Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647

The Pilgrims set sail with two ships, but the smaller one almost immediately begins to take on water, forcing the group to stop for repairs twice. They find no leaks during the second stop and are therefore forced to conclude that the ship simply isn't seaworthy and that they will need to send some of their party back home. According to Bradford, it later emerged that the captain and crew of the ship had helped disable the ship because they feared running out of food once they had arrived in New England.

To further illustrate the events of the chapter, Bradford inserts a letter Cushman wrote while in Dartmouth for repairs. In it, Cushman laments that "[their] voyage hither has been as full of crosses as [their selves] have been of crookedness" (39),and he worries that they are in danger of running out of food and money before they have even left England. He further suggests that the Pilgrims will likely begin to regret turning down Weston's agreement as they experience further hardships and expresses doubt over their ability to establish a peaceful settlement given how "disunited" (40) they are at present. In fact, Cushman—who was ill as of the time of writing—even goes as far as to suggest that it might be better for him to die of sickness now rather than starve to death later and says that he looks forward to the "joy [he] hope[s] for" (40) in death. 

The remaining ship sets out from Plymouth on September 6, 1620 and enjoy favorable winds and weather for the first several days. Bradford also notes a sign of "God's providence" (41)—the death of a sailor who had frequently berated the Pilgrims for their seasickness. Nevertheless, the entire voyage does not go smoothly; the ship sustains damage during a storm, and both the passengers and crew begin to doubt to whether it is wise to continue. Eventually, the crew patches up the damage to the ship, and the Pilgrims reach Cape Cod on November 11 with only one passenger fatality.

Once they have arrived, the Pilgrims do not immediately go ashore because they hope to settle closer to the mouth of the Hudson River. Sailing south, however, they encounter rough water and turn back to the Cape, where they "[fall] upon their knees and [bless] the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries of it, again to set their feet upon the firm and stable earth" (42-43).

Bradford at this point pauses the narrative to marvel at the dangers and difficulties the Pilgrims faced even after being put ashore: "It is recorded in the scripture (Acts. Xxviii) as a mercy to the apostle and his shipwrecked crew, that the barbarians showed them no small kindness in refreshing them; but these savage barbarians when they met with them (as will appear) were readier to fill their sides with arrows than otherwise!" (43). The brutality of Northeastern winters further added to the Pilgrims' troubles, as did the discontent of the ship's crew, who considered leaving the Pilgrims and returning to England. Bradford also comments that the Pilgrims could not expect any help to come from Europe, given the terms on which they had left Weston and their other backers. As a result, the Pilgrims had to put their trust entirely in God.

A group of Pilgrims, led by Captain Myles Standish, decide to go exploring on foot while they wait for the "shallop" (44), or sailboat, they brought with them to be repaired. As they walk along the beach, they encounter a group of Native Americans and pursue them for several miles along a creek turning inland. When the Pilgrims lose track of the group, they return to the beach and continue searching for the river they saw from the bay. As they draw close to it, they find signs of habitation, including graves, abandoned farmlands, houses, and baskets of corn. After finding the river itself, the Pilgrims take some of the corn to show to their fellow settlers. A second expedition to the river, this time in the shallop, brings back more corn and beans, which Bradford credits with saving the Pilgrims from starvation that first winter.

In December, a group of Pilgrims set out to explore the Bay more fully in the shallop and see several Native Americans preparing fish on the shore. The Pilgrims land close by and spend a couple of days exploring the area, building makeshift wooden barricades for protection against both attacks and the elements. One morning, they hear a cry and are attacked by a group of Native Americans armed with bows and arrows. The Pilgrims, however, manage to fend the attack off and follow the Native Americans as they retreated, "shouting once or twice, and shooting off two or three guns […] so that the natives might not think they were afraid of them" (47). Bradford attributes the victory and the absence of any injuries to God.

After this encounter, the Pilgrims return to their boat and set out to find the nearby harbor they had heard of. A winter storm comes up and nearly sinks the boat, but the Pilgrims manage to take shelter for the night on an island. The weather improves the next morning, and within a couple of days, the group succeeds in finding the harbor, along with "several cornfields and little running brooks—a place, as they suppose[d], fit for settlement" (48). The group returns with the good news, and by the end of December, all the Pilgrims have moved to the area and begun to erect the first buildings.