EMBARKATION OF THE PILGRIMS
It was not until September that the Pilgrims were really on their way. Although it was later in the season than they had wished to start, and they knew that many storms were likely to come upon them, nevertheless, they sailed off in the Mayflower with brave and cheerful hearts.
For about two months—long, long months—they sailed, sailed, sailed, with nothing in sight but water, water, water, water. The weather was growing colder; there were sometimes storms, and the people were very uncomfortable. Some of them fell ill. One man died.
They were so crowded in the cabins that they suffered for want of air. They did not have water enough to keep their clothes and themselves clean. There was not room for the children to run about in their play, as they liked to do, and the long, tiresome voyage was hard for them to bear.
One day, when the ship was in mid ocean, a new baby, whom the Pilgrims called Oceanus, came. Now they had something to interest them. Doubtless they loved him instantly, liked to peep into his little red face at every chance, were glad to hold him when they might, and talked with one another about him.
Finally, late in November, the Mayflower came in sight of land. There had been more and more sickness among the Pilgrims, and the weather was stormy and cold. They were miserable on the ship, and yet on land they would be more miserable still. There were no houses, no place for them to go. What were the poor wanderers to do?
THE MAYFLOWER IN PLYMOUTH HARBOR
The Mayflower sailed as near to the shore as she could get, as we see her in this picture (1331. B. The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor), while a party of men went ashore to hunt a good landing place. They wanted to find a neighborhood where there was a spring of fresh water, plenty of trees that might be chopped down for the building of houses, and open fields where grain might be raised. It took them several weeks to find such a place.
One day, while wandering around, they came to a spot where something had been buried. Digging down, they found some maize, or Indian corn, which had been hidden there. Although they had caught fish along the shore, and had shot game in the woods, the food that they brought to America with them was fast being eaten up. So they looked upon this maize as a treasure. The finders promptly decided to carry it to the ship and pay the owner when they should find him.