Standish of Standish: A Story of the Pilgrims Page 6

  CHAPTER V.

  AN AWFUL DANGER.

  "Found you a good burial place in yonder wilderness?" asked DorothyBradford of her husband the next morning as he sat beside her in theirlittle cabin on the high quarter deck of the Mayflower.

  "Ay truly, wife," replied the husband cheerily. "And much did we muse asto the remains so honorably interred. One of those we found was a littlelad scarce as old as our baby John, and almost mine eyes grew wet inthinking of him so far away."

  "Cruel that thou art to speak of him," exclaimed the young motherwildly, "when thou knowest I am dying for sight of the child and of homeand my mother and all that I hold dear. I asked, hadst thou found agrave for poor me in this wilderness whither thou hast brought me todie."

  "Nay, then, dear wife"--

  "Mock me not with fair words, for they are naught. If I indeed am deartake me home to all I love. Here I have naught but thee, and one mightas well love one of these cold gray rocks as thee."

  "Have I not been kind and gentle to thee, Dorothy?" asked Bradfordbowing his face upon his hands.

  "Ay, kind enow," replied she sullenly. "And gentle, as brave men stillmust be to helpless women, but as for love! Tell me now, WilliamBradford, dost thou to-day love me as thou couldst have loved AliceCarpenter who flouted thee and married Edward Southworth instead? Nay,now, them darest not deny that thou dost love her still!"

  "Peace, woman!" exclaimed Bradford raising his face, stern and pale ashis wife had seldom seen it, and then as he marked her fragile featuresand woe-begone expression his tone changed to a gentle one. "Nay,Dorothy, thou wrongest thyself and me. I told thee of certain passages,past before I knew thee, because I would have no secret between my wifeand me, and it is ill-done of thee to use my confidence as a weaponagainst me. And again thou wrongest me grievously; Edward Southworth'swife is naught to us; we twain are made one, and our lives are to run inthe one channel while both shall last. It is for me to shape and hewthat channel, and for thee to see that its waters run clear and sweet,and, if you will, to plant posies on the banks. Let us never speak againof these matters, Dorothy, but rather turn our minds to making a fairhome of the place whither God hath brought us, and doing our best byeach other. Trust me, wife, thou shalt never have cause to complain forlack of aught I can win for thee or do for thee. Nay, Dorothy, my wife,weep not so bitterly!"

  "Master Bradford, are you within?" asked John Howland's voice outsidethe door.

  "Ay. What is thy errand, John?"

  "The governor prays you to attend a Council convened in the greatcabin."

  "I will come," and laying his hand tenderly yet solemnly upon the bowedhead of his wife Bradford murmured,--

  "God help thee, Dorothy, God help us both!" and without waiting for areply so left her.

  In the cabin he found the principal men of the company seated around atable covered with charts, scrolls, and instruments of various sorts.Standish with a brief nod made room for the new-comer, and Carver in hismeasured tones explained: "Some of us were talking with Master Jonesupon the question of seating ourselves by yonder river as he stronglyadviseth, and I thought it best, Master Bradford, to call a generalCouncil and settle the matter out of hand. Here are such charts as theMayflower saileth by, and here is Master Smith's maps whereon we findthis bay, and much of the coast beyond, laid fairly down. Master Hopkinscounseleth a place called Agawam[2] some twenty leagues to thenorthward, whereof he hath heard as a good harbor and fishing ground.Others say that we should explore yet farther along the shores of thisland which Smith calleth Cape Cod, even as he nameth the whole districtNew England, which is verily a pleasant reminder for us, who in spite ofpersecution and harshness must still love the name of the land whereinwe have left the bones of our sires."

  [2] Ipswich.

  "It needs not so many words, Governor," interrupted Jones rudely. "If yewill not be satisfied with the place ye saw yesterday, Coppin, ourpilot, knoweth of another river with plenty of cleared land about it,and a harbor fit for a war-fleet to ride in, lying two or three leaguesto the southwest of this place. What think you of taking your pinnaceand going to look at it?"

