By this boat the Governor returned a grateful answer, and also sent a boat of their own with Mr. Winslow, to procure what he could from the ships. He was kindly received by the captain, who not only spared what provisions he could but wrote to others to do the same. By this means he got a good quantity and returned in safety. Thus the plantation had a double benefit: first, they were refreshed at the time by the food obtained; secondly, they knew the way to those parts to their advantage thereafter. What this small boat brought, divided among so many, came to but little; still, by God’s blessing it sustained them until harvest. It amounted to a quarter of a pound of bread a day for each person; and the Governor had it given out daily, otherwise, had it been in their own custody, they would have eaten it up and then starved. In this way with what else they could get they made fair shift till their corn was ripe. This summer they built a fort with good timber,—a handsome building and a good defence, made with a flat roof and battlement, on which their ordnance was mounted, and where they kept constant watch, especially in time of danger. It served them also as a meeting house and was fitted accordingly for that use. It was a big undertaking for them at this period of weakness and want; but the dangerous times necessitated it; and the continual rumours about the Indians here, especially the Narragansetts, and also the news of the great massacre in Virginia, made all hands willing to complete it.