These were three in number, as I have already said: the Constant,
a ship of near to one hundred tons in size; the Goodspeed, of forty
tons, and the Discovery, which was a pinnace of only twenty tons.

And now, lest some who read what I have set down may not be
acquainted with the words used by seamen, let me explain that the
measurement of a vessel by tons, means that she will fill so much
space in the water. Now, in measuring a vessel, a ton is reckoned
as forty cubic feet of space, therefore when I say the Susan Constant
was one hundred tons in size, it is the same as if I had set down
that she would carry four thousand cubic feet of cargo.

That he who reads may know what I mean by a pinnace, as differing
from a ship, I can best make it plain by saying that such a craft
is an open boat, wherein may be used sails or oars, and, as in the
case of the Discovery, may have a deck over a certain portion of
her length. That our pinnace was a vessel able to withstand such
waves as would be met with in the ocean, can be believed when you
remember that she was one half the size of the Goodspeed, which we
counted a ship.



HOW I EARNED MY PASSAGE


Captain Smith, my master, found plenty of work for me during the
weeks before the fleet sailed. He had many matters to be set down
in writing, and because of my mother's care in teaching me to use