything that was going on. He had a long stick with a squirrel tail on one end and a hard knob on the other.

"If he saw one of the older people nodding, softly and quickly the 'tithing man', as he was called, would be at the side of the erring one. Then the furry end of the stick would dance over the sleepy one's face and the eyes would open with a start.

"But if a child began to whisper, he was not130 treated so gently. The hard knob at the other end of the stick would suddenly come down on his head and make it ache in a very unpleasant way.

"The tithing-man watched the hour-glass on the pulpit. The moment the last grain of sand had fallen through, he walked softly up the aisle and tipped the glass over.

"The hours in church must have passed very slowly for the children. The sermon was very, very long, and they could understand little of what the minister said.

"The poor children had no Santa Claus. Worse even than that, they had no Christmas! Thanksgiving was the only great holiday of the year."

"Why, Uncle Sam," Joe went on, "Christmas is the Christ Day. You know what I mean. And the Pilgrims thought so much of the Bible and going to church, and all that! Why, I don't understand."

"They thought it was wrong to make a pleasure of religious things," replied Uncle Sam. "It was many, many years before the fashion of the Dutch people spread over America. It is a grand fashion,131 too. Well, well, we cannot help it if the Pilgrims didn't celebrate Christmas, so we will turn from that to the brave man whom the children admired so much.

"I shouldn't wonder if they were a little afraid of Miles Standish. He had a wonderful sword which he prized above everything else. A Turk had given it to him. It was marked with strange figures which the Pilgrims did not understand.

"'That sword will save you from harm so long as you keep it with you,' the Turk had told the brave captain.

"Miles Standish was a little man and at first the Indians made fun of him. They thought he was too small to be much of a warrior. But they found they had made a mistake in this and learned to fear him.

"I think you children have never been to Plymouth. Next summer I will take you there, if your mother is willing. You shall stand on the rock where people say the Pilgrims landed. Then we will go up to the Memorial Hall and look at Baby Peregrine's cradle and the chair of the first governor. Dear me! I can't think of all the things132 saved from those first days of Plymouth. We will see them all, though, and have a good time."

"That will be jolly fun," said Joe, jumping up and dancing around the room. "I wish it were next summer now."

"Don't be noisy Joe," said his sister. "Uncle Sam won't tell us anything more, if you are."

"I have told more now than you will remember, my dear," said her old friend. "Before we leave the Pilgrims, however, I must say one thing. After they were well settled, friends from England came to join them. This made them very happy.

"A few years afterwards, still other people came from England to live in this part of the country. Their religion was not exactly the same as that of the Pilgrims. They were called the Puritans. They said:

"'We do not wish to go out of the English church. Yet we would like to make it pure. Some things have grown up in it which we think are wrong.'

"There were many Puritans in England, but the king would not listen to them. That is why they made up their minds to come to America.

"They were not poor like the Pilgrims. They133 brought plenty of clothes and furniture, horses, cattle, and pigs, and everything they needed to make themselves comfortable. They did not have to suffer as the Pilgrims did.

"Hundreds of Puritans followed the first ones who came to America. They settled in Boston and other places near by. They built forts and schoolhouses, besides homes for themselves.

"They planted wheat and rye as well as Indian corn. They cut down the forests and caught fish and salted them. They bought furs from the Indians, and sent them, as well as lumber and salt fish, to England. The English people were glad to buy these things and sent in return books, tools, and other things the Puritans needed in their new home."

"Well, I suppose they were. We call their ways old-fashioned, now-a-days. But if you had lived134 in their time, you would have been a good deal happier with them than with the Puritans.

"Strict! Why, the Puritans wanted to make everybody believe just as they did. They did not have any patience with those who did not agree with them.

"They had hard laws, too. They punished anyone who swore, or even scolded. A high frame called the stocks stood in the middle of every village. It had a number of holes in it. Many of those who did small wrongs had to sit all day with their legs and arms through these holes. That was the way they were held up to scorn.

"Then there were ducking-stools. If women became common scolds, they were bound to these stools and ducked in a river or pond.

"Once in a while a man was caught swearing. It was a sad day for him. A split stick was fastened on his tongue for hours together. If that did not cure him, his tongue was burned with a red-hot iron.

"The children had a hard time of it in school as well as at home. If they told wrong stories, they had to hold out their tongues to be burnt with a good dose of mustard."

Uncle Sam looked quite sad as he went on to tell of a little girl who took something which belonged to a playmate.

"I don't believe children dared to turn round or whisper in school very often," said Joe.

"I should say not. If they did, a sudden rap came upon their heads. It made them wish they had not broken the rules."

"I am glad I am alive now, and have such a lovely home, and father and mother, and—"

Joe and Lucy had been taking supper with Uncle Sam. Lucy had made a big pile of buttered toast and her mother had sent over a plum cake. They were all eaten.

"You must go home pretty soon, children. The snow is drifting a good deal and it will be hard walking. It is well that you both wore rubber boots."

"It was in just such weather that Roger Williams made his way through the wilderness," he said as he looked out over the fields.

"Then it is time you did. It is not a very long story. I don't believe it will do you any harm to stay long enough to hear it. So here it is:

"Roger Williams was one of the noblest men who137 lived among the Puritans of long ago. He was a young minister. He had fine thoughts of his own. He did not need to have anyone else do his thinking for him.

