(Continuing from Part 01)
The sea was calm again, and the terrible fear I had felt during the first storm slowly disappeared.
My friend, the captain’s son, encouraged me to enjoy the journey.
“Come, Robinson,” he said. “You must not be afraid of a little wind. You will soon become used to life at sea.”
That evening, we drank together and talked about our adventures. I began to feel cheerful again.
I forgot the promises I had made during the storm. I forgot my father’s warnings and my mother’s tears.
I even forgot how strongly I had prayed to God when I thought I was going to die.
This was one of my greatest weaknesses. When danger was near, I was full of fear and regret. But when the danger passed, I quickly returned to my old desires.
For several days, our ship continued along the eastern coast of England.
Then we reached a place near Yarmouth.
The wind was against us, so we could not continue toward London. We dropped our anchor and waited for better weather.
Several other ships were waiting in the same area.
For a while, everything seemed peaceful.
But on the eighth day, the wind began to grow stronger.
The sailors became worried. They lowered the sails and secured everything they could.
Soon, the wind turned into a violent storm.
The sea rose around us in enormous waves. Our ship moved wildly from side to side, and the sound of the wind was almost deafening.
This storm was much worse than the first.
Even the experienced sailors looked frightened.
The captain ordered his men to work quickly. Some pulled ropes, while others tried to keep the ship steady.
I could do nothing to help them.
I was only a passenger, with no knowledge of sailing.
I went below deck and sat alone, shaking with fear.
Every few moments, the ship rose high on a wave and then fell heavily into the water.
I thought it would break into pieces.
I remembered my father again.
How foolish I had been to leave my home!
I had been offered a comfortable and peaceful life, but I had rejected it because I wanted adventure.
Now I was surrounded by danger, with no way to escape.
The storm continued through the night.
The next morning, the situation became even worse.
Water was entering the ship.
The sailors worked desperately to remove it, but more water kept coming in.
The captain ordered everyone to help with the pumps.
One of the men came to find me.
“Get up!” he shouted. “We need every man at the pumps!”
I followed him, although I was almost too frightened to move.
I began pumping water with the others.
My arms grew tired, but I continued working because I knew our lives depended on it.
Suddenly, I heard a terrible noise.
A gun had been fired from our ship.
I did not understand why.
The sound frightened me so much that I fell to the floor and lost consciousness.
The sailors thought I had been injured or killed.
One man pushed me aside and took my place at the pump.
After some time, I recovered.
I later learned that the gun had been fired as a signal for help.
Our ship was in serious danger.
The captain had ordered one of the masts to be cut down because the strong wind was putting too much pressure on the ship.
But even after the mast fell, the situation did not improve enough.
The ship continued to fill with water.
Nearby, another ship had lost its anchor and was being driven toward us by the storm.
For a moment, we feared that the two ships would crash into each other.
Fortunately, it passed without striking us.
But our own danger remained.
The captain and his men finally understood that our ship could not survive much longer.
They fired more signals, hoping another vessel would come to rescue us.
At last, a smaller boat approached from another ship.
The men in that boat were risking their lives to save us.
The waves were so powerful that they could hardly control their little boat.
They tried to come alongside our ship, but the sea kept pushing them away.
Finally, our sailors threw them a rope.
The men caught it, and we pulled their boat close enough for us to climb aboard.
One by one, we left our sinking ship.
I was among the passengers who escaped.
The rescue boat was dangerously crowded, and the sea was still violent.
We could not return to the ship that had sent the boat because the wind was too strong.
Instead, the men rowed toward the coast.
The journey was terrifying.
Huge waves followed us, and I feared that the little boat would overturn at any moment.
But the sailors worked with great courage.
People on the shore saw our danger.
They ran along the beach, watching us and preparing to help.
At last, we reached land safely.
Not long afterward, we watched our ship sink beneath the waves.
Everything aboard was lost.
I stood on the shore, unable to speak.
I had escaped death for the second time.
The people of Yarmouth treated us kindly. They gave us food, places to rest, and money to help us travel.
We were strangers, but they showed us great generosity.
After I had recovered from the storm, I met my friend again.
His father, the captain, was also there.
The old captain asked me about my family and why I had decided to go to sea.
I told him my story.
When he heard that I had left home against my father’s wishes, he shook his head.
“Young man,” he said, “you should never go to sea again.”
He told me that our ship had experienced terrible misfortune and that I should consider my survival a serious warning.
“If you return to the sea,” he said, “you may not escape the next disaster.”
His words frightened me.
For a moment, I considered returning to York.
But I was ashamed.
What would my parents say if I came home so soon?
What would my friends think of me?
I imagined them laughing at my failed adventure.
My pride was stronger than my good judgment.
Instead of returning home, I decided to travel to London.
I did not yet know what I would do there.
I only knew that I was not ready to abandon my dream.
And so, after surviving two terrible storms, I prepared to make another dangerous decision.