Answer: The accounts differ because they were written about 16 years apart. Smith had different purposes. The first (from <em>A True Relation, </em>1608)<em> </em>was to encourage British people to become colonists and settle in America at Jamestown in the Virginia Colony. He wanted to portray the Native Americans as rich, friendly, and willing to trade.
The later account (from <em>the General History of Virginia, </em>1624) Was a look back. Smith's strict rules helped the Jamestown colonists to survive harsh conditions, but he had become unpopular, and after treatment In England for an injury in 1609, he did not return to Jamestown; he would not have a leadership position there. So his motivation was different. (He was not happy with The Virginia Company.) So he wrote to let people know that conditions were harsh, relations with the Native Americans were not always good, and settling at Jamestown was not in their best interest. His memory of some events may have changed.
Explanation:
The accounts differ: In the first (1608) version, Smith describes a ceremony where "Powhatams" appears as an emperor on a bed of many mats and he and the women a round him are adorned with necklaces and chains of pearls. Smith says that they gave him food, invited him to stay, told him they'd trade corn and venison for hatchets an copper. They let him go home after four days.
The later account (from <em>the General History of Virginia, </em>1624) describes Powhatan as "a monster" and that two great stones were brought in to have Smith put his head on to be clubbed to death. Pocahontas Begged her father to let Smith go, and eventually put her own head down next to his. Powhatan agreed to free Smith . Two days later Powhatan makes friends with Smith and in exchange for two great guns, and a grindstone, will give Smith and the colonists the Country of Capahowosick, and consider Smith his son.
