ony。　At　last　two　boats；　with　nineteen　men；　set　out　for　Hatorask；　and　landed　at　that　part　of　Roanoke　where　the　colony　had　been　left。　　When　White　left　the　colony　three　years　before；　the　men　had　talked　of　going　fifty　miles　into　the　mainland；　and　had　agreed　to　leave　some　sign　of　their　departure。　　The　searchers　found　not　a　man　of　the　colony；　their　houses　were　taken　down；　and　a　strong　palisade　had　been　built。　　All　about　were　relics　of　goods　that　had　been　buried　and　dug　up　again　and　scattered；　and　on　a　post　was　carved　the　name　〃CROATAN。〃　　This　signal；　which　was　accompanied　by　no　sign　of　distress；　gave　White　hope　that　he　should　find　his　comrades　at　Croatan。　　But　one　mischance　or　another　happening；　his　provisions　being　short；　the　expedition　decided　to　run　down　to　the　West　Indies　and　〃refresh〃　（chiefly　with　a　little　Spanish　plunder）；　and　return　in　the　spring　and　seek　their　countrymen；　but　instead　they　sailed　for　England　and　never　went　to　Croatan。　　The　men　of　the　abandoned　colonies　were　never　again　heard　of。　　Years　after；　in　1602；　Raleigh　bought　a　bark　and　sent　it；　under　the　charge　of　Samuel　Mace；　a　mariner　who　had　been　twice　to　Virginia；　to　go　in　search　of　the　survivors　of　White's　colony。　　Mace　spent　a　month　lounging　about　the　Hatorask　coast　and　trading　with　the　natives；　but　did　not　land　on　Croatan；　or　at　any　place　where　the　lost　colony　might　be　expected　to　be　found；　but　having　taken　on　board　some　sassafras；　which　at　that　time　brought　a　good　price　in　England；　and　some　other　barks　which　were　supposed　to　be　valuable；　he　basely　shirked　the　errand　on　which　he　was　hired　to　go；　and　took　himself　and　his　spicy　woods　home。
  The　〃Lost　Colony〃　of　White　is　one　of　the　romances　of　the　New　World。　Governor　White　no　doubt　had　the　feelings　of　a　parent；　but　he　did　not　allow　them　to　interfere　with　his　more　public　duties　to　go　in　search　of　Spanish　prizes。　　If　the　lost　colony　had　gone　to　Croatan；　it　was　probable　that　Ananias　Dare　and　his　wife；　the　Governor's　daughter；　and　the　little　Virginia　Dare；　were　with　them。　　But　White；　as　we　have　seen；　had　such　confidence　in　Providence　that　he　left　his　dear　relatives　to　its　care；　and　made　no　attempt　to　visit　Croatan。
  Stith　says　that　Raleigh　sent　five　several　times　to　search　for　the　lost；　but　the　searchers　returned　with　only　idle　reports　and　frivolous　allegations。　　Tradition；　however；　has　been　busy　with　the　fate　of　these　deserted　colonists。　　One　of　the　unsupported　conjectures　is　that　the　colonists　amalgamated　with　the　tribe　of　Hatteras　Indians；　and　Indian　tradition　and　the　physical　characteristics　of　the　tribe　are　said　to　confirm　this　idea。　　But　the　sporadic　birth　of　children　with　white　skins　（albinos）　among　black　or　copper…colored　races　that　have　had　no　intercourse　with　white　people；　and　the　occurrence　of　light　hair　and　blue　eyes　among　the　native　races　of　America　and　of　New　Guinea；　are　facts　so　well　attested　that　no　theory　of　amalgamation　can　be　sustained　by　such　rare　physical　manifestations。　　According　to　Captain　John　Smith；　who　wrote　of　Captain　Newport's　explorations　in　1608；　there　were　no　tidings　of　the　waifs；　for；　says　Smith；　Newport　returned　〃without　a　lump　of　gold；　a　certainty　of　the　South　Sea；　or　one　of　the　lost　company　sent　out　by　Sir　Walter　Raleigh。〃
