On the twenty-sixth day of April, 1607, the Susan Constant, the Goodspeed,
and the Discovery entered Chesapeake Bay. They came in between two capes,
and one they named Cape Henry after the then Prince of Wales, and the other
Cape Charles for that brother of short-lived Henry who was to become
Charles the First. By Cape Henry they anchored, and numbers from the ships
went ashore. "But," says George Percy's Discourse, "we could find nothing
worth the speaking of, but faire meadows and goodly tall Trees, with such
Fresh-waters running through the woods as I was almost ravished at the
first sight thereof. At night, when wee were going aboard, there came the
Savages creeping upon all foure from the Hills like Beares, with their
Bowes in their mouths, charged us very desperately in the faces, hurt
Captaine Gabriel Archer in both his hands, and a sayler in two places of
the body very dangerous. After they had spent their Arrowes and felt the
sharpnesse of our shot, they retired into the Woods with a great noise, and
so left us."

That very night, by the ships' lanterns, Newport, Gosnold, and Ratcliffe
opened the sealed box. The names of the councilors were found to be
Christopher Newport, Bartholomew Gosnold, John Ratcliffe, Edward-Maria
Wingfield, John Martin, John Smith, and George Kendall, with Gabriel Archer
for recorder. From its own number, at the first convenient time, this
Council was to choose its President. All this was now declared and
published to all the company upon the ships. John Smith was given his
freedom but was not yet allowed place in the Council. So closed an exciting
day. In the morning they pressed in parties yet further into the land, but
met no Indians--only came to a place where these savages had been roasting
oysters. The next day saw further exploring. "We marched some three or
foure miles further into the Woods where we saw great smoakes of fire. Wee
marched to those smoakes and found that the Savages had beene there burning
downe the grasse . . . .We passed through excellent ground full of Flowers