This short little piece is a letter written by a fictional settler at Jamestown.
My Dear Mother,
Being among the first to settle the new world has its taxes. Our voyage on the sea took many weeks; all of them spent crammed into the ship like so many sardines. Many of my companions were ill over that time, either from seasickness or from the strange diseases sailors catch. I managed to keep the latter at bay by carrying an orange in my pocket, just as an old sailor suggested to me at port. We arrived at the new world after what seemed like years at sea. The land was strange and foreign. The beach we pulled up on was wide, and seemed to run straight into a dense forest. The air was hot and muggy, and hundreds of little insects were buzzing around, landing on our skin and biting us. Their bites itched something awful, but nevertheless, we managed to construct temporary shelters without itching every other minute. Our Governor reminded us that our purpose here in Jamestown, as it was called (in honor of his Majesty the King), was to find resources for England. So some of us went out hunting the plentiful game, both for valuable fur and the food we needed. They found strange creatures, new types of birds and little scurrying things resembling mice, only bigger and with furry tails. From time to time, the hunting parties met with the savage dark-skinned Indians out on hunts. We traded with the savages often, and despite the fact that they were uncouth and uncivilized, they knew how to hunt and fish and even farm in the Americas.
Some went looking for gold, as it was one of the chief desires of the Virginia Company, who we were working for. They had little luck. Panning water for gold dust, digging, sifting the sand – all revealed very little. However, we are sure that gold is out there! At least, we hope we are sure.
I was neither assigned hunting or looking for riches. Being a craftsman, I was assigned the task of working on the town. We erected the walls first; triangular in shape, and hewed from the trunks of many trees. It took many days, but finally, the outer walls were complete. Then we began to build the interior of the fort, constructing houses and barns for the animals we brought with us. At the moment, there are few buildings erect, but we expect the town to have enough houses for most by wintertime. However, building every day in the blazing heat is no enjoyable task. The air is humid and muggy, and insects by the hundreds swarm around aggravating us. Some of the company fell ill and died from mysterious causes. Our physician thinks that it has something to do with the insects, but was not certain. I won’t lie to you Mother; it truly is a miserable life, here. But I must do my duty for my country and my King, and so I shall, no matter how unpleasant. Here, Mother, I must stop. The returning ship, laden with the riches of the new world, is soon to depart. A sailor friend of mine says he will get this to you. Give my best wishes to Father.
Your Loving son,
Matthew Whit
Gender:
Points: 3013
Reviews: 24