The Indian tribes that Nathaniel Bacon’s ragtag group of rebels fought comprised mainly of the Susquehannock and Potomack. The Susquehannock were scattered throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. When Captain John Smith sailed up the Susquehanna and explored the Chesapeake Bay area in 1608, he met the native Susquehannocks. They greeted him with a plaited bear skin, a beaded necklace, and a combination of furs. They seemed to think Smith was there to free them from their rivals, the Massawomakes. Some rubbed their hands on Smith’s neck ceremoniously and offered food. Smith actually like the Susquehannock more than he did most tribes, specifically the Algonquin. This contrasts previous reports that the Susquehannock were savage cannibals. Closer to the time of the rebellion, in 1666, George Alsop wrote that the tribe ate pieces of prisoners they had burned. Either way, Smith was very fond of the Susquehannock. He writes “Such great and well-proportioned men are seldom seen...seemed of an honest disposition...like giants to the English” He then details their unique clothing made of bear and wolf skins. Smith also met the Patawomeck tribe. They were advanced agriculturally, growing corn along the Potomac River. Early on, the Patawomeck often helped the settlers, but allied with the English to fight the Powhatan. Records of the Patawomeck disappear after Bacon’s Rebellion, the survivors probably merged with another tribe.