Mayflower

   The Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth, Mass., in 1620 came from England in a sailing vessel. It was named the "Mayflower." The "Mayflower" left Plymouth, England, on September 17, 1620. Two months and five days later it reached Massachusetts Bay. After a month of exploring the coast, the Pilgrims founded their colony and named it Plymouth.
   The "Mayflower" was a small ship. It would look very small indeed beside a big ocean liner of today. There were about 100 passengers on the boat. One passenger died and one baby was born during the long voyage. The baby was named Oceanus. Her last name was Hopkins.
   Life on the "Mayflower" during the long voyage was not easy. The Pilgrims were coming to the New World to find a place where they could worship as they wanted to. They guessed that there were many hardships ahead of them.
   Before they left the boat, the men on board made an agreement. They promised to work together to make just laws, and to obey these laws. Their agreement is called the Mayflower Compact.
   The "Mayflower" sailed back to England in the spring. The people of Plymouth must have had a homesick feeling as they watched it sail away.
   In 1957 the "Mayflower II," built just like the first "Mayflower," sailed across the Atlantic from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Mass. Its trip took 53 days.