Sarah's New World by Colleen L. Reece

Author:Colleen L. Reece [REECE, COLLEEN L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-62836-238-1
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2004-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

John and Sarah soon made friends with the other children aboard, not only with the older children from Leiden, but also with the servants and children of the Strangers. They had to make their own fun. Sometimes it was watching the sailors, making sure to keep out of their way. At other times, they played with the few dogs aboard or with the ship’s cat.

Sarah liked to read the books William Brewster had brought, even if they were grown-up books.

John didn’t. “Why spend time reading when there is so much to learn?” he demanded. He explored all of the ship he could without getting into trouble. Anything to keep out of the damp, unpleasant sleeping quarters that held most of the passengers!

Captain Christopher Jones had moved to a small cabin so that about twenty of the persons he considered most important could sleep in his quarters. A few slept in a small shallop that would be used to explore the rivers of the New World. The rest of the passengers were crammed into the space below the main deck. The room was dim and nearly airless. Everyone slept on the floor. John longed to sleep topside with the sailors, but he had to stay with his family.

People wore the same clothes day after day. They put on everything they owned to keep from freezing in their unheated quarters. With only the salty seawater to wash themselves in, it was impossible to keep clean. Soon the smell of unwashed bodies and unwashed clothes became overpowering. When people became sick, the smell grew even worse. Could anyone stand it for two long months? The Pilgrims gritted their teeth and held on. So did the Strangers.

John amused himself by learning as much as he could about his fellow travelers and passing his new knowledge on to his family. “Myles Standish is going to be our captain when we reach America,” he reported. “He is to lead us in defending ourselves against unfriendly Indians.”

“Why him?” Sarah wanted to know. She gave a little shiver. “I know it’s wrong not to like people, but he looks so mean! I wonder if his wife, Rose, is happy.”

“Would you be if you were married to him?” John teased.

“No sir!” Sarah shook her head. “Why can’t Mr. Alden be our captain? I like him a lot. He’s always so polite and calls me Mistress Smythe.” She held both sides of her skirt wide and curtsied.

“John Alden is a cooper, not a soldier,” Father reminded the children. “He will be kept busy making and repairing barrels, as he has done here on the Mayflower.”

“We must be fair,” Mother put in. “I’ve heard Mr. Standish is brave and fearless. If there is trouble with the Indians—and I pray to God there will be none—we will need an experienced soldier.”

John laughed. “Do you want to hear something funny? I heard a man say of him, ‘A little chimney is soon fired.’ ”

“What does that mean?” Sarah eagerly leaned forward.

“Whoever made the

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