Smith ordered his men to give them a volley. Some of the savages were apparently wounded, and their consternation was great. They tumbled into the grass and wriggled away like snakes.
Going ashore, Captain Smith and his party entered some of the houses of the natives and left there some small pieces of copper, some beads, and two or three little bells. This combination of bullets and presents seemed to have a mollifying effect on the savages, as the next day they were very friendly, crowding around Smith and his men, and offering them all sorts of services. All the Indians encountered on this voyage told the whites about the Massawomeks, a fierce and powerful tribe who dwelt beyond the mountains to the west, but made numerous forays upon the Indians of the tidewater region, carrying off many women as captives. They importuned Smith to assist them in driving off the Massawomeks, and Smith promised to do so after he had attended to some other matters. The natives of the low country about the Wighcocomoco were small and low of stature.
The water was so poor on the eastern side of the bay that Captain Smith determined to
