40 NEW ENGLAND FISHERIES 



When the summer of the first year had passed and the 

 colonists began to gather the small harvest that rewarded 

 their tabors, part of their number "were engaged in fish- 

 ing, aboute codd, and bass, and other fish, of which they 

 tooke* good store, of which every family had their portion. ' ' 

 During the summer there was no want. As winter ap- 

 proached an abundance of wild fowl frequented the waters ; 

 wild turkeys, deer and other game were found in the for- 

 est., Edward Winslow, writing to a friend in December, 

 1621, says: "For fish and fowl we have a great abundance. 

 Fresh cod in the summer is but poor meat with us. Our 

 bay is full of lobsters all summer, and affordeth variety 

 of jother fish. In September we can take a hogshead of 

 eels in a night, with small labor and can dig them out of 

 their beds all winter. We have mussels and others at our 

 doors. Oysters we have none near, but can have them 

 brought by the Indians when we will." Apparently 

 there was little suffering from lack of provisions during 

 the second winter. 



When the month of May came they were in hard straits 

 again, being without means for supplying their needs. 

 Fortunately for them, one of the fishing boats of Weston, 

 who was engaged in fishing on the coast of Maine, came 

 into the harbor bringing seven more colonists, but no 

 provisions. The newcomers reported, however, that thirty 

 English vessels were at Monhegan. Immediately Edward 

 Winslow was despatched to secure means for relieving the 

 famished colonists. He found that the fishermen had no 

 provisions to sell; but, with a generosity characteristic of 

 fishermen, they freely contributed such provisions as they 

 could spare for the relief of their fellow countrymen. 



Winslow relates that he found the colonists more re- 

 duced upon his return than when he left them. But, to 

 free the people from the charge of negligence in not secur- 

 ing a good living when nature provided so bountifully 



