by Geoff and Parker
At last it was time! On Aug. 5, 1620, the Separatists got on their Sunday suits and went to meet the ship called the Mayflower. it was a bright, cloudless, windy day in England. By around ten o'clock there was a great line of people, a total of 102 Separatists, plus two dogs and a cat. The people were nervous, scared, and excited. The Mayflower was only as long as two buses, and it was only supposed to carry cargo. It was all alone at the dock. Sailors were scurrying on the quarter deck of the ship, raising the great white sails that gleamed and reflected the sun. The food and refreshments like beer and water were already on the ship.
The Separatists started boarding the ship. When the sailors, who were mostly rough men, got a glimpse of the Separatists, they sneered at them and rushed them down to the main deck. It was musty and grey, like the oldest haunted house in the world. There were cobwebs all over the corners of the ship, over the places where the Separatists had stored their food.
After awhile, the people heard a voice from outside the ship.
"All aboard! Let's go!" They heard cheers and voices on deck.
"Goodbye!"
"Farewell!"
The Separatists set off for freedom in the New World.
From now on, they would be called Pilgrims ... "pilgrims" are people who go on a long, long journey.