Not until Friday evening did our fathers come back; no one of all the
party of seventeen was missing, although it seemed to me they had been
in great danger.
Before they had gone on their journey more than a mile from the
_Mayflower_, they saw five savages and a dog coming toward them, and
hastened forward to learn what they might about this new world. The
Indians ran among the trees as soon as they saw our people, and they
ran so swiftly it was impossible to overtake them.
[Illustration]
After making chase without coming upon the savages, Captain Standish
led the way along the shore until next day they came upon what looked
as if an Indian village had once been in that place, for the land
had been dug over much as though to raise crops, and there were what
appeared to be many graves. On opening one of these piles of sand,
there were found two baskets full of what one of the sailors said was
Indian corn; but another declared it was Turkish wheat, while Captain
Standish believed it should be called Guinny wheat. It had been left
near the graves, for these savages believe that even after people are
dead, they need food.
Later, when we had become acquainted with Samoset and Squanto, we came
to know that on the spot which had been chosen for our home, there had
been a large Indian village. Four years before we of the _Mayflower_
came, a terrible sickness had attacked the settlement of savages, and
more than two hundred died. Those who were alive and able to walk,
deserted the place to go many miles into the forest away from the sea,
and, except for the graves which our people found, every trace of the
town was wiped out, the savages believing that only by the destruction
of everything connected with the settlement, could the evil spirit of
the mysterious sickness be cast out.
Our men were very glad to find this wheat, and as soon as they had
brought it aboard the vessel, the women set about boiling some, for
that seemed to be the only way in which it could be eaten, since it is
hard, almost like flint. Neither Sarah nor I, hungry though we were,
felt like eating what had been left for dead people; but we did taste
of it, and found it very good, even though it had not been cooked quite
enough.
It was not long, however, before we found out how to prepare it, and
many a time since then has it saved us from starving, but of that I
will tell you later.