id Carver motioning Standish to hold his peace.

"Scurvy, and fever, and rheumaticks, and flux, and the foul fiend
knoweth what beside," replied Jones desperately. "Now Clarke hath still
been warning me that you were so sib with the saints"--

"Nay, God forbid!" ejaculated Brewster.

Jones looked at him in astonishment, then nodding his head as one who
yields a point he cannot understand continued: "Well, if not the saints,
whosoever you have put in their room; but Clarke says you are e'en like
the warlocks of olden time who called fire out of heaven on their
enemies, and it came as oft as they called; and he says Master Brewster
is like some Messire Moses who dealt all manner of ill to those who
crossed him; and I marked, and so did Clarke, how yester morn when I
denied Bradford the beer he craved, and answered the governor in so
curst a humor, three men fell ill before night, and two, who were
mending, died in torment. And Clarke said, and so it seemed most like to
me, that 't was you had done it, and might yet do worse; and so I would
fain be friends, and I come myself to bring the beer and the meat, and
I'll promise to do as much again and again; nay, I'll swear it by the
toe of St. Hubert, that my mother paid gold to kiss for me or ever I
was born, yea, I'll swear it, if you masters will take off the curse,
and promise to say masses, nay, nay, to say sermons and make mention of
me to the Lord."

"Knowest thou what the Apostle Peter said to one Simon Magus when he
would have bought the grace of God for gold?" demanded Brewster sternly.

"Nay, I never knew any of thy folk before," replied Jones humbly; but
Winslow consulting the pacific governor with his eyes smoothly
interposed,--

"Surely we will pray for thee and for thy men, Master Jones, albeit our
prayers have no more weight than those of any other sinful men, and our
Elder hath neither the power nor the will to bring plagues upon our
enemies. There is naught of art-magic in our practices, I do assure
thee, master."

"Well, I know not; but in all honesty I'd rather be friends than foes
with men like you."

"And friends we are most heartily," said Carver. "Our folk on board are
still mending, are they not?"

"Rigdale and Tinker are yet in bed, and their wives wait upon them, hand
and foot, though fitter to be in their own beds. And not only on them,
but now and again find time to run and give a drink or some such
tendance to our men lying groaning at