n a co ld December day, little Francis Billington surely didn't realize th at he had in his hands the potential to alter America's (and maybe the wo rl d's) history. Two weeks before the Mayflower landed its passengers, Francis was playing in the gunpowder storage area be low decks on the sh ip. He was making sparks with a piece of f lint and lighting twisted-rope fuses. Fra ncis found his father's loaded fl intlock pistol and fi red it off nea r a ha lf-keg of powder. This ign ite d fl ames t hat might have sparked an enormous explosion. It w ould have destroyed the ' ship, her crew and the all the Pilgrims onboard. Fortunately, his shipmates became alarmed and the fire was extinguished . The boy was severely scolded, but it didn 't take . For years afterward he and his older brother continued to create mischief for the struggling Pilgrim settlers.
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'Il1 e 5tl1 day 5 GDec. i 62 0 Qreat dan9cr by tlie foo l isl111 ess of a boy wli o in Ii is fa tli ei·'s abseu ce liad 901.911npowdei·, and li ad sli ot off a pi ece or two, and 111ade squibs, and tliere being aJi ri n9 pi ece cliarged in 11 is Jatli er's cabin sli ot lier off i11 tl1 c ca bi il ... A Ji re being wit/1 i11 Jo i~ r f eet of tli e beds. Qod's 11i ei·cy no lia.r111 don e.-Ji·o11i C lironicl es of t li e GFilgri 111 Fat li ers by A Icxa 11dei· Yo1.i i1g