  "We will have in the pilot and hear his story for ourselves before weanswer that query," said Carver with dignity, while Standish lesstemperately demanded,--

  "And why, Master Jones, didst not tell us this at first rather than atlast? Well nigh hadst thou forced us to land where we could if only tobe rid of thy importunity."

  "Why of course I had rather landed you here, and been off for homerather than to carry you further and be burdened with your queasyfancies," retorted Jones brutally. "I'm no man's fool I'd have thee toknow my little fire-eater, and thou 'lt be no gladder to say good-bywhen the time comes than I."

  "Here is Robert Coppin, friends," interposed Brewster mildly, as a hardyfellow entered the cabin and nodded with scant ceremony to the company.

  "Sit thee down, Coppin," said Carver making room for the pilot besidehim. "We would have thee show us upon the chart this river whereofMaster Jones says thou knowest."

  "Well, it should be hereaway methinks," replied Coppin bending over themap and tracing the coast line with a horny forefinger. "Is it yon? Nay,I am no scholar and steer not by a chart I cannot make out. I know theplace when I see it, and I'll find it again if I'm set to it."

  "Thou 'st been there, then?"

  "Ay, we lay there three weeks when I sailed in the whaler Scotsman outof Glasgow, and more by token we named the place Thievish Harbor, forone of the Indians stole a harpoon out of our boat and away with itbefore we could reach him. 'T is a goodly river, broader and deeper thanyon, and has a broad safe harbor."[3]

  [3] Jones River, Duxbury.

  "And why didst thou not tell us of this place sooner, Master Coppin,sith thou art our pilot?" sternly demanded Winslow.

  "Well, master," returned Coppin slowly, and casting a furtive look atJones who was draining a pewter flagon of beer, "I did tell Master Jonesyonder, but he said he had liefer you seated here, and I was to hold mytongue"--

  "Thou liest, knave," roared Jones menacing him with the flagon. "Thouliest in thy throat. Or if thou didst mumble some nonsense in mine ears,I paid no heed, doubting not that thou hadst told it all before to thygossips among these pious folk. But, Governor, if it is your pleasure toseek out this place, I will lend you some of my men and set you forwardat your own pleasure."

  "Thanks for your good will, master," replied Carver coldly. "What sayyou, friends? Shall we try it?"

  Murmurs and words of assent were heard on all sides, and Standishsaid,--

  "My mind, if you will have it, is that this matter should be shrewdlypressed, and an end made of it as soon as may be. Our people dwindledaily; they who were well a se'nnight since are ill to-day, and may bedead to-morrow. Our provision waxeth short and poor, and be it oncespent our good friend Jones will give us none of his we may be sure. Weare no babes to be cast down by these things, nor frighted at facingthem, but sure it is the part of wisdom to use our strength while it isleft to us, and to explore this place, and any other whereof we mayhear, with no farther delay. My counsel is to tell off a company of oursoundest men, and set forth with Coppin this very hour, or as soon as wemay."

  "Well and manfully spoken, Captain Standish," replied Carver, and frommore than one bearded throat came a grim murmur of approval, whileHopkins significantly added,--

  "Let them who will, be treated as babes and set down here or therewithout their own consent. I for one am with thee, Captain, in thebolder course."

  "If thou 'rt with me, thou 'rt with the governor and the brethren. Ihave no separate design, Master Hopkins," replied Standish coldly. "Idid but give my mind subject to the approval of the rest."

  "And so good a mind it seemeth to me, that I propose we follow itwithout delay. What say ye, friends?"

  "I like the scheme so well that I fain would set forth this moment,"said Bradford, over whom the depression of his interview with Dorothystill hung.

