Kitabı oku: «Робинзон Крузо / Robinson Crusoe», sayfa 3
I saw him later, and he repeated his words: “Young man, if you don’t go back, wherever you go, you will meet with nothing, but disasters and disappointments, till your father’s words are fulfilled upon you”.
I saw him no more. Which way he went I knew not.
From Yarmouth I went to London with my own, by land. I had enough money in my pocket for this way. As well as on the road, I had many struggles with myself, what course of life I should take, and whether I should go home or to sea. The first reason, that I didn’t want to return home, wasthe fear to be laughed at among the neighbours,43 and should be ashamed to see not my father and mother only, but even everybody else.
Time went on, and the remembrance of the distress I had been in wore off, and I began looking out for a new voyage. Just in those days there was a great opportunity to go to the new voyage aboard the ship, bound to the west coast of Africa, as our sailors vulgarly called it, a voyage to Guinea.
It was a big success for me first of all to fall into pretty good company in London. In the port I met the master of a ship who had already been on the cost of Guinea, and we become friends. His first trip to the west coast of Africa was very successful, so he resolved to go again.Without false modesty44 I can say that I am a pleasant companion, therefore this captain was taking a fancy to my conversation. Hearing me say I had a mind to see the world, he told me if I would go the voyage with him I should be at no expense, and if I could carry anything with me to sale, I should have all the advantage of it that the trade would admit.
I had enough money in my pocket and good clothes upon my back, so I went to that voyage not as a sailor, but as a simple passenger. I would always go on board in the habit of a gentlemen and so I neither had any business in the ship, nor learned to do any. I might indeed have worked a little harder than ordinary, yet at the same I should have learnt the duty and office of afore-mast man,45 and in time might have qualified myself for a mate of lieutenant, if not for a master. But as it was always my fate to choose for the worse, so I did here.
I decided to follow the advice of the captain, to carry something for trading with me to Guinea, so I asked my relations, whom I corresponded with, for some money. They sent to me 40 pounds, and I carried a small adventure with me, which, by the disinterested honesty of my friend the captain, Iincreased very considerably;46 for I carried all my money in such toys and trifles47 as the captain directed me to buy.
This was the only voyage which I may say was successful in all my adventures, which I owe to the honesty of my friend the captain; under whom also I got a competent knowledge of the mathematics and the rules of navigation, learned howto keep an account of the ship’s course,48 take an observation, and, in short, to understand some things that were needful to be understood by a sailor; for, as he took delight to instruct me, I took delight to learn; and, in a word, this voyage made me both a sailor and a merchant.
Our trading in Guinea was upon the coast line. I had my misfortunes even in this voyage. I was continually sick, being thrown intoa violet calenture49 by the excessive heat of the climate.
Chapter II
Slavery and Escape
Recovering, I went to London with all the crew and our master. This voyage was very successful to us, all the crew members returned home grown rich. Even my 40 pounds turned into 300 pounds sterling. This first success elated me and I resolved to go to the same voyage again. However, one eventovershadowed50 those days: to my great misfortune, my friend, the master of our ship, was dying soon after the arrival, though I was deprived of the faithful and honest comrade.
When I decided for the second time to set the sail, I found the widow of my deceased friend, captain, and left her 200 pounds for safekeeping, and I must say, she preserved this money very faithfully. So, I did not carry quite 100 pounds of my new-gained wealth with me to the new voyage.
That was the unhappiest trip that ever man made. Our ship, making her course towards the Canary Islands, or rather between those islands and the African shore, was surprised in the grey of the morning by a Turkishrover51 of Sallee, who gave chase to us with all the sail he could make. We crowded also as much canvas as our yards would spread,52 or our masts carry, to get clear; but finding the pirate gained upon us, and would certainly come up with us in a few hours, we prepared to fight; our ship having twelve guns, and the rogue eighteen. About three in the afternoon he came up with us53 and entered sixty men upon our decks, who immediately fell to cutting and hacking the sails and rigging.54 We plied them with small shot, half-pikes, powder-chests, and such like, and cleared our deck of them twice. However, to cut short this melancholy part of our story, our ship was disabled, and three of our men killed, and eight wounded, we were obliged to yield,55 and were carried all prisoners into Sallee, a port belonging to the Moors.
Most of our men were carried up the country to the emperor’s court or to the slave market. However, in those days I was young, strong,nimble56 and smart fellow, so my fate was not as abysmal as the rest crew: I was kept by the captain of the rover as his proper prize, and made his own slave. At this surprising change of my fate, from a merchant to a miserable slave, I was perfectly overwhelmed;57 and now I looked back upon my father’s prophetic58 discourse to me, that I should be miserable and have none to relieve me.
My new patron, or master, had taken me to his house, so I was in hopes that he would take me with him when he went to sea again. I believed, that it would some time, when this sea rover will be taken by a Spanish or Portugal man-of-war, and that then I should be set at liberty.
