The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1921-11-18
"THEY DARED ALL"
Pilgrims Never Daunted by the
PeriIS OF the Sea.
Buoyed Up by Faith, Their Difficu'tie
and Dangers Were Met But to
Be Overcome.

''These troubles being blowne over.
and now all being compacte togeather
I'm one shipe, they put 10 sea againe
with prosperous winde. which con-
tinued dIverce days togeather. which
was some incOuragmente unto them"
So does William Bradford, I'm his his
tory "of PlImouth Plantation" record
the final setting out Of the Mayfiower
from Plymouth on September 16. 900
years ago. 1t Is with this passage that
he opens his ninth chapter. that where
I'm he deals "of their viOage. & how
they passed the sea, and OF their safe
ARRIVAL al Cape Codd" In many ways
II Is one Of the most interesting
chapters I'm one Of the most interesting
books In the language. For although
details are few. and the narrative. as
ever. is calm and matter-of-fact. Ii
presents just those essentials which
enable each one TO fashion for himself
a satisfying picture Of his own.
The first impression 20 be gained
from the record Is. perhaps. one of the
great labor and great slowness Of this
passage Of the sea. At first there was
the fair wind and n clear sky. and
n there was some sadness as the coast
Of Devon was finally lost TO sight i'm
the September mist. there was much
thankfulness. too. and joyful looking
forward and, as Bradford puts IL,
"some Incouragmente." The high seas
I'm 1920 were. however, not hospitable
To the little Mayflower. Three hundred
years ago she was still plowing her
way westward with the long-looked-
for land still hundreds of miles ahead
Nevertheless. the worst Of her troubles
were over for Ii was about mid-At-
lantic that, with the fair winds and
weather OF her setting out almost for
gotten I'm the storms that had fol-
lowed. the MayfiOwer came so near
10 turning hack once more toward
England. For days she had been
ttSseti aiout and buifeted with cross
winds and 'many herce stormes." Her
upper works were leaking. and one Of
the main beams amidships was
bowed & craked." The whole ship
indeed, "was shroudly shaken" and
there was some fear thar she would
never be able to perform her voyage.
serious consultation was there
fore held between the pilgrims and
the master and his crew. and some
were for returning rather than cast
themselves into "inevtable PERIL" !"
Put. I'm the end. when the master de
clared he was sure OF his ship below
her bearings, and the ships carpenter
sound above. the seamen. faced with
the fact that Ii was as far back To
England as II was to America, con-
sented 10 go forward. And so, with
the help of "a great iron scrue" which
one OF the pilgrims had brought with
him from Leyden. the beam amidShlps
was crowded back into its place, the
decks were recalked, aud then, taking
care to carry no great press of sail.
the MayfOwer, once more, addressed
herself 20 the storm. For the storms
still continued. and often the little
boat had 10 lie TO for days together.
unable 10 "beare a knote OF saile.'
But. at last. IL was over. and on the
morning OF November Goth, more than
two months after leaving Plymouth.
there came, at daybreak. the welcome
call Of "Land hol" OR. as Bradford
puts II. after longe beating at sea,
they fell with that land which is called
Cape Cod; the which being made <
certainly knowne TO be II. they were
not little joyful"