Squanto's Story
"I have seen a lot in my life. Ever since I was a child, there have been white men around. They came from faraway lands on big ships. They always fascinated me because they were so different from us. I made friends with some of the sailors and acted as their guide and translator. Our chief didn't like what I did, he didn't trust white men, but I was sure that there was no reason for us to fight them. One of my new friends, Captain John Smith, was a good, honest man. We shared the same ideas, and when he went back to England, he took me with him. We both thought it would be very important for the English to see what Indians were like so that our nations could find out more about each other. After a short stay in England, I decided to go back to my land. I went on the ship of another English captain, who had promised to get me home safely. But instead of keeping his word, he sold me into slavery, to the Spanish. Luckily, I was bought by monks. They taught me to read and write. Sometimes the monks told me stories about great people and their great deeds."
"Take, for example, Christopher Columbus," they used to say. "This great man crossed the ocean in search of a new way to India and in 1492 discovered a new continent; the continent where you come from. Isn't it wonderful? He brought back a lot of gold and made Spain richer and more powerful."
"My teachers were kind, but I didn't agree with them. In fact, the more I learned about white men's civilization, the less I liked it. In my opinion, it was greed and nothing more that led Columbus across the ocean. When I read some books, I was horrified: after Columbus thousands of greedy Spanish went to my continent and destroyed the ancient civilizations of the Incas, the Aztecs and the Maya. The Spanish were looking for gold and this cost the lives of thousands of Indians. After some years in Spain, I finally had a chance to go home. When I got there, to my horror, I found out that all my tribe had died out. Diseases brought by white men had killed them. I was the only one left.
Then I remembered about the greatest treasure of my tribe. The treasure was sacred to us all: our tribe had kept it for thousands of years. It used to be hidden in a cave deep in the forest, but this place was not a big secret. I went to the forest and found the treasure in its usual place. Then I sat down and started to think. I didn't know what to do next.
I couldn't leave the treasure there and I didn't dare destroy it. After all, I had found out about the white men, I understood that if they found the treasure it would be a catastrophe. Not only the Indians, but the continent and all its mountains, rivers, forests and even the animals would be in danger. I decided to stay near the graves of my tribe and guard the treasure myself. When your ships came, I watched you for a long time. I know that the Pilgrims are not bad people, they are better than a lot of other white men. I felt sorry for them and decided to help. When I met you, Robin, my first feeling was that you were different from the other Pilgrims. I trusted you more than anybody else, I wanted to talk to you, and then... I saw your ring. I recognized it. The same ring is engraved on the stone wall, near where the treasure lies. You are the man I have been expecting all these years. Forgive me for this, but now the destiny of the treasure and the whole New World is in your hands."
I found Squanto's story very interesting, but it didn't worry me. I thought he was exaggerating the importance of his treasure. So I let him take me to the sacred cave in the forest where he showed me the treasure. At first, I felt surprised when I saw the very ordinary thing that was hidden in the stone wall, but very soon even without Squanto's help I understood what it really was. The danger of this ordinary-looking thing was so big that even in my secret diary I don't dare write another word to describe it. Then I thought what might happen if somebody found it. At that moment I felt sorry that I had gone to the New World at all. Suddenly England with all its dangers seemed a cosy, attractive place, but it was too late. Squanto had told me the truth: the future of the New World lay in my hands.
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