"When he first came to America with his young wife he settled in Boston. He afterwards went to Salem. He preached in a little church there. He said so many good things that people liked to hear him.

"After a while the Puritans began to open their ears and their eyes, too. The leading men said:

"They were very angry. You remember what I told you the other day about the Puritans?"

"You must remember another thing, too. The leading men of the church made all the laws for the town. Roger Williams did not think this was right. He was a minister himself, yet he believed the church should have nothing to do with governing the town.

"Besides that, he thought, 'the King of England138 has no right to give the land in America to the people who come here. The Indians hold the land. It is theirs. They are the only ones who should sell it or give it away.'

"'Dreadful! dreadful!' said the people of Salem. 'Roger Williams cannot be true to the king if he believes like that.'

"The leading men made it so unpleasant for the young minister that he left Salem. He went to Plymouth and stayed among the Pilgrims for two years. At the end of that time he went back to Salem. He preached good sermons and the people said:

"'He has grown more careful in the use of his tongue. He does not say unwise things any more.'

"Yet Roger Williams had not changed his mind. He believed just as he did before and he could not help showing it.

"'This man is not safe. He puts wrong thoughts into the minds of the people,' said some of the leaders. 'We must send him back to England.'

"Roger Williams heard what they intended to do. He fled into the forests. It was very cold and heavy snow had fallen. Who would be his friend and help him in his troubles now?

"Who indeed but his old friend Massasoit! The Indians loved Williams. He had always been kind and gentle with them. He had been honest in all his dealings.

"Massasoit was glad to give Williams a home. He stayed with the Indian chief for some time. He was busy thinking what he should do. Where should he make a home for himself and those who believed as he did?

"As soon as the spring came Williams went to this place. He set to work at once to build himself a log house. Five of his friends came from Salem to be with him.

"They had not worked very long before they found they would be safer to move to the other side of the river. Then they would be sure of a place where the white men could not trouble them.

"They came to a wild and beautiful spot. The trees of the forest grew all about it. The river flowed close by.

"The axes were soon swinging merrily and the tall trees came falling to the earth. It was the beginning of the city of Providence.

"Roger Williams gave it that name. He said: 'God has provided a home in the wilderness for me.'

"Not long after this a little son was born to him. He, too, was named Providence. And when a baby daughter came to the happy family, she was called Mercy. In this way the good minister showed that he did not forget the loving care of his Heavenly Father.

"Do not forget Roger Williams," Uncle Sam ended as the children began to put on their rubber boots. "He dared to say what he thought was right when almost everyone was against him.

"Be sure to remember this, too: He had no trouble with the Indians, because he treated them fairly. They lived in America before the white people came, so he thought they had a better right to the land than anyone else."

"Look, Uncle Sam! See my lovely new muff. I wanted one ever so much. My hands get cold, even in my woolen mittens. Father bought it for a birthday present. He got home from Canada to-day."

"Father says Canada is a great place for hunters, there are so many wild animals in the forests. He was dreadfully cold while he was there. He is glad to be home again."

"Yes, the weather is colder there than it is here, because it is farther north. Yet the cold did not keep the Frenchmen from going to live in Canada long ago. They were willing to suffer a little so long as they could get rich by hunting and trapping, and trading with the Indians.

"They were the first white people to settle in142 Canada. They called the country 'New France.'

"They built stations here and there along the shores of the St. Lawrence River. The Indians used to bring loads of furs to sell to them. The white men paid for the furs with hatchets, and beads, and pieces of cloth. That was the kind of money the Indians liked best.

"The savages of Canada were always friendly to the Frenchmen. They found that the settlers did not wish to harm them and that they were treated fairly. So there was no trouble.

"The Frenchmen loaded ships with the furs they bought and sent them home to France. They wrote to their friends in the old country about the gentle and friendly Indians. Some good French priests heard the news. They said:

"'We will cross the ocean and go to live among the Indians. We will teach them about God and about Christ, the Savior.'"

Uncle Sam was so busy talking, he did not notice Joe making signs to his sister. These signs said: "We had better take off our coats and spend the evening. I know Uncle Sam feels like telling a story."

Lucy understood her brother. In another minute143 she and Joe were sitting on either side of the old man as he began to tell of the good priest Father Marquette and what he found.

It was a long time ago that Father Marquette left France and came to Canada. Unlike the fur traders, he had no wish to get rich. He was a priest with a kind, loving heart. He cared only to teach and help the Indians.

As soon as he reached Canada, he asked many questions about the Red Men. The fur traders told him of some Indians who lived not far away. They said:

Marquette went to see them at once. They liked him because he was gentle and good. They took him into their homes. He lived with them for three years.

While he was there, he heard of a wonderful river. The Indians called it "The Father of Waters" because it was so long and wide. They said it was far, very far, to the west of them. Other Indians had told them about it. They thought it would not be safe to sail down this river. Tribes144 of fierce savages lived on its shores. They would kill anyone who came among them.

The good Marquette was not afraid. He only thought: "These savage Indians have all the more need of my teaching. I must go to them."

A fur trader named Joliet, and five other men, went with the priest. They traveled in canoes made of birch bark. On they went, and still on. Many days passed by. No Indians were seen as yet.

At last, they saw huts along the shore. These must be the homes of the Red Men. In another minute they heard cries of welcome. The Indians came hurrying to meet their visitors. They had heard of the good Marquette from their friends to the eastward.

