It was in 1620, in the time of king james the first. english people did not like their king and called him ‘the foolish king of england.’ many of them even left england and went to live in other countries. in november, 1620, a small ship, the mayflower, left england. there were about on hundred people aboard the ship, but even for this hundred the ship was too small. for seven long weeks the mayflower was in the waves and storms of the atlantic ocean, and at last the people saw land. it was america. it was already autumn. sixteen men left the mayflower and went ashore. in the evening they came back to the ship and brought some maize with them. they found the maize in the sand on the beach where the indians had left it. nobody in europe had seen maize then, but when the people on board the mayflower tried it they liked it very much. on monday some men went ashore again and this time they took some women with them. the women had to wash the clothes. since that time monday has been a wash-day in america. during the next five weeks the men from the mayflower left the ship every day. there were looking for a good place to live. the weather was very cold, more and more men fell ill. the people began to build a village there. by january, 1621, there were already two streets in this village, and they called it ‘new plymouth’. it was winter now. the people were tired and cold. they did not have enough to eat. more and more of them fell ill. there was a time when only seven men wer quite well. many people died. when the houses were ready, the life of the people became easier; they had warm houses where they could live. one day the people of the village suddenly saw a tall indian who was walking along the street. they were frightened very much, but this indian came up to them, smiled and said. ‘‘hallo, yankee! hallo, yankee! ’’ this indian could speak english a little. he had learnt the language from the sailors of a ship which had come to this part of america a few years before. a few days later this indian came to the village again together with some other indians. they came as friends and helped the white men very much. but white men forgot about this help very quickly; a few years later when many people from europe came to america, they began to take the land away from the indians and to kill them. all indians who came to the village of new plymouth called the englishmen ‘yankee’, and since that time ‘yankee’ has been the name of a white man in america. at last spring came. the people of new plymouth began to plant corn, and the indians showed them how to plant maze. in autumn the crops were very good and the people of new plymouth wanted to make a holiday dinner. they asked the indians to this dinner, and the indians brought some wild turkeys as a present. the turkey was an american bird. very few people in europe had ever heard about it, but when they ate it at this dinner they liked it very much. the people of new plymouth called their holiday ‘thanksgiving day’. since that time thanksgiving day has been a great holiday in the united states of america, and since that day americans have always had turkeys for the thanksgiving day.