  "Then in God's name
let the thing go forward," said Carver solemnlyraising his hand. "And, it is my mind that such among us as have in somesort the charge of the rest should be the men to go upon this emprise,both because they are best fitted to judge what is needed, and becausethey will be hampered by no need of orders from headquarters. I propose,then, that leaving Elder Brewster in charge of those who remain aboard,the party should consist of me as your governor, and Captain Standish asour man of war, with Master Winslow, Master Bradford, and the BrothersTilley from the Leyden brethren, to whom we will join Master Hopkins,Master Warren, and Edward Dotey of London."

  "Will it please your excellency to add my name?" asked John Howlandeagerly. "Well I wot I am not a principal man, but I have a strong arm,and would fain follow thee, if I may."

  "A strong arm, a stout heart, and a ready wit," replied Carver lookingkindly at his retainer. "And gladly do I number thee of the company.That then counts ten of us, and we shall have Thomas English in chargeof the pinnace with John Alderton our seaman, and that methinks isenough."

  "Enough to meet the danger if there be danger, and to divide the gloryif there be glory," said Myles placidly, and Bradford softly andpensively replied,

  "No such glory as thou didst win in Flanders, friend, but truly the'glory that fadeth not away.'"

  "Hm!" retorted Myles as softly, but pulling his red beard with a grimsmile. "I'm not greedy, Will, and I'll leave those honors for thee."

  "Nay," began Bradford rousing himself, but at that moment the whole brigwas shaken, and the councilors startled from their dignity by atremendous explosion which drove them from their seats, while the airwas rent by yells and shrieks in various tones and degrees, and astifling smoke and smell of gunpowder filled the cabin.

  "The magazine has blown up!" shouted Standish. "Man the boats, and fetchthe women and children!" And he rushed to his own cabin where Rose lay,not well enough to rise. But Bradford, seated near the companion-way,had already sprung down and presently returned leading by the ear ablubbering boy, his hands and face besmirched with gunpowder.

  "Here is the culprit, Master Carver," announced he placing him in frontof the governor.

  "John Billington!" exclaimed Carver sternly. "Ever in mischief, whathast thou done now? Speak the truth, boy, or 't is the worse for thee."

  "I did but take dad's gun from the hooks in our cabin, and she went offin my hands," whimpered the boy.

  "Nay, 'twas more than that, for we heard not one but severalexplosions," persisted the governor.

  "There was a keg of gunpowder under the bed," confessed the boyreluctantly, "and--and--some of it flew out upon the floor."

  "Flew out without hands!" exclaimed Hopkins, but Carver raised hisfinger and asked mildly,--

  "And what didst thou with the powder on the floor, John?"

  "I made some squibs as father did last Guy Fawkes Day," muttered theboy.

  "And dropped the fire among the loose powder on the floor, and so sentall off together!" broke in Hopkins again. "And if the keg had caught,thou wouldst have blown the ship to pieces! Thou unwhipt rascal,thou 'rt enough to corrupt a whole colony of boys. If my Bartholomewever speaks to thee again I'll break every bone in his body, as I'd welllike to thine, and will"--

  "Nay, nay, Master Hopkins!" interposed the governor sternly. "It isnever well to threaten what we cannot perform. We break not bones norput to the torture in our new community; but, John Billington, I shallcounsel thy father to take thee ashore and whip thee so soundly as shallmake thee long remember that gunpowder is for thee forbidden fruit. Go,now, to thy cabin, and remain there till he comes, while I go to seewhat harm thou hast wrought."

  "Mistress Carver would fain see the governor without delay," announcedLois, Mistress Carver's maid, in a quavering voice. "Jasper More was sofrighted by the noise that he is in convulsions, and we know not but heis dying."

  "Is Doctor Fuller here?" demanded another voice. "Mistress White wouldsee him presently."

  "And this is thy work, boy!" exclaimed Carver solemnly. "Go!"

  And the boy crept miserably away, foreboding the whipping of which hewas not disappointed.