Chapter Seven- Ratcliffe

The next day, bright and early, someone made their way to the jailhouse. It was former Jamestown governor, Ratcliffe. His plan was working. Smith was going to be put to death. His plan had worked. His lie had worked. The king had believed him. He had believed that Smith had committed treason. And now he was going to die and there was nothing that savage could do about it!

"I would like to see John Smith, now." Ratcliffe said. The guard led him to a cell. Ratcliffe smiled a sinister smile when he walked in to find John sitting on the floor, leaning up against a wall, sleeping. Ratcliffe chuckled.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Ratcliffe snarled. John looked up and glared at him.

"What do you want, Ratcliffe?" John asked him.

"I want my glory back. I want Jamestown back. I want my gold." Ratcliffe said. John was at his feet now.

"How many times do I have to tell you, there is no gold!"

"Oh, but there is. And those Indians are hiding it." Ratcliffe said.

"Ratcliffe, there is no gold." John said, growing angry. Ratcliffe chuckled.

"No matter. I hear you're going to die. And there's nothing your beloved savage can do about it."

John's last nerve had snapped. Nobody talked about Pocahontas like that. Nobody. John, despite the pain from his broken ribs, ran at Ratcliffe. Ratcliffe was amazingly fast. John fell the ground, hitting his ribs. Ratcliffe called for a guard.

"Take him away to the square. Give him fifty lashes and then chain him to the wall." Ratcliffe demanded. John glared up at him. He was in too much pain to do anything. The guards came to get him and Ratcliffe followed them to the podium in the square. They tied him to a pole and brought out a long, leather whip. Just as the guard brought the whip into the air, Pocahontas entered the settlement. She froze in her tracks at what she saw. There was John, tied to a pole, getting whipped. Horror stopped Pocahontas from doing anything. She watched and counted. One, two, three, four, five, six… And when the number reached fifty, they stopped and lead John back to his cell. There, they chained him to the wall with a long, cuff chain. Pocahontas finally shook off her shock and she ran to the jail with Thomas not far behind her. She ran into John's cell as they chained him to the wall. She fell to her knees beside him. The guards left them there.

"John! Oh John, are you alright?" She sobbed out. John hugged her.

"I'm alright." He answered, though Pocahontas knew it was a lie.

"I saw the whole thing." Pocahontas said. "What happened?"

"Ratcliffe came to see me and I attacked him." John said. He saw fire flash before Pocahontas's eyes.

"Ratcliffe was here?" She asked coldly. John knew he had just said the wrong thing.

"Yes." He said, nodding. Even that brought pain into his back. Seeing the pain on John's face, Pocahontas told him to lat back and not move. She took out some healing cream from her bag and spread it across John's sore, tender back. He flinched in pain, but he let her tend to the cuts and bruises.

"Oh John, Ratcliffe will pay for this." Pocahontas vowed. She finished up on John's back and took off her long shawl and wrapped it around John to cover his back.

"Are you really alright?" She asked. John nodded.

"I'm fine, Pocahontas, really. I promise." John sad. Pocahontas nodded and turned to leave.

"I'll be back. I promise."