They asked him to stay with them. They begged him to go no farther or he would surely come to harm. They repeated the stories he had already heard,—the stories of fierce Red Men and of wicked demons which would destroy him. Still Marquette did not fear. He must not stop yet. He and Joliet started out once more.

They traveled for many days before they reached the great Father of Waters. At last it met their145 eyes. How different it was from the river on which they had been traveling! The waters rushed along, making a mighty noise. It was a wonder their little canoe could be kept upright.

The travelers now saw a path leading down to the shore. It must be an Indian trail. They left the canoe and followed the trail. They came to an Indian village. Its people were afraid of the white men and ran to hide behind the trees.

Some of their chiefs were braver than the others and came out to meet Marquette. They held out the pipe of peace to him and his friend. When the white men had smoked it and handed it back, they knew there was nothing to fear.

When the good priest asked about the great river, the Indians told the same old story he had heard so many times before.

"You must go no farther. There are very bad Red Men and many frightful monsters to the southward. They will kill you and eat you if you go among them."

Marquette and Joliet paid no heed to these words. Before they went on their journey, however, they sat down to a great feast which the women had prepared for them. A dish of mush came first.146 The Indians fed it to the white men with big wooden spoons. Broiled fish came next, but before it was offered to the visitors the bones were carefully taken out. After this a roasted dog was proudly set before them. It was a great dainty to the Red Men, but Marquette and Joliet would not taste it.

"It is very queer," thought the Indians. They could not understand how anyone should refuse to eat roast dog.

As soon as the feast was over, Marquette asked the Great Spirit to bless these kind Indians. Then he bade them good-bye and paddled away in his canoe.

The river grew wider and wider. Herds of buffaloes were feeding along its shores. Some of them stopped feeding long enough to look at the two white men as they paddled past them.

The daring travelers now came to a place where high rocks reached up from the banks. Strange figures were carved on the rocks. They were painted in fearful colors. They had red eyes and long beards. They had bodies like fishes. They were ugly to look at. These must be the monsters the white men had heard so much about.

They were only pictures of monsters, however,147 and not real ones. Yet the Indians all along the river were afraid of them. Whenever the Red Men had to pass the place, they offered prayers to these hideous figures.

At last they came to a place where the Indians were savage and unfriendly. The travelers learned that cruel Spaniards were not far away. After Ponce de Leon discovered Florida the Spaniards had claimed that country. They settled there as well as in other parts of the south. They had some villages near the lower part of the Mississippi. Savage Indians and cruel Spaniards together made the danger too great for the travelers.

"We should only be made prisoners. Then we could not go back and tell our friends about the wonderful river." That is what the good priest said to his friend.

It was too bad, for they were told it would take only five days more to reach the mouth of the river. They had made a wonderful voyage already, so they turned about and started homeward.

Storms and cold weather now troubled them. They were weak and half sick long before home was148 in sight. The gentle priest was at last too ill to travel any farther. He stopped with some friendly Indians while Joliet went on to Canada.

Everyone was filled with delight on hearing about the great river. "It will belong to France, because Frenchmen have discovered it," they said.

Poor Father Marquette was sick for a whole year. Indeed, he was never entirely well afterwards. He stayed among his Indian friends and taught them till he died. They loved him very much and waited upon the sick priest with the most tender care.

"But this is not the whole story of 'The Father of Waters,'" said Uncle Sam when he came to the death of Marquette. "There was another brave Frenchman who followed in the path of the priest. I know you will like to hear about him."

Once upon a time there was a brave young man named Robert La Salle. He lived in France. He was always ready for some new adventure. While he was still young he thought:

"I will join my countrymen in Canada and see something of their strange life among the Indians."

He was soon busy among the fur traders along the St. Lawrence River and the great lakes. A piece of land was given to him and he began to build a fort. He was proud that the French people held Canada. He wished to do his part in making it strong so that all enemies could be kept out.

Joliet came back from his long journey. He told of the great Mississippi River. La Salle was much excited over the news.

La Salle said, "Our people must not only claim this river, but we must also build forts and stations along its shores. Then we can keep off the English and Spaniards."

His friends in Canada thought La Salle was the very one to go back to France and tell the king about Marquette's wonderful trip. He went to his own country as soon as possible and stood before his ruler.

He painted a fine word-picture of what could be done. The Englishmen and Spaniards had been satisfied to live near the eastern and southern shores of America. They might not always stay there. Now was the chance for the French to enter the150 heart of the country and make it their very own.

The king was delighted at what he heard. He praised La Salle and told the young Frenchman to go back to Canada and work out his plans.

La Salle lost no time in obeying the king. As soon as he arrived on the St. Lawrence he went to one of the lakes and began to build a boat. He thought:

"Canoes are not strong enough for the great work before me. I must sail as far as possible along the chain of great lakes. Then I shall not be far from 'The Father of Waters'."

He and his men worked hard. It was not long before the boat was ready to launch. It seemed very large to the Indians who came to see it start on its first voyage. Never before had such a large boat sailed on the lakes.

La Salle had to make his way very carefully, for he knew nothing about these strange waters. He sailed through one great lake and passed safely into the next one. Everything went well. Wherever La Salle stopped, he met friendly Indians. They were ready to trust their visitors, for Marquette had been among them. How good he had been! How tenderly they had loved him! All other white151 men must be good, too. This was what the Indians thought.

The vessel soon reached Green Bay, where Marquette had spent a year among the Red Men.

