The Indians made ready their clubs; meaning to batter his brains out.

Then, says Smith, occurred the miracle.
A child of Powhatan's, a very young girl called Pocahontas, sprang from among the women, ran to the stone, and with her own body sheltered that of the Englishman....* * A vast amount of erudition has been expended by historical students to establish the truth or falsity of this Pocahontas story.

The author has refrained from entering the controversy, preferring to let the story stand as it was told by Captain Smith in his "General History" (1624) .-- Editor.
What, in Powhatan's mind, of hesitation, wiliness, or good nature backed his daughter's plea is not known.

But Smith did not have his brains beaten out.

He was released, taken by some form of adoption into the tribe, and set to using those same brains in the making of hatchets and ornaments.