  In　his　voyage　of　discovery　up　the　Chickahominy；　Smith　seem；　to　have　inquired　about　this　lost　colony　of　King　Paspahegh；　for　he　says；　〃what　he　knew　of　the　dominions　he　spared　not　to　acquaint　me　with；　as　of　certaine　men　cloathed　at　a　place　called　Ocanahonan；　cloathcd　like　me。〃
  ＇Among　these　Hatteras　Indians　Captain　Amadas；　in　1584；　saw　children　with　chestnut…colored　hair。＇
  We　come　somewhat　nearer　to　this　matter　in　the　Historie　of　Travaile　into　Virginia　Britannia；〃　published　from　the　manuscript　by　the　Hakluyt　Society　in　1849；　in　which　it　is　intimated　that　seven　of　these　deserted　colonists　were　afterwards　rescued。　　Strachey　is　a　first…rate　authority　for　what　he　saw。　　He　arrived　in　Virginia　in　1610　and　remained　there　two　years；　as　secretary　of　the　colony；　and　was　a　man　of　importance。　　His　〃Historie〃　was　probably　written　between　1612　and　1616。　　In　the　first　portion　of　it；　which　is　descriptive　of　the　territory　of　Virginia；　is　this　important　passage：　〃At　Peccarecamek　and　Ochanahoen；　by　the　relation　of　Machumps；　the　people　have　houses　built　with　stone　walls；　and　one　story　above　another；　so　taught　them　by　those　English　who　escaped　the　slaughter　of　Roanoke。　　At　what　time　this　our　colony；　under　the　conduct　of　Captain　Newport；　landed　within　the　Chesapeake　Bay；　where　the　people　breed　up　tame　turkies　about　their　houses；　and　take　apes　in　the　mountains；　and　where；　at　Ritanoe；　the　Weroance　Eyanaco；　preserved　seven　of　the　English　alivefour　men；　two　boys；　and　one　young　maid　（who　escaped　＇that　is　from　Roanoke＇　and　fled　up　the　river　of　Chanoke）；　to　beat　his　copper；　of　which　he　hath　certain　mines　at　the　said　Ritanoe；　as　also　at　Pamawauk　are　said　to　be　store　of　salt　stones。〃
  This；　it　will　be　observed；　is　on　the　testimony　of　Machumps。　　This　pleasing　story　is　not　mentioned　in　Captain　Newport's　〃Discoveries　〃　（May；　1607）。　　Machumps；　who　was　the　brother　of　Winganuske；　one　of　the　many　wives　of　Powhatan；　had　been　in　England。　　He　was　evidently　a　lively　Indian。　　Strachey　had　heard　him　repeat　the　〃Indian　grace；〃　a　sort　of　incantation　before　meat；　at　the　table　of　Sir　Thomas　Dale。　　If　he　did　not　differ　from　his　red　brothers　he　had　a　powerful　imagination；　and　was　ready　to　please　the　whites　with　any　sort　of　a　marvelous　tale。　　Newport　himself　does　not　appear　to　have　seen　any　of　the　〃apes　taken　in　the　mountains。〃　　If　this　story　is　to　be　accepted　as　true　we　have　to　think　of　Virginia　Dare　as　growing　up　to　be　a　woman　of　twenty　years；　perhaps　as　other　white　maidens　have　been；　Indianized　and　the　wife　of　a　native。　　But　the　story　rests　only　upon　a　romancing　Indian。　　It　is　possible　that　Strachey　knew　more　of　the　matter　than　he　relates；　for　in　his　history　he　speaks　again　of　those　betrayed　people；　〃of　whose　end　you　shall　hereafter　read　in　this　decade。〃　　But　the　possessed　information　is　lost；　for　it　is　not　found　in　the　remainder　of　this　〃decade〃　of　his　writing；　which　is　imperfect。　　Another　reference　in　Strachey　is　more　obscure　than　the　first。　　