The Indians had many rich and beautiful furs which they were ready to sell. La Salle ordered his men to load the vessel with these furs as quickly as possible. Then they were to sail back to Canada and unload them. He and a few others would go on their way in canoes.

Alas! nothing happened as La Salle had hoped. A terrible storm arose soon after the vessel started back. The winds swept over the lake and the little canoes drifted now one way, and now another. Every moment it seemed as though people and boats must be destroyed.

After four days, however, the storm went down and the men reached the shore. They were faint from need of food and wet from head to foot. No Indians were to be seen and they could find nothing to eat. As soon as they had dried themselves, they started on again. They hoped to find a village not far away where they could get food.

The poor tired men paddled on for some time152 more but no signs of Red Men nor of their huts could be seen.

"We will land and look about us," they said at last. The canoes were hauled up on the shore while La Salle and his men searched around.

Sure enough, stores of corn were hidden away among the rocks. The hungry men helped themselves to the grain and made their way back to their camp. They were careful to leave presents near the caves. They would not think of stealing the corn. The Red Men must be paid for it.

A fire was soon blazing. The corn was ground and cooked and they all sat down to eat. Suddenly they heard a noise and two Indians appeared. The Red Men held up the beads and cloth that the white men had left as pay for the corn. They were as happy over their presents as children are after Santa Claus has paid them a visit.

It was surely time now for the vessel to return. La Salle watched for it in vain. It was never heard of again. It must have been wrecked in the terrible storm.

After many days of waiting, the men begged to turn back toward home. They were such a small153 company! There were so many dangers around them, and the ship would never come to their help.

Go back! La Salle could not think of such a thing. He told his men they should set to work at once to build a fort. They had little courage, but they did as he ordered.

As soon as they had finished Fort Break-Heart, as they called it because they were so sad and discouraged, a few men were left to hold it. The rest of the party went on their way into the wild west.

When they came to another good stopping place, the men built another fort. It was hard work, for they were sick and lonely.

"It is of no use to go any further now," thought La Salle. "Ice and snow are around us. The food is scarce. Nothing can be done till spring comes again. I will divide our small party into two parts. Some of the men must stay here to hold the fort. The rest of us will make our way back to Canada to get provisions."

It was a hard journey. The lakes and rivers were caked with ice. The ground was covered with snow. The brave La Salle and his men suffered from cold and wet and hunger before they reached a place where white men were living.

They told their story, got fresh stores, and once more started off. La Salle did not know the word "Fail."

Sometimes he and his men paddled along in their birch canoes. Sometimes they lifted their boats upon their shoulders and made their way through the woods.

Danger was around them everywhere. Wild animals roamed through the forest. Unfriendly Indians might take them by surprise at any moment. There were no roads,—no paths even. One thought filled the mind of La Salle:

"I must find the Mississippi. I must travel to its very mouth. That is the only way by which France can claim all the country on its shores."

When the returning party reached Fort Break-Heart, they found it torn down. Their friends were not there. They thought those left to guard it must have been killed or made prisoners by the Indians.

At last they had their reward. The great Mississippi lay before them. La Salle's heart was full of hope as the canoes were launched upon its waters.

On and on he paddled as Marquette had done before him. He passed tribes of friendly Indians. He came to others who were ready to kill the white men. Still he pushed onward till the waters became salt and rushed outward to the Gulf of Mexico. The Frenchmen had at last reached the mouth of the great river.

Now came the homeward journey and the joy of telling the good news to the people in Canada.

La Salle did not rest even now. The king of France must hear what he had done. He made haste to sail across the ocean to his own country.

The king said that ships must be made ready at once. A large party of people should go to the mouth of the river. They must build a fort and settle there and take the country in the name of France. La Salle was, of course, chosen to go with them.

They did not go by the way of Canada. They went as straight as possible to the Gulf of Mexico. La Salle thought it would not be hard to find the mouth of the river.

The voyage across the Atlantic was safely made. The ships entered the Gulf of Mexico and sailed along its shores. But La Salle could not find the156 entrance of the Mississippi. He searched long and carefully. Many times he thought it was in sight. Many times he was disappointed.

La Salle was left with a few men on the shore of Texas. He still had hopes of finding the mouth of the river.

One day a very sad thing happened. The brave leader, La Salle, was killed. And he was not killed by the savages, but by one of his own men. They were angry because he had brought them there. This was the only reason they had for doing such a mean and cruel deed.

He did not do all he had hoped to do. Yet he led the way for other Frenchmen, who afterwards settled along the banks of the Mississippi.

"The story has a very sad ending," said Lucy, when Uncle Sam had finished. "I don't like to have a story stop at such a sad place."

"I think it is one of the very best you have told us," said Joe. "I wish I could have been with La Salle a part of the time. It must have been exciting, paddling through a strange country and sleeping at night by the side of a big camp-fire."

"I don't think you would have slept much at first, with wolves howling and wildcats screeching not far away," replied Uncle Sam. "Then how would you have enjoyed going without food for days together and having your clothes soaked through in the heavy rains?"

Even this unpleasant picture did not seem to frighten Joe. He was a "regular boy," as his mother said.

"If you are going to have adventures, you must take good and bad things together as they come," he said.

"That is true, my dear, but remember one thing: No one should risk his life just for the sake of adventure alone. Yet, if he is trying to do some great and useful thing, as La Salle did, and cannot help meeting dangers, he should be praised for meeting them bravely and with a stout and trusting heart."

