governor's ideas about Christmas ordinarily may have been, in the existing circumstances he hardly could be blamed for objecting to untimely merrymakings. There was need, for the sake of the common safety, that every man should work his hardest and every day, and the release of the young men from toil for that occasion was a generous concession, especially in view of the probable insincerity of their plea of conscience.

CHAPTER XX.

TREMBLING IN THE BALANCE.

'HE depressing uncertainty in regard

THE

to the life of the colony continued for several years. It proved to be almost impossible to establish themselves successfully and it is surprising that the attempt was not abandoned. As already has been explained, most of the members of the London company, the Adventurers, were so ignorant of or indifferent to the needs of the colony, besides being very jealous and quarrelsome mutually, that it did little to contribute to the prosperity of the Pilgrims or even to secure them a bare susteOut of the six or seven vessels which made harbor at Plymouth during 1622 and 1623 only the last two appear to have been sent by the Adventurers. In May, 1622, a shallop reached Plymouth

nance.

from the Sparrow, a ship which Weston had sent fishing to the Maine coast, in which were brought seven passengers and some letters.1 About the end of June the Charity touched there, on her way for Weston to Virginia, but brought them no goods or provisions; and the colony had to help feed her people, about sixty, during her stay, and keep and care for a number of them who were ill during "ye most parte of ye somer," until she came in again on her way home.2

In the autumn the Discovery, owned by English merchants not among the Adventurers, touched at the colony, and the Pilgrims were able to procure from her some beads and knives for trade with the Indians, but at exorbitant prices, and they obtained from her no food. Not long after, in the spring of 1623, another ship1 reached them, sent out for himself by John Peirce, one of the Adventurers, who seems to have accompanied her, but there is no account of any addition to the sup

plies of the colony from this source. At about the last of June, Captain Francis West, commissioned as admiral of New England, arrived in the ship Plantation, but he, too, was only a visitor. They tried to buy food or seed from the master of this ship, who

had some 2. hh of pease to sell, but seeing their wants, held them at £9. sterling a hoggshead, & under £8. he would not take, and yet would have beaver at an under rate. But they tould him they had lived so long with out, and would doe still, rather then give so unreasonably."

Apparently some individuals bought a small quantity of the peas, but the greed of the master prevented the sale of most of his stock. In July the Anne arrived, and early in August "ye pinass," the Little James, the two vessels bringing about sixty new colonists, among them George Morton and family, and some supplies, although not enough to support even the new-comers. The old difficulty continued to exist. "All [that is, all the pro

vision] ye company sent at any time was allways too short for those people yt came with it." In their penury it must have been an inexpressible distress to the Pilgrims, who were bravely and loyally keeping their faith with the Adventurers, to hear from the mother country so seldom, and to have ship after ship arrive bringing no aid but usually in actual need of help from them. Yet they never failed to do all in their power for those who thus claimed their assistance.

Although their trials during the first winter had been of the severest character, they now were obliged to brave a new peril quite equal to any which had preceded it. The lack of food increased until they found themselves face to face. with actual starvation, and the extremity of their want deserves to be set forth more at length. As early as May, 1622, "in a maner their provissions were wholy spent, and they looked hard for supply, but none came." 8 Not long after, how