He　is　speaking　of　the　merciful　intention　of　King　James　towards　the　Virginia　savages；　and　that　he　does　not　intend　to　root　out　the　natives　as　the　Spaniards　did　in　Hispaniola；　but　by　degrees　to　change　their　barbarous　nature；　and　inform　them　of　the　true　God　and　the　way　to　Salvation；　and　that　his　Majesty　will　even　spare　Powhatan　himself。　　But；　he　says；　it　is　the　intention　to　make　〃the　common　people　likewise　to　understand；　how　that　his　Majesty　has　been　acquainted　that　the　men；　women；　and　children　of　the　first　plantation　of　Roanoke　were　by　practice　of　Powhatan　（he　himself　persuaded　thereunto　by　his　priests）　miserably　slaughtered；　without　any　offense　given　him　either　by　the　first　planted　（who　twenty　and　odd　years　had　peaceably　lived　intermixed　with　those　savages；　and　were　out　of　his　territory）　or　by　those　who　are　now　come　to　inhabit　some　parts　of　his　distant　lands；〃　etc。
  Strachey　of　course　means　the　second　plantation　and　not　the　first；　which；　according　to　the　weight　of　authority；　consisted　of　only　fifteen　men　and　no　women。
  In　George　Percy's　Discourse　concerning　Captain　Newport's　exploration　of　the　River　James　in　1607　（printed　in　Purchas's　〃　Pilgrims　〃）　is　this　sentence：　〃At　Port　Cotage；　in　our　voyage　up　the　river；　we　saw　a　savage　boy；　about　the　age　of　ten　years；　which　had　a　head　of　hair　of　a　perfect　yellow；　and　reasonably　white　skin；　which　is　a　miracle　amongst　all　savages。〃　　Mr。　Neill；　in　his　〃History　of　the　Virginia　Company；〃　says　that　this　boy〃　was　no　doubt　the　offspring　of　the　colonists　left　at　Roanoke　by　White；　of　whom　four　men；　two　boys；　and　one　young　maid　had　been　preserved　from　slaughter　by　an　Indian　Chief。〃　　Under　the　circumstances；　〃no　doubt〃　is　a　very　strong　expression　for　a　historian　to　use。
  This　belief　in　the　sometime　survival　of　the　Roanoke　colonists；　and　their　amalgamation　with　the　Indians；　lingered　long　in　colonial　gossip。　　Lawson；　in　his　History；　published　in　London　in　1718；　mentions　a　tradition　among　the　Hatteras　Indians；　〃that　several　of　their　ancestors　were　white　people　and　could　talk　from　a　book；　the　truth　of　which　is　confirmed　by　gray　eyes　being　among　these　Indians　and　no　others。〃
  But　the　myth　of　Virginia　Dare　stands　no　chance　beside　that　of　Pocahontas。
  V
  FIRST　PLANTING　OF　THE　COLONY
  The　way　was　now　prepared　for　the　advent　of　Captain　John　Smith　in　Virginia。　　It　is　true　that　we　cannot　give　him　his　own　title　of　its　discoverer；　but　the　plantation　had　been　practically　abandoned；　all　the　colonies　had　ended　in　disaster；　all　the　governors　and　captains　had　lacked　the　gift　of　perseverance　or　had　been　early　drawn　into　other　adventures；　wholly　disposed；　in　the　language　of　Captain　John　White；　〃to　seek　after　purchase　and　spoils；〃　and　but　for　the　energy　and　persistence　of　Captain　Smith　the　expedition　of　1606　might　have　had　no　better　fate。　　It　needed　a　man　of　tenacious　will　to　hold　a　colony　together　in　one　spot　long　enough　to　give　it　root。　　Captain　Smith　was　that　man；　and　if　we　find　him　glorying　in　his　exploits；　and　repeating　upon　single　big　Indians　the　personal　prowess　that　distinguished　him　in　Transylvania　and　in　the　mythical　Nalbrits；　we　have　on