Standish returns from England in April 1625 with news that Cushman and Robinson have died, along with King James I and a Dutch prince: "Thus these two great princes and the colonists' old pastor left this world about the same time: Death makes no difference" (113).He also brings letters from the congregation in Leyden, which increasingly despairs of ever being able to make the journey to America.

All of this news is disturbing to the Pilgrims, but while at their lowest, God steps in to help them. The settlers had lost most of their fishing boats in various accidents, so they are now able to concentrate solely on farming and trading. In particular, they are often able to buy goods that they later trade at a profit, which helps them pay off their debts and even buy some new supplies, such as clothing. Eventually, other groups begin to copy the Pilgrims' practices, driving down the price the local tribes are willing to pay for corn.

That same year, the settlers at Plymouth send another representative to England—Mr. Allerton—to come to a final agreement with the investors and to raise additional money. In addition, they convince a carpenter living in the settlement to try to build a pinnace to replace some of the trading vessels they have lost.