Thanksgiving on Thursday - Mary Pope Osborne [4]
“Good day, Annie,” said Squanto. He smiled at her and Jack.
Jack was too surprised to speak. Why did Squanto say he remembers us? he wondered. Is he mistaking us for two other kids?
Captain Standish looked surprised, too. But Governor Bradford smiled warmly.
“ ’Tis a wonder,” he said. “We welcome all the small folk sent to us. Children are a gift from God—no matter where they come from.”
That’s a nice way of looking at things, Jack thought.
Just then, a boy ran up. “Chief Massasoit is here with ninety men!” he shouted.
The boy pointed to a long line of men walking down a path near a cornfield.
Chief Massasoit walked ahead of the others. His face was painted red. He wore a fur robe and white beads.
Governor Bradford, Captain Standish, and Squanto went to meet the visitors.
“Mercy!” a Pilgrim woman whispered.
All the Pilgrims looked worried.
“Art thou afraid?” Annie asked.
“Oh, no,” said Priscilla. “We invited Chief Massasoit and his men to our harvest feast. But we did not expect so many. We have not prepared enough food.”
Governor Bradford and Squanto spoke to the chief. Then Squanto led a number of men into the woods. And the governor walked back to the Pilgrims.
“The Wampanoag men will hunt more deer,” he said. “But we must also bring more food to the table. Priscilla, please tell the young folk what they must do.”
The grown-ups went back to the village as the Pilgrim kids gathered around Priscilla. She told some to carry water or set up tables. She told others to gather vegetables or hunt small animals.
Once the kids were given their jobs, they rushed off to do them. Finally only Jack, Annie, and a small girl holding a big basket were left.
“Jack, would thou like to go fowling with the boys?” Priscilla asked him. She pointed to a group of boys who had just headed off with the dog.
Jack stared at her in panic. What does she mean? he wondered.
“What’s ‘fowling’?” Annie asked.
“Thou does not know?” said the little girl. “ ’Tis hunting water birds, of course.”
“Jack doesn’t know how to do that,” said Annie.
“ ’Tis true? How does thou eat and live?” the little girl asked curiously.
“We, uh … ” Jack froze.
“We catch—fish!” said Annie.
We do? thought Jack.
“Ah, good!” said Priscilla. “Then I bid thee bring back as many eels and clams as thou can. We have near one hundred fifty mouths to feed.” Priscilla took the basket from the small girl and gave it to Annie.
“We will see thee later!” Priscilla said, waving. “Mary and I must go help with the cooking.”
“Um … ?” said Jack.
But before he could ask any questions, Priscilla and the little girl started back to the village.
Jack looked at Annie.
“We can’t stay here,” he said.
“What?” she said. “We can’t go home now. The Pilgrims need us to help them.”
“But we don’t know how to do anything!” Jack said. “And Squanto is going to figure out he doesn’t really know us. And—”
“Don’t worry so much,” said Annie. “We help Mom and Dad make our Thanksgiving dinner every year, don’t we? We can help the Pilgrims. But we’d better hurry!”
Clutching the big basket, she started running toward the bay. Jack sighed, then ran after her.
At the rocky shore, they stopped and looked around. Little waves rolled onto the short stretch of sand. The salty air felt clean and fresh. Seagulls swooped over the water.
“I wonder where the eels are?” said Annie. “And the clams?”
“I’ll look in the book,” said Jack.
He pulled out their book and looked up eels in the index. He turned to the right page and read aloud:
Squanto showed the Pilgrims a way to catch eels. He showed them how to push the eels out of the wet sand with their bare feet, then grab them with their hands.
“That sounds fun!” said Annie. She put down her basket and pulled off her shoes and stockings. She held up her long skirt with one hand. Then she walked over the rocks to the edge of the water.
Jack put the research book into his bag. He pulled off his shoes and stockings and joined Annie.
They dug their bare feet into the wet sand.
“I don’t feel anything,” said Jack.
“Let’s wade