"I am so glad to see you again, Uncle Sam. It seems as though we had been away a whole year, yet it is not four weeks."

Lucy talked very fast. Her cheeks were red as roses and her lips were bright with excitement.

"Only four weeks! Yes, that is all, but it has been a long time to me," said Uncle Sam, as he bent down to take Lucy in his arms.

"You don't know how I have missed you children," he added. "I have been a lonesome old man without you."

"We have ever so much to tell you," said Joe, who had followed Lucy. "You know, this was our first visit to Philadelphia. We had never seen our great-aunt before, either. She has lived there ever since she was a young girl."

"She was so good, we began to love her at once," Lucy went on. "She has a soft voice and she wears a gray dress and a white kerchief around her159 neck all the time. When she spoke to me, she always said thee or thou instead of you."

"I used to know your Aunt Rachel," said Uncle Sam. "It was a long time ago, though. Now go on and tell me all about your visit."

The children had never heard that Uncle Sam had once loved their Aunt Rachel very dearly. Everyone thought they would be married. Then she went from home on a visit. While she was away she met a young Quaker who soon became her husband.

Perhaps Uncle Sam never got over his love for the children's aunt. Anyway, he never married.

"There are not very many Quakers in the country now," said the old man as the children finished telling him about their visit. "There was a time when they were glad to come to America. It was the only way they could have peace. Would you like to hear about it?"

"Of course, Uncle Sam. We are so tired from our long journey we can hardly move. Nothing would be nicer than to sit by your side and listen to a story," said Joe.

Lucy showed she thought so, too, by pressing160 Uncle Sam's hand and looking up at him with a pleased nod of her little head.

A long time ago there was a rich man who lived in England. He was an admiral in the English navy and a great friend of the king.

Admiral Penn had a son named William who was bright and handsome. The boy had kind parents, a lovely home, and plenty of money to spend. The family was a very happy one until William went away to college. It was then that he first went to a meeting of the Quakers. He liked what he heard, and he thought:

The Quakers believed quite differently from other people in England. They were like the Pilgrims in one thing,—they would not go to the regular church of the country, but had a different service among themselves. They thought everyone should be free to worship God in his own manner. They were quite different from the Pilgrims in other ways, however. They thought it was wrong to fight, even to save their country.

"One man should not take up arms against another," they said. They believed it was not right to dress in gay colors. They said it makes people proud and vain.

They spoke to each other simply, and used the words thee and thou instead of you, after the manner of the Bible. They called themselves "Friends," not "Quakers." The word "Quaker" was at first a "nickname," but is what they are now generally called.

It seems strange that a rich young man, brought up as was William Penn, should care to join the Quakers.

He did care, however. He cared so much that he did not change his mind even when he was driven from his college because of what he believed.

His father was very angry when he learned that his loved son had joined with people who were despised by nearly everyone else. How Penn's mother must have wept and pleaded with him!

It made no difference, however. The young man had made up his mind what was right. He could not change his belief, even to please his parents.

When his father saw that words were of no use, he told William to leave England and travel about162 in Europe. He gave him plenty of money with which he could enjoy himself. Admiral Penn thought his son might forget the Quakers while visiting other cities and having a good time.

It was not so, however. Soon after William Penn came home, he was sent to Ireland on business. While he was there he went to several Quaker meetings. He was arrested and put in prison because he was found in these places. It was against the law for the Friends to hold meetings or to attend them.

"I will forgive you everything if you will promise to do three things: Take off your hat to the King, the King's brother, and to myself, your father."

William Penn said he would think about it. He could not promise at once, for the Friends did not think it right to take off one's hat to certain people; all persons should be treated with the same honor.

His father was so angry that he turned his son out of doors. Young Penn would have had a sad163 time if his mother had not sent him money to keep him from want.

He began to preach in the streets of the city. He hoped other people would listen to him and also become Quakers. It was not long before he was arrested again. He was put in the Tower of London for breaking the law. His cell in the Tower was a dark and dreadful place.

The king's brother was a great friend of William Penn. He tried hard to have the young man set free. At last he brought it about.

Penn's father died soon after his son came out of prison. William was now a rich man. He went again and again to the king, begging that Quakers should not be whipped or put in prison.

"You need not pay this money back to me if you will give me land in America where the Quakers can have a free and happy home."

The king was willing to do this, for he owed a good deal of money and found it hard to pay his debts.

The poor Quakers were allowed to come out of prison and seek a home across the ocean. They164 called the country that the king had given Penn, Pennsylvania, which means Penn's woods.

It could have had no better name. The country was covered with thick woods, and the settlers had gained it through the kindness of William Penn.

He came to Pennsylvania the year after the first settlers reached it. He did not try to rule over his people. He said they should make their own laws. He told them he wished the new home to be free to all. It did not matter what a person believed. He should live in Pennsylvania in peace and happiness.

He helped the Friends to lay out a city which they called Philadelphia. That meant the city of Brotherly Love.

They had no trouble with the Indians. Penn sent word to the near-by tribes that he wished to meet their chiefs. He said he meant no harm to them. He would punish anyone who did a wrong to an Indian. He was willing to pay them for the land where his people had settled.

