Chapter 5

NOTE _o_.--"The manner of making their boats in Virginia is very wonderful. For whereas they want instruments of iron or others like unto ours, yet they know how to make them as handsomely, to sail with where they list in their rivers, and to fish withal, as ours. First they choose some long and thick tree, according to the bigness of the boat which they would frame, and make a fire on the ground about the roots thereof, kindling the same by little and little with dry moss of trees, and chips of wood that the flame should not mount up too high, and burn too much of the length of the tree. When it is almost burnt through, and ready to fall they make a new fire which they suffer to burn until the tree falls of its own accord. Then burning off the top and boughs of the tree in such wise that the body of the same may retain his just length, they raise it upon poles laid over cross wise upon forked posts at such a reasonable height as they may handsomely work upon it. Then take they off the bark with certain shells; they reserve the innermost part of the bark for the nethermost part of the boat. On the other side they make a fire according to the length of the body of the tree saving at both the ends. That which they think is sufficiently burned, they quench and scrape away with shells, and making a new fire they burn it again and so they continue, sometimes burning and sometimes scraping until the boat have sufficient bottoms."--_Harriot's Report._

NOTE _p_.--"They are a people clothed with loose mantles made of deer skin, and aprons of the same round about their middles."--_Harriot's Report._

NOTE _s_.--"They have commonly conjurers or jugglers, which use strange gestures, and often contrary to nature in their enchantments: For they be very familiar with devils of whom they inquire what their enemies do, or other such things."--_Harriot's Report._

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Transcriber's Notes

Page xiii: Changed thay to that (Tradition relates thay they transplanted this vine).

Spelling variations:

Page 55: Das-a-mon-que-peu Page 63: Das-a-mon-gue-pue Pages 83, 84, 86: Dasamonguepeuc

Pages xii, xiv: Hariot Appendix Notes: Harriot