posed to try to find Agawam, the present Ipswich, of which they had heard. Finally it was determined to send out one more exploring party and await results. Meanwhile, Francis, a scapegrace son of John Billington, caused a great excitement by firing a fowling-piece in the cabin, in which some powder was stored, and nearly blowing up the ship.

6

On Wednesday, December 16, the third and last party set forth. It consisted of twelve Pilgrims, apparently volunteers, under Standish, together with six of the ship's officers and crew. They went in the shallop and the first day they proceeded as far as the present Eastham and saw some Indians at a distance on the shore, cutting up a "Grampus." The next day they held on their course toward the modern Wellfleet and found a small abandoned Indian village. That night, however, they were sharply attacked by Indians but escaped harm. The day following, Friday, December 18, they followed

the coast around to the west and north and somehow, probably because it rained. and snowed severely, passed the entrance to Barnstable Bay without seeing it. But after a hard battle with the gale, breaking both mast and rudder and almost being wrecked upon a lee shore, in the evening they ran into Plymouth Bay and anchored under the shelter of Clark's Island, which is said to have been thus named because one Clarke, a master's mate and pilot of the Mayflower, was first of the party to set foot upon it. They landed on Saturday and explored the place and rested there quietly on Sunday, and on Monday, December 21 now called Forefathers' Day in memory of that event - they set foot on the main shore, where Plymouth now is, and made some examination of the region. They were pleased with it, and doubtless on the next day returned to the Mayflower, agreeing to recommend the spot as the site of the proposed settlement. But the satisfaction of William

Bradford, who was one of the party, over its success was overshadowed upon its return, for he learned that on the day after their departure his wife, Dorothy, had fallen overboard and been drowned.

The Mayflower set sail from Provincetown on Christmas Day and stood over toward Plymouth, but could not make harbor until the day following, on which at last she dropped anchor inside of the bay, and the Pilgrims had reached their new home. They devoted a day or two more to examination of the immediate neighborhood in order to determine which of several spots would be most advantageous for their purpose, and finally, on Wednesday, December 30, they selected their now famous abiding-place. It is interesting to note how it impressed Bradford. He says:

After our landing and viewing of the places, so well as we could we came to a conclusion, by most voyces, to set on the maine Land, on the first place, on an high ground, where there is a great deale of