45. The First Landing at Plymouth[163]
BY GOVERNOR WILLIAM BRADFORD (1620)
OMITTING other things, I will tell you that after long
beating about at sea they came to Cape Cod and they were
not a little joyful. Having thus arrived in a good harbor and
having been brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees
and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over
the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the
perils and miseries of the sea. Even now they had no friends
to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their
weather-beaten bodies; no houses and much less towns in
which to seek for succor.
It was in the winter season, and those who know about the winters
of that country know them to be sharp and violent, with cruel and fierce
storms, which make it dangerous to travel even to known places, much
more to search an unknown coast.[164] They
knew that they were in a desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and
wild men, in what numbers they knew not. If they looked behind them,
there was the mighty ocean which they had crossed, seeming now like a
gulf or a bar to separate them from all the civilized parts of
the world.
It was on the eleventh day of November that they
arrived at Cape Cod and necessity called them to look
immediately for a place of habitation. They had brought a
large shallop with them out of England, stowed away in the
quarters of the ship. No\v they took her out and set their
carpenters to work to trim her up. This work they saw would
take a long time because the ship had become much
shattered during the foul weather which struck the big
vessel. Whilst the ship was being mended a few of them
offered to go along the land to explore the places near by.
Some of them thought that they saw a river as they went into
the harbor. Sixteen men well armed started out under the
leadership of Captain Standish. After some hours sailing it
began to snow and rain and the sea became very rough; they
broke their rudder and it was as much as two men could do
to steer the shallop with a couple of oars. Their pilot bade
them be of good cheer, for he saw the harbor, but the storm
increased and the night came on; so they put on what sail
they could in order to get there while they could see. By
doing this they broke their mast in three pieces and their
sail-fell overboard. The men set things to right as far as they
could, and having the current with them they came into the
harbor. Then the pilot saw that he had been deceived in the
place and that they were in a dangerous rough cove, full of
breakers. A lusty seaman who steered bade those who rowed
to put the shallop about, or else they would all be cast away.
This they did with speed, so that he bade them be of good
cheer and to row bravely for there was a fair bay before
them
which he thought they might find, and there ride in safety Though it was
very dark and rained hard they got under the lee of a small island and
remained there all night in safety.
[165]
They did not know that this was an island until
morning. Then they were divided in their minds; some
wished to stay in the boat for fear they might be amongst the
Indians; others were so weak and cold that they felt they
could not endure that, so they went ashore to make a fire.
This they did with great trouble, everything was so wet.
Then the rest were delighted to come to them, for the wind
had shifted to the northwest, and had frozen their clothing,
which had been wet in the storm. So after a day and night of
much trouble and danger, God gave them a morning of
comfort and hope, for the next day was a fair sunshiny day.
They found themselves on an island secure from the Indians,
where they might dry their clothes, clean their firearms and
rest themselves. So they gave God thanks for his mercies.
This being the last day of the week, they prepared to keep
the Sabbath the next day.
On Monday they sounded the harbor and found it fit for
shipping.[166] They marched up into the land,
found many cornfields and little running brooks, making it a place, as
they supposed, fit for a settlement. At least, it was the best they
could find and both the season and their present necessities made them
glad to accept it, so that they returned to their big ship again with
this news, which did much to comfort the hearts of the rest of their
people.
On the fifteenth of December, the big ship weighed anchor
to go to the place which Miles Standish and his exploring
party had discovered, and came within
two leagues of it,
[167] but they were obliged
to wait there a day. On the sixteenth day the wind came fair, and they
arrived in this harbor.
[168] Afterwards they
took a better view of the place and decided where to pitch their
dwelling. On the twenty-fifth day they began to erect the first house,
for the common use of all.
[[163]]
The Mayflower and its passengers, carrying
English people who had been living lately in Holland.
[[164]]
New England winters seemed very severe to
Europeans.
[[165]]
Clarke's Island in Plymouth harbor.
[[166]]
They crossed the harbor, westward, and landed on
the mainland.
[[167]]
Two leagues = six miles.
[[168]]
Then they landed at or near Plymouth Rock, a big
boulder which is still in place.
