The Reluctant Pilgrim

One bright morning when the sun was so hot that it made the upper deck almost unbearable, the boys went below—way below to the lowest deck on the ship. It was where supplies were kept. Both boys had been there before with their parents, but not without a lantern or at least a candle. Now it was very dark and, they both admitted, very frightening. “Let me go get a candle,” Andrew offered, and before Edward could respond, he and Goliath were gone. Now Edward was really scared. His feet felt like stone. He didn’t think he could move them if he wanted to, and right at that moment, it was the last thing he wanted to do. Edward stared straight ahead, but he saw nothing. After what seemed more like days than minutes, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of light. And then it was gone. “Is that you, Andrew?” Edward asked. In his heart he knew it could not be. The light had come from the wrong direction. Edward stayed frozen to the spot until he heard a wonderful sound—the heavy clump, clump of Goliath’s paws on the steep wooden stairs. Behind him, Edward saw the welcome light of a candle. “I’m glad you’re back,” Edward said. “I didn’t like it down here alone. . .” “And in the dark,” Andrew finished. “Well, not totally,” Edward said. He told how he had witnessed a light. He assured Andrew he was not dreaming, and, as if to prove his point, Goliath began sniffing and whining in the exact place where minutes earlier Edward had seen the light. “I believe we have a mystery on our hands,” Andrew declared. “Let’s check to see if any of our food is missing.” The boys went first to the belongings of Edward’s family. Edward could not be sure, but if he remembered right, Mother had baked several loaves of bread for the journey—surely more than what was on the shelf now. This puzzled Edward. Andrew then discovered that some meat and cheese were missing from his family’s supplies. He was sure of it. “I was down here with Father just yesterday,” he explained. “Mother wanted some meat and cheese. We took some to her, but not this much.” While the boys discussed the situation, Goliath sniffed the air and wandered around. He was both uneasy and hungry. There was only one thing to do. “We have to tell our parents,” Edward said. “We have a thief on board.” After talking to both of their fathers, the boys knew for sure there was a mystery. This was the most exciting thing that had happened to them since the Mayflower had left Plymouth. The boys, as well as their parents, agreed that it was impossible to check with all the Pilgrim families. Besides, why should they? They knew it was unlikely that the Pilgrims would steal from each other. The parents decided it must be one of the sailors. And the boys were certain they knew which one. “It’s the one who dislikes us so much,” Edward said. “He figures one way to kill us is to starve us,” Andrew added. “We’ll catch him!”