One by one the chiefs arrived. They were all well armed and grand with paint and feathers. They sat in a half-moon under a large elm tree. Penn stood in their midst. He had no weapons whatever. The branches of the tall elm tree waved165 gently overhead while the Quaker talked with the Red Men and smoked the peace-pipe with them. He said:

"I will not call you my children, because fathers sometimes whip their children. I will not call you brothers, because brothers sometimes quarrel. But I will call you the same as we say of the white people,—Friends."

He told them he and his people would treat them honestly. They wished for peace always, and would do nothing to break it.

Before the meeting was over, the Indians promised to keep that peace and to harm no Quaker. They gave Penn a belt of wampum. Wampum was very precious to the Indians. It was made of peculiar shells. Penn's belt was made of white ones. It had a picture in the middle made with purple shells. This picture showed a white man and an Indian shaking hands.

The Red Men kept their promise. When they became old and ready to die, they repeated it to their children, who also promised. Thus the Friends lived in peace with the Indians, and Pennsylvania was the happy home of many people.

Penn stayed a long time with his settlers. He166 often went to visit the Indians in their villages. He joined them in their feasts. He played with their children. The Red Men loved and trusted him.

When years passed by and the white men in other places had bloody wars with the Indians, the Quakers among them were not harmed. The white feather of peace was placed over the door of every house where Quakers were living. That was the Red Man's sign for these words:

"There are three churches in our village. Look, Uncle Sam, we can see the spires of all of them lighted by the sunset."

"Let me see. One is the Methodist, another the Congregational, and the third is the Catholic church," Joe went on.

"They have different names, yet they were all built for one use,—the worship of God."

"The name of the church does not matter so much, so long as people seek it for the right reason," he went on. "There was a time when people were not free to choose their church. You remember the Pilgrims and the Quakers, and how much trouble they had.

"Then there were the Catholics. They could not be happy in England any more than the Pilgrims.168 They heard stories of the great land across the ocean. They envied the free life of the Pilgrims and they thought:

"Lord Baltimore was one of their leading men. The king was very fond of him. When he asked that Catholics might seek a home in America with him, the king was quite willing. He told Lord Baltimore they might go with him to Newfoundland. More than that! Lord Baltimore should rule over them with as much power as a king. He should make the laws and punish people who did wrong. He need not ask the king about anything he wanted to do.

"'Newfoundland is a beautiful country,' said the Catholics. 'At least that is what we have been told by the sea-captains who have been there.'

"One of these captains had visited Newfoundland in the summer time. He wrote a book about the place. He told of the berries and roses, the birds, and the pleasant weather. He did not know that winters on the island are long and cold.

"Lord Baltimore and his party went to Newfoundland with hearts full of hope. Alas! at the end of the first winter they said:

"'We cannot make our home here. We suffer too much from the cold and bad weather.'

"It is no wonder they felt so. Ten of their people had died. Many others had been sick. Lord Baltimore himself was one of these last.

"He wrote a letter to the king telling of his troubles. He now asked for land in Virginia. Then he bade good-bye to Newfoundland and sailed south. He wished to find out if Virginia was as good a country as he had been told it was.

"When the people of Virginia heard that Catholics wished to settle among them, they sent word to the king of England that they did not like the plan at all. Then the king said:

"When the second party was ready to leave England, their good friend was dead. His son took his place as governor.

"'How beautiful this place is!' thought the travelers as they sailed up the Potomac River after a long and dangerous voyage.

"'You should call the country I have given you170 Maryland, or the Land of Mary,' the king had told them. This was in honor of the Queen Henrietta Maria.

"The party landed first on an island. A large cross was set up in the ground and the priests gave thanks to God for bringing them all safely across the ocean.

"As they sailed up the river, they saw Indians along the shores. The Red Men did not look kindly at the strangers. They seemed ready to make war. The governor thought:

"'This will never do. We must not fight if we can help it. We must show the savages that we wish to be friends.'

"He acted so wisely that fear and anger left the hearts of the savages. They put their bows and arrows aside and began to help the newcomers.

"One day as some of the settlers were out on an excursion, a stranger appeared among them. His skin was so dark, and he was dressed so strangely, they thought at first that he was an Indian.

"He spoke to them in English, however, and explained who he was. His name was Captain Henry171 Fleet. He had been living among the Red Men. He had once been their prisoner. He gave the strangers good advice. He said to them:

"'Do not settle on the island where you are now living. I know another place you would like much better. It is on the shore of the main land. Some Indians have a village there. They are kind and gentle. I think they will be willing to sell their home to you.'

"It was a good plan. The white people went to the place and were much pleased with it. It was in a lovely valley near the shore. Springs of cool water bubbled up here and there. Groves of nut and oak trees gave a pleasant shade. No fierce wild animals roamed through the forest near by. They must find out at once if the Indians would be willing to sell such a pleasant home.

"The eyes of the Indians sparkled with delight. Cloth, tools, and beads were the very things they most wished for. They were quite ready to move172 away if they could have all these. They said to the strangers:

"'We will share our village with you till the harvest is ripe. Then we will gather it and go somewhere else and leave you here alone.'

"Everyone was pleased and the white people settled themselves in the huts of the Indians. All lived together in happiness till the season came to an end. Then the Indians moved away, but they showed themselves kind neighbors ever after.

"The white men built houses and planted gardens. They were more happy and comfortable than they had ever been before in their lives.

