Chapter 2
Nay--but the ship is sprung at every seam; 'tis nothing but good fortune that has kept it afloat so long.
CARVER
The seams sprung?
JONES
Aye--all of them.
CARVER
Then our stores are in danger of being ruined.
JONES
Aye, they are even now in such danger they should be unshipped.
CARVER
Then we must do it--set your crew to the work at once.
JONES
The crew has more than it can do to repair the ship and make it ready to sail on to Virginia, since you insist on going on.
CARVER
Then I'll set our company to work on the stores--we must not let them be ruined.
JONES
Nay, or you'll all face starvation, for you can count on nothing from the land at this late date.
CARVER
I'll gather the company together at once and set them to work!
JONES
Aye, do, Master Carver.
CARVER
We must unship the stores; [_going_] we'll begin at once. [_sound of door opening_]
JONES [_to himself_]
Mayhap your company will have something to say to that, Master Carver.
ANNOUNCER
So Carver gathered together his company in the common cabin, and standing before the stern-faced, storm-weary gathering, the Elder spoke:
CARVER
Men of the Pilgrim company, as no doubt you are all well aware by now, the land we made this morning with such joy and thanksgiving in our hearts is not the land of the Virginia Plantation.
ALL
Aye, we know as much! So we have heard. [_etc._]
CARVER
But our ship is sore distressed from the buffeting of the storms, and Captain Jones must needs make repairs before we can sail on to our destination. [_protests and grumblings_]
I would it were not so, for I know how weary you find yourselves after the many days upon the sea. But there's naught else to do.
PETER [_calling_]
Why can't we land here? [_mob assents_]
CARVER
Nay, nay, it cannot be. This is not Virginia; we have no patent to these lands. We must sail on. The captain and his crew will make their repairs as soon as they can, but our stores in the hold are all of them in danger of spoiling--so we must needs unship them ourselves until such time as we may sail away from here. So let every man prepare himself for work.
PETER
Master Carver--we are not able to work. [_mob assents_]
CARVER
I know, but--
PETER
And more--'tis not our wish to stay aboard this ship longer--[_mob assents_]
CARVER
But we can do naught else--
PETER
Aye, we kin land here, and find a goodly place to build our homes and prepare against the winter that will be down upon us long before we kin get to Virginia. [_mob agrees heartily_]
CARVER
Men--men--quiet--hark to me! We've no right under our charter to settle here!
PETER
Then tear up the charter. [_mob agrees_]
CARVER
Tear up the charter? Have no government? Nay, we can't do that!
PETER
We be freemen, Master Carver; we have a right to a voice in what we'll do, and what we won't do--and we all want to land here, don't we, men? [_all agree_]
CARVER
But if we make our home here, we are outside the King's rule.
PETER
We'll rule ourselves--we be free-born Englishmen! [_all agree_]
CARVER
Mayhap--if that is your wish--
ALL
It is!
Aye, aye! [_etc._]
CARVER
It may be for the best interest of the company and for the glory of Jehovah. I consent to your wishes. [_cheers_] But it behooves us to enter into a compact, one with the other--that no man may say, once we have landed in New England, that we have no law and cannot punish the disobedient.
PETER
May it please ye, sir, we be more than willing for the masters to write a compact that all can sign to be governed like any free-born Englishmen by the will o' the majority--[_all agree_]
CARVER
So be it--let the masters of the company join me in my cabin, and we shall make a compact joining all the company of freemen into a body politic. [_cheers_]
ANNOUNCER
And so in the cabin of the _Mayflower_ the masters of the company, twelve in number, met in the first American legislative assembly and drew up one of the most famous documents in American history--the Mayflower Compact--which organized the first self-governing community in the New World.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Landing of the Pilgrims, by Henry Fisk Carlton