I hardly know how to set about telling you of that time when the
first ship came into our harbor. It was not long after the day of
thanksgiving when, early one morning, even before any of our people had
begun work, some person cried out that a vessel was in sight.
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It had been nearly a year since we landed on the shores of the new
world, and in all that time we had seen no white people outside of
our own company. Therefore you can fancy how excited we all were. Even
Governor Bradford himself found it difficult to walk slowly down to the
shore, while Sarah and I ran with frantic haste, as if fearing we might
not be able to traverse the short distance before the vessel was come
to anchor and her crew landed.
If I should try to tell you how we felt on seeing this first vessel
that had visited Plymouth, believing she had on board some of our
friends who had been left behind when the _Mayflower_ sailed, it would
hardly be possible for me to write of anything else, so long would
be the story. Therefore it is that I shall not try to describe how
we stood at the water's edge, every man, woman and child in Plymouth,
wrapped in furs until we must have looked like so many wild animals,
for the day was exceeding cold and windy, watching every movement made
by those on board the vessel until a boat, well laden with men and
women, put off from her side.
Then we shouted boisterously, for it was well nigh impossible to remain
silent, and those who recognized familiar faces among the occupants
of the shallop screamed a welcome to the new world, and to our town of
Plymouth, until they were hoarse from shouting.
The ship which had come was the _Fortune_, and she brought to us
thirty-six of those who had been left behind at Leyden. During fully
two days we of Plymouth did little more than give our entire attention
to these welcome visitors, hearing from them news of those of our
friends who were yet in Holland, and telling again and again the story
of the sickness and the famine with which we had become acquainted soon
after landing from the _Mayflower_.