"They went back and forth among their savage neighbors without fear. Their priests taught the red children and baptized many of them. One of the Indian chiefs trusted the white people so much that he sent his little daughter to live with them. He said:

"'When I am dead she will rule over my people. She will be a wiser ruler if she is brought up by the white men. They will teach her many things she cannot learn in our village.'

"So it happened one bright morning that the little Indian maiden left her home in the forest. She173 sprang into her light canoe and paddled down the river. She soon came to the English village.

"The white people were very kind. Yet how strange their ways must have seemed to her!

"She took off the soft moccasins in which she could run so easily. She put on leather shoes such as the English children wore. They must have seemed very stiff and uncomfortable at first.

"Her dress of beaver-skin and the pretty feather mantle, of which she was so proud, were laid aside. She must now wear skirts and waists, like the other girls around her.

"Now, too, she must spend a large part of each day in the house, for she had to study lessons in books. She must also learn to cook and sew and knit.

"Poor little Indian girl! How different all this was from her old free life in the forest. Then the birds and bees, the rabbits and squirrels, were around her from morning until night. No hat of any kind kept the soft breezes from blowing through her hair."

"She must have been very homesick," said Lucy, when Uncle Sam reached this part of the story. "I174 shouldn't wonder if she cried herself to sleep every night."

"It is not Indian fashion to cry," replied Uncle Sam. "The Red Men are ashamed to let tears come to their eyes. Even the little children are taught not to show in their faces what they feel.

"This little girl may have been very unhappy at first. I really don't know about that. At any rate, she lived among the white people till she grew up. Then she married a white man, just as Pocahontas did."

Uncle Sam stopped for a moment and began to stroke his chin. That was the sign that he was thinking.

Lucy began to pet Buzz, who had just waked up from a nap at her feet. She was thinking, too. It seemed as though she could see that little Indian girl of long ago. The child was in a birch canoe and gliding down the river. Her bright black eyes were turned longingly toward her home in the forest. Those eyes seemed to say:

Joe sat thinking, too. He was wondering if the Indian girl went back to her people with her white175 husband, and if she was a good ruler after her father died.

"I can't imagine that Indian princess ruling her people after the white man's fashion. I do not believe it would have suited the Indians." The boy spoke slowly.

"I think you are right, Joe," Uncle Sam answered. "But I believe she did not have a chance to try. The Indians were not willing to let a woman take the old chief's place. They chose his brother, I believe.

"Now I will tell you what I was thinking of myself. When I spoke of Pocahontas, I went on to think of the people of Virginia. You might say they lived next door to Maryland. They had a great deal of trouble with the Indians, while their neighbors in Maryland did not have any.

"The people of Maryland lived in peace and let others come to settle among them. It did not matter whether these newcomers were Catholics like themselves, or Quakers, or Puritans. Anyone who wished was allowed to live with them and believe as he liked.

"The only trouble they did have was with Virginia. It was about an island in the river. Both colonies claimed that island. They even had battles with each other before the trouble was settled. Maryland was not much to blame, however. Her people always seemed to wish for peace.

"A happier colony never settled in America than the Catholics who came to Maryland because of their kind friend Lord Baltimore."

"We shall miss the nice stories, but we shall miss you even more than the stories," she said, putting her arms around her old friend's neck.

Uncle Sam had been called to New York on business. He might be gone two months. It might even be a longer time than that. He could not tell. He looked from one child to the other with a face beaming with love.

"One more story. Yes, that is all. Then you children will have time to think over what I have told you. And when I come back you will be ready to hear some more. It is a good thing, after all, for me to go away and give you a rest.

"You see, children, I get wound up just like a clock. If I once get to going, I can't stop unless something makes me."

"Give us a rest, indeed!" cried Joe. "Lucy and I are not babies. We like stories that mean something, now that we are nine years old. Besides, you could not tire us anyway, Uncle Sam."

"Well, well, I am glad to hear it. But it is almost dark already. I will begin at once with the story I promised for this evening.

"It is about some poor people in England who were shut up in prisons. They were not wicked. They had not stolen nor done any other dreadful deed. Yet the prison doors were tightly locked upon them and they were shut out from the beauty of this great world.

"You shall hear why these people were not free. They owed money and were not able to pay it back. In the old days in England there were many poor people. It was hard to earn a living. Some of those who tried the hardest, could get no work. Then, of course, they did not have money. Yet they needed food and clothing for their families the same as ever. They could not let them starve.

"It is no wonder they got into debt. If the debt was not soon paid, they were taken from their179 homes. 'Stay in prison till you pay what you owe.' This was the cruel law."

"It was impossible, of course. That is why the law was such a bad one. By and by a very good man went to visit the prisons. His name was James Oglethorpe.

"He saw the poor debtors and pitied their sad case. He wished to help them. He thought of America. It had already given homes to many unhappy people. He went to the king of England and said:

"'Will you let the debtors come out of prison and go with me to America? They can have a fresh start and make a new home for themselves there. You will then have no more trouble with them.'

"The king listened kindly to Oglethorpe's plan. It seemed a good one. He promised to give land in America to these people and said that Oglethorpe should be their governor.

"Not long afterwards, the debtors were set free. How glad they were to be with their own families once more! How thankful they must have been to James Oglethorpe who had done so much for them!

"When they left England for America, their good friend went too, so that he might give them his wise help. Their new home was farther south than that of any other English people in this country at that time. It lay next to Florida. The Spaniards were their neighbors.

