As they never knew what moment the Indians would come upon them, even when they went to church the Pilgrims carried their guns. (1339. Pilgrims Going to Church.) A fine picture showing a group on the way to church, has been painted for us. You see a copy of it here. The man in the long gown and carrying a Bible, is the elder who will lead the services. Several others have their Bibles in their hands, but the men all carry guns. When they reach the meeting-house the guns will be kept close at hand. The same artist has painted another picture showing us that even when a young man takes his sweetheart to meeting, he must have his gun upon his shoulder (1337. John Alden and Priscilla), while she carries her Bible.
PILGRIMS GOING TO CHURCH
Have you noticed that in all of the pictures in which it has been possible to put a Bible, the different painters have given the Book a prominent place? Do you understand why? Because the noble Pilgrims had great love for God. They lived a life of loyal trust in him. Not only on Sundays, but every day they loved to read the Bible and pray. And so that they might pray to God and serve him as they wished they gave up kind friends and comfortable homes and risked their very lives. We should not think a picture of our Pilgrim forefathers good unless it made us think as soon as we saw it of this part of their lives.
One hundred and two Pilgrims had come to America on the Mayflower. By spring half of the little band had died. The first to go was the beautiful young wife of Captain Standish. Another and another followed. Little Oceanus and his mother both died. There were so many sick that at one time there were only seven who were able to wait upon the others. For fear that the Indians would find out how small their number was becoming, when the Pilgrims buried those who died, they would not make mounds above the graves, but smoothed them over.
In April the Mayflower set sail for England. Now was a chance for the people to go back to their old home. How many do you think wished to go? In spite of all the trials and sorrows which they had seen, in spite of the hard times that would surely come to them in this new country, not one sailed in the Mayflower except the sailors who manned the ship!
Still, the sailing of the ship made the Pilgrims think of the many loved ones across the water, and without doubt they watched with sorrowful faces and weeping eyes, as long as the Mayflower could be seen. (1334. Departure of the Mayflower. Bayes.)
PILGRIM EXILES
The Pilgrims had learned how to manage farm lands, and how to support their families in a large city. Now they had to lead a new and quite different life in a wild, strange land. It was well for them, indeed, that among their Indian neighbors there were some who were willing to be their friends. These friendly red men understood life in the wilds, and showed the white people how to make snow-shoes, moccasins, canoes, and other useful articles. From the Indians the white men also learned how to catch eels and how to trap animals. When planting time came, it was a friendly Indian named Squanto who showed them how to plant their maize and tend it so as to get good crops.