University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER IV

THE STARVING TIME—THE ADMINISTRATIONS OF
DELAWARE, DALE, AND ARGALL

The Starving Time. — Disasters came fast after Smith's
departure. The colony would not recognize the authority
of George Percy, the acting president, and became divided
into factions, each one of which had a leader. Francis
West and a party of men who went in a ship to procure
corn, sailed away, leaving the colony to its fate. The
Indians renewed their hostility, and, filled with the determination
to destroy the colony utterly, killed all who fell
into their hands. Ratcliffe, who attempted to trade with
the savages, was tortured to death by Indian women, and
thirty of his men were slain. When the provisions were
exhausted, the domestic animals were next consumed; and
then the horrors of what is known as the "starving time"
set in. During this period, one man deserves special mention
as being apparently the only one who devised a plan
to save the colony from utter destruction. This was Daniel
Tucker, who built a boat and caught fish in the river, which,
Percy says, "kept us from killing one another to eat." In
six months the colony was reduced from nearly five hundred
to sixty. The end was drawing near.

The Wreck of the Sea Venture. — There is no more romantic
story in history than that of the Sea Venture,
which is supposed to have suggested "The Tempest" to
Shakespeare. The ship was wrecked on the coast of

the Bermudas, which were at that time "accounted as an
inchaunted pile of rockes and a desert habitation for
Divels." "But all the fairies of the rocks were but flocks
of birds, and all the Divels that haunted the woods were
but herds of swine." This is what Sir Thomas Gates and
his companions found to be true. They fared well, notwithstanding
they had been shipwrecked, and "lived in
such peace and plenty" that some wished to spend their

Wreck of the Sea Venture

lives there. But out
of the wreck of the
Sea Venture, they
constructed with the
aid of cedar timber
found growing on the
islands, two barges,
which they christened
the Deliverance and
the Patience, and embarked
for Virginia.

The Rescue. — They
reached Jamestown
on May 24, 1610, just
in time to save the
remnant of the settlers.
There was some talk of resuscitating the colony;
but, when it was found that the provisions brought from
the Bermudas would not last more than two or three
weeks, they decided to abandon Jamestown. So on June
7 the whole party was crowded into the Deliverance, the
Patience, and two pinnaces that were at Jamestown. The
little fleet dropped down the river, and the next morning
reached its mouth, where it met Lord Delaware, whose
ships were just entering Virginia waters. The whole party

now returned to Jamestown, feeling that the hand of God
had stayed their departure.

Administration of Lord Delaware. — Lord Delaware was
the first executive officer in Virginia who bore the title
of governor, and he came commissioned to rule with the
sword of martial law. He maintained a mild but decided
authority; and his influence for good was much enhanced
by the virtues for which he was distinguished. He established
regular hours for labor, tolerating no idlers but
requiring the colonists to work during six hours of the day.
Twice each day all had to attend brief religious services
in the church, which was kept decorated with wild flowers.
In every way he proved himself an efficient governor.
He had the dwellings at Jamestown repaired, the forts
garrisoned, and taught the Indians again to fear the English.
But his health gave way under his duties, and, in
March, 1611, he returned to England.

Sir Thomas Dale. — On May 10, 1611, Sir Thomas Dale
came to take charge of the government, bearing the title
of High Marshal. He received the appointment through
the influence of Prince Henry, who took great interest in
the welfare of the colony. Dale ruled by martial law with
inhuman cruelty, putting offenders to death by torture,
and even breaking one poor criminal on the wheel. Five
men, captured in an attempt to escape to some Spaniards,
who were reported to be near the settlement, were burned
at the stake. A poor thief, for purloining a little oatmeal,
was chained to a tree and allowed to starve. During
Dale's reign of terror, no letters of complaint were allowed
to reach England; and his administration, which came to
an end in 1616, was known as "the five years of slavery."
Dale lived in a cruel age, and he was a cruel representative
of his age.

Results Accomplished by Dale. — Dale's administration
had the happy effect of causing law and order to be
properly respected, and it greatly advanced the material
prosperity of the colony, though this was done by reducing
the people to a bondage that was intolerable. He had
much corn land cleared, and largely increased the number
of horses, cattle, and hogs. One experiment which he
tried produced results that proved to be important. He
allowed each old settler to have a private garden patch
of three acres, the proceeds of which belonged to him,
while the rest of his labor went for the common good.
From this it appeared that one man working for himself
would make as much as ten men whose labor went into
the public stock. This led at a later period to the private
ownership of land, and the adoption of this system brought
about great changes for good.

Argall. — Captain Samuel Argall now becomes prominent
in Virginia history. In 1617, he was appointed
lieutenant governor, and he had no sooner entered upon
his duties than he proceeded to oppress the people under
the cover of martial law, and to rob both the colony and
the London Company, sending to England, while doing
this, favorable reports of the condition of affairs. Cattle
belonging to the colony he sold, and kept the proceeds.
The Indian trade he carried on with the men and ships
of the Company, and pocketed the profits. He plundered
everybody with a pirate's rapacity, and even robbed Lady
Delaware. When his high-handed proceedings became
known in England, the London Company ordered all his
goods and property to be seized. But Lord Rich, who
afterwards became Earl of Warwick and took a prominent
part in the Puritan movement, was Argall's partner in
England and, indeed, had secured his appointment as governor

of Virginia. Now when he found that his confederate's
downfall was certain, he dispatched a swift sailing
vessel to Virginia, in which Argall escaped with his booty
before the Company's orders could be executed.

QUESTIONS

• 1. What happened to the colony after Smith's departure?

• 2. Describe the starving time.

• 3. Who deserves special mention during this period, and why?

• 4. Give an account of the wreck of the Sea Venture.

• 5. How were the survivors of the colony saved from starvation?

• 6. Why did they decide to abandon Jamestown?

• 7. Who first bore the title of governor of Virginia?

• 8. By what means did Lord Delaware accomplish much good in the
  colony?

• 9. Why did he return to England?

• 10. Who succeeded Lord Delaware?

• 11. Give an account of Dale's administration.

• 12. What was it called?

• 13. What good results did Dale accomplish?

• 14. What experiment of his proved important?

• 15. When Argall became governor, how did he act toward the people,
  and the London Company?

• 16. How did he escape with his ill-gotten gains?