"The new colony was given the name of Georgia, in honor of George, the king of England.

"The first day in the new home was given up to prayer. All gave thanks to God for bringing them here in safety. Then came weeks of good hard work. Houses were built, a wall was made around the village, and a fort stood ready in case of an attack by enemies, red or white.

"General Oglethorpe was a wise governor. He made just laws for his people. He drilled the men every day in order to make them good soldiers in case they needed to fight.

"He treated the Indians so kindly they did not wish to make war upon his people. There was one chief whose name was Tomachichi. He loved General Oglethorpe very dearly. One day he brought a present for the governor. It was the skin of a buffalo with the feathers of an eagle painted on it.

"Tomachichi said: 'The skin of the buffalo is warm. The feathers of the eagle are soft. These things therefore mean love and protection. The English are swift as the eagle and strong as the buffalo.'

"Tomachichi afterwards visited England with General Oglethorpe. His wife and nephew went with him. How strange the crowded streets and large buildings of London must have seemed to these savages!

"Soon after Oglethorpe settled in Georgia, he invited the chiefs of the near-by Indian tribes to meet together with him. At this meeting he asked them to keep peace with him and his people. They were quite willing to do as he asked.

"Then he gave each one of them a fine coat, a hat trimmed with lace, and a shirt. They must have felt grand indeed when they put on such elegant clothes.

"'Silkworms feed on mulberry leaves. It would be a good plan for the next ship that comes from England to bring some silkworms. Then we can make silk. We can sell it for a good price.'

"The silkworms were brought and silk was made. It was sent over to England and the queen herself had a dress made of American silk. She wore it on the king's birthday.

"After a while, however, the people gave up raising silkworms in Georgia. It did not pay. They found they could get more money by cutting lumber in the forests and trading for furs with the Indians. They sent these things to other countries and were paid well for them.

"As long as General Oglethorpe was in Georgia the settlers had two good laws. He would not allow rum or slaves to be brought into the country. He was a kind and wise governor in every way.

"And now, children," said Uncle Sam, "don't you know enough about your country to think the words of the old song are true? Can you see that it is really the 'Land of the Free and the home of the Brave?'"

"There is no country in the wide world like ours," added Joe with a positive shake of his head.

"Very well, then. Let's sing 'America' with a heart and a will," said Uncle Sam. "We can sit183 right here on the porch while we sing it. We don't need the organ to help us out."

The birds had already gone to sleep. But several of them waked up in the tree-top near by and added a cheerful chirp to the voices of the three earnest singers.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COMING OF THE WHITE MEN: STORIES OF HOW OUR COUNTRY WAS DISCOVERED ***

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CHAPTER		PAGE
I.	The Norsemen	11
II.	The Genoese Sailor	29
III.	John Cabot and the Codfish	49
IV.	The Fountain of Youth	58
V.	The Good Knight and the Lost Baby	64
VI.	The Story of a Daring Man	75
VII.	Henry Hudson	95
VIII.	The Pilgrims	109
IX.	Little Pilgrims of Long Ago	127
X.	Roger Williams	136
XI.	The Father of Waters	141
XII.	The Story of a Young Quaker	158
XIII.	Lord Baltimore and the Catholics	167
XIV.	The Poor Debtors	177

	PAGE
The Norsemen	Frontispiece 18
Columbus and his flag-ship	36
The English trading with the Indians	68
The Dutch children at play	102
Fur-trading with the French	142

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Coming of the White Men: Stories of How Our Country Was Discovered

THE COMING OF THE
WHITE MEN

Stories of How Our Country was Discovered

PREFACE

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS.

CHAPTER I
THE NORSEMEN

CHAPTER II
THE GENOESE SAILOR

CHAPTER III
JOHN CABOT AND THE CODFISH

CHAPTER IV
THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

CHAPTER V
THE GOOD KNIGHT AND THE LOST BABY

CHAPTER VI
THE STORY OF A DARING MAN

CHAPTER VII
HENRY HUDSON

CHAPTER VIII
THE PILGRIMS

CHAPTER IX
LITTLE PILGRIMS OF LONG AGO

CHAPTER X
ROGER WILLIAMS

CHAPTER XI
THE FATHER OF WATERS

CHAPTER XII
THE STORY OF A YOUNG QUAKER

CHAPTER XIII
LORD BALTIMORE AND THE CATHOLICS

CHAPTER XIV
THE POOR DEBTORS

Transcriber's Note

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Coming of the White Men: Stories of How Our Country Was Discovered

THE COMING OF THE WHITE MEN Stories of How Our Country was Discovered

PREFACE

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS.

CHAPTER I THE NORSEMEN

CHAPTER II THE GENOESE SAILOR

CHAPTER III JOHN CABOT AND THE CODFISH

CHAPTER IV THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

CHAPTER V THE GOOD KNIGHT AND THE LOST BABY

CHAPTER VI THE STORY OF A DARING MAN

CHAPTER VII HENRY HUDSON

CHAPTER VIII THE PILGRIMS

CHAPTER IX LITTLE PILGRIMS OF LONG AGO

CHAPTER X ROGER WILLIAMS

CHAPTER XI THE FATHER OF WATERS

CHAPTER XII THE STORY OF A YOUNG QUAKER

CHAPTER XIII LORD BALTIMORE AND THE CATHOLICS

CHAPTER XIV THE POOR DEBTORS