Diligently, they struggled for balance upon the undulating deck of the ship that carved a course across the ocean, for they were determined to carve their own destiny in the unyielding Texas soil. For many, their excursion had just begun when they had set foot on the sandy beach. But for those unfortunate souls who had hoped to continue inland and claim the land that had been promised to them, their journey ended at Indianola… **** “I can see it!” Marty Hirsch squealed with delight at the shoreline that slowly rose above the waves as her father held her up to the wooden bow of the ship. She curled her fingers around the cylindrical post that supported the railing and she turned her face to show Papa how thrilled she was to finally see land again. Oh, she had seen Florida as they had passed between the peninsula and the island of Cuba on their way to the Gulf Coast and toward their ultimate destination. However, she had not been impressed to watch it bob in front of the ship and then slip into the distant horizon behind them.
