On Sunday morning, January 14th, about six o’clock, the wind blowing almost a gale, they were appalled by the cry of “fire.” The thatch of grass, dry as tinder, touched by a spark, was in a blaze. All the ammunition and most of the arms had been brought on shore and deposited in the store-house. Its loss would expose them, defenceless, to the tomahawk of the Indian. Nearly all of their scanty supply of food was there. Without it starvation was inevitable. The people in the ship saw the smoke and the flame, but the tide was out, and they could not reach the shore. Soon, however, the tide came in, the gale abated, and a boat load cautiously advanced to the land, where they had all proposed to pass the Sabbath together, the majority of the company being then on shore. Upon landing they were cheered with the tidings that the lost men were found, and that the fire, which had been extinguished, was accidental. CHAPTER V. _Life On Shore._ Days of Sunshine and Storm.--Ravages of Pestilence.--A Raging Storm.--New Alarm of Fire.--Twelve Indians Seen.--Two Indians Appear on the Hill.--Great Alarm in the Settlement.--Measures of Defense.--More Sunny Days.--Humanity and Self-Denial of Miles Standish and Others.--Conduct of the Ship’s Crew.-- Excursion to Billington Sea.--The Visit of Samoset.--Treachery of Captain Hunt.--The Shipwrecked Frenchmen.--The Plague.-- The Wampanoags.--More Indian Visitors.--Bad Conduct of the Billingtons. Monday, the 15th of January, opened upon the way-worn exiles with another storm of wind and rain, so that those on shipboard could not leave the vessel, and those on shore could do no work. The next three days, however, were pleasant, each morning dawning upon them with rare loveliness. Their hearts were cheered, and they pressed forward in their labors with great vigor. The terrible fright which the fire caused taught them that they must place their store-house apart from the other buildings, and where there would be no exposure to conflagration. They, therefore, went immediately to work to put up a shed for this purpose, intending to reserve the building already erected as a common lodging house until the separate huts could be reared.