Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 1.djvu/205

 river, proffering him and his companions a great store of victuals; the English at many points went on shore and purchased the dried oysters, mulberries, beans, fruits, and nuts which the savages were so eager to sell. One Indian attracted special attention by his persistency. With two women, he followed the ships for many miles. Having disposed of his baskets of dried oysters, he left, but shortly reappeared in the same company with baskets of parched maize, beans, peas, mulberries, strawberries, and chinquapins. Stopping at Arrahattock on their return to Jamestown, the voyagers were presented with balls and cakes of bread, parched maize, beans, strawberries, and land tortoises, and they dined under a spreading mulberry tree, the fruit of which was dropping into their laps as they ate. At Appomattox they were offered tobacco, cakes, and fruit. In several instances during this voyage, the werowances who were visited gave them not only tobacco, melons, and bread, but deer roasted whole. When the werowance of Paspaheigh sent word to the colonists that he would soon call on them, he accompanied the message with the announcement that he would bring a fat deer, upon which they would feast at their leisure.

The abundance of food observed at Werowocomoco and Pamunkey, the residences of Powhatan and Opechancanough, made a deep impression on the English. Smith and Newport, during their visit to Pamunkey, were on a single occasion presented with bread and meat in quantities sufficient to satisfy the hunger of thirty men. While stopping at the same place in the following year, Smith obtained without difficulty two hundred pounds of deer suet. When he arrived at Werowocomoco in 1609, Powhatan performed his first act of hospitality by sending to his guest as many platters of venison as ten of his