e company as first one man and then another fell
in with Peter Brown. He felt the temper of the company changing, but
he still did not feel that mutiny was likely against the strong
religious authority of the Elders. And so to bring the matter to a
head, he asked Carver to come to his cabin. As the door closes, the
captain begins--

JONES

I fear me, Master Carver, we are in a bad way.

CARVER

Indeed--why?

JONES

The carpenter has gone over the ship timber by timber--

CARVER

Well?

JONES

It is a long, hard job we have before us.

CARVER

Oh, too bad, too bad! How long?

JONES

What with finding the proper timbers ashore, and hewing them to fit
our needs, I fear it may well be two months or more before we can
leave these waters.

CARVER

Surely you can make what repairs are necessary in less time--you need
not rebuild the ship.

JONES

Nay--but the ship is sprung at every seam; 'tis nothing but good
fortune that has kept it afloat so long.

CARVER

The seams sprung?

JONES

Aye--all of them.

CARVER

Then our stores are in danger of being ruined.

JONES

Aye, they are even now in such danger they should be unshipped.

CARVER

Then we must do it--set your crew to the work at once.

JONES

The crew has more than it can do to repair the ship and make it ready
to sail on to Virginia, since you insist on going on.

CARVER

Then I'll set our company to work on the stores--we must not let them
be ruined.

JONES

Nay, or you'll all face starvation, for you can count on nothing from
the land at this late date.

CARVER

I'll gather the company together at once and set them to work!

JONES

Aye, do, Master Carver.

CARVER

We must unship the stores; [_going_] we'll begin at once. [_sound of
door opening_]

JONES [_to himself_]

Mayhap your company will have something to say to that, Master Carver.

ANNOUNCER

So Carver gathered together his company in the common cabin, and
standing before the stern-faced, storm-weary gathering, the Elder
spoke:

CARVER

Men of the Pilgrim company, as no doubt you are all well aware by now,
the land we made this morning with such joy and thanksgiving in our
hearts is not the land of the Virginia Plantation.

ALL

Aye, we know as much! So we have heard. [_etc._]

CARVER

But our ship is sore distressed from the buffeting of the storms, and
Captain Jones must needs make repairs before we can sail on to our
destina