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Show Page 27 May 16. 1620 continued Anne was distressed with me for refusing Richard's offer of marriage. Indeed, she called me a clodpated lump of imbecility. But her excitement upon seeing James Towne appear on the riverbank soon ended her scolding. We arrived at the fort between sunset and day going. Captain Thompson decided it was too late to go ashore, so we are forced to spend one more night aboard the Jonathan. What disappointment there is amongst those who donned their finest apparel and scrubbed their faces to a shine! And the bustle ashore as news of our arrival spreads is making it nigh impossible to catch a wink of sleep. ******************** Into the night Anne and I sat together, whispering and waiting for our first morning in the New World to dawn. Now that we had actually arrived in Virginia, I found most of my fear of the place had gone. Perhaps because nothing that happened in the future could be as dreadful as what had gone before. Perhaps because speaking about it to Anne helped loosen the knot. "We survived this voyage with its putrid food and water, its fever," Anne ventured. "It will not be near so bad here in Virginia. |
