University of Virginia Library

56. How the First Colony Disappeared
BY GOVERNOR JOHN WHITE (1590)[207]

WHEN our boats were fitted again, we put off from Hatteras, numbering nineteen persons in both boats. Before we could get to the place where our settlers were left, three years before, it was so exceedingly dark that we overshot the place by a quarter of a mile. There we espied, towards the north end of the island, the light of a great fire through the woods, to which we presently rowed. When we came right over against it, we let fall our grapnel near the shore and sounded a call with a trumpet, and afterwards many familiar English tunes. We called to them in friendly tones, but had no answer; we therefore landed at day-break, and coming to the fire, found the grass and sundry rotten trees burning about the place. From thence we went through the woods to that part of the island where I left our colony in the year 1587. All along this way we saw in the sand the print of the savages feet of two or three sorts, trodden during the night. As we went up the sandy bank, upon a tree and on the very brow thereof, were curiously carved these fair Roman letters, C R 0: which letters at once we knew to signify the place

where I should find the settlers living, according to a secret token agreed upon between them and me, at my last departure from them. This agreement was, that they should in no wise fail to write or carve on the trees or posts of the doors the name of the place where they should be seated; for when I came away they were prepared to remove from Roanoke fifty miles inward. Therefore at my departure from them, in the year 1587, I told them that if they should happen to be distressed in any of those places, that then they should carve over the letters or name, a cross in this form but we found no such sign of distress Having well considered all this, we passed towards the place where we had left the people in sundry houses; but we found the houses taken down, and the place very strongly enclosed with a high palisade of great trees, looking very fort-like. One of the chief trees, or posts, at the right side of the entrance, had the bark taken off, and five feet from the ground, in fair capital letters, was graven C R O A T O A N, without any cross or sign of distress. This done, w e entered inside the palisade, where we found many bars of iron, two pigs of lead, four iron fowlers, iron sacker-shots, and such heavy things, thrown here and there, almost overgrown with grass and weeds. From thence we went along the waterside, towards a point of the creek, to see if we could find any of their boats or the pinnace, but we could perceive no sign of them nor any of the small arms which were left with them at my departure from them.

At our return from the creek, some of our sailors, meeting us, told us that they had found where several chests had been hidden, and long since dug up again. These had been broken up, and much of the things

in them spoiled and scattered about. Presently Captain Cook and I went to the place, which was in the end of an old trench made six years ago by Captain

SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

[Description: Black and white illustration: portrait of Raleigh holding a compass; a globe is in the background.]

Amadas. Here we found fine chests that had been carefully hidden by the planters, and among the same chests three were my own. About the place I found many of my things spoiled and broken, and my books torn from the covers, the frames of some of my pictures and maps rotten and spoiled with rain, and my armor almost eaten through with rust. This could be no other but the deeds of the savages, our enemies, who had watched the departure of our men to Croatoan,[208] and as soon as they were departed, these men dug up every place where they suspected anything to be buried; but although it grieved me much to see such spoil of my goods, yet on the other hand, I greatly rejoiced that I had safely found a certain token of their safe being at Croatoan, which is the place where Manteo was born, and where the savages of the island were our friends.[209]