(Continuing from Part 07)
My plantation in Brazil was becoming more successful every year.
I had worked hard to improve my land, and my crops were growing well. I was no longer a poor young man searching for opportunities.
I owned property, had useful equipment, and could look forward to a comfortable future.
If I had continued working patiently, I might eventually have become a wealthy plantation owner.
But I was still not satisfied.
My old desire for adventure remained strong.
I often talked with other plantation owners about my travels. I told them about my voyages to Africa, my experience as a prisoner in Salé, and my escape with Xury.
They listened with great interest.
I also described the trading opportunities along the African coast.
At that time, some plantation owners in Brazil depended on enslaved laborers. The buying and selling of enslaved Africans was part of a cruel trading system that connected Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
One day, three plantation owners came to visit me.
They explained that they wanted to organize a voyage to Africa to obtain enslaved people for their plantations.
They knew that I had traveled to Guinea before and understood something about trading there.
They asked whether I would join their expedition.
“We will provide the ship and the money,” they said. “You will not need to invest anything. If you travel with us and help conduct the business, you will receive an equal share of the people brought back.”
I should have refused immediately.
I already had a good business. I owned land that needed my attention, and I had no reason to risk another voyage.
But the offer excited me.
I imagined returning with a large profit and becoming much wealthier.
I thought about the adventure of visiting Africa again.
Once more, I allowed my desire for travel to overcome my good judgment.
I agreed to go.
Before leaving, I arranged for two trusted men to manage my plantation.
I also prepared written instructions explaining what should happen to my property if I died.
I wanted to make certain that my affairs would be handled properly.
After everything was arranged, I prepared to sail.
On September 1, 1659, I boarded the ship.
It was exactly eight years since I had left my parents’ home in Hull.
I was now twenty-seven years old.
I did not recognize the importance of that date at the time, but later I remembered it with sadness.
Our ship was about one hundred and twenty tons in size.
There were fourteen men aboard, besides the captain, his cabin boy, and me.
We carried goods intended for trade in Africa, including beads, small mirrors, knives, scissors, and other inexpensive objects.
At first, the voyage went well.
We sailed north along the coast of Brazil, passing several ports and settlements.
The weather was favorable, and we made steady progress.
Eventually, we moved farther from land, intending to cross the Atlantic toward Africa.
But after about twelve days at sea, the weather began to change.
A strong wind rose from the southeast.
Soon, it became a violent storm.
The sea grew rough, and enormous waves struck the ship.
For several days, we were driven helplessly across the ocean.
We could not follow our intended course.
The wind pushed us far away from the coast, and we began to lose our sense of position.
I remembered the storms I had experienced during my first voyage from England.
Once again, I found myself in danger because I had refused to remain satisfied with a peaceful life.
The storm continued for many days.
One sailor became seriously ill and died.
Another man and the cabin boy were swept overboard by the waves and disappeared into the sea.
We could do nothing to save them.
The remaining sailors were exhausted.
Our ship had suffered damage, and everyone feared that it might sink.
When the weather finally improved, the captain and I discussed our situation.
We believed that the storm had carried us far westward, toward the coast of South America.
Our ship was damaged, and we needed a safe harbor where we could make repairs.
The captain suggested sailing toward the English settlements in the Caribbean.
We decided to change our course and try to reach Barbados.
But before we could get there, another terrible storm struck.
The wind was even more powerful than before.
It drove our ship toward an unknown coastline.
We had no clear idea where we were.
For twelve more days, we struggled against the wind and waves.
Then, early one morning, a sailor suddenly shouted from the deck.
“Land! Land!”
Everyone rushed to look.
In the distance, we could see a dark line of land.
For a moment, we felt hopeful.
Perhaps we had finally reached a place where we could find safety.
But our relief lasted only a few seconds.
Before we could understand our position, the ship struck a sandbank.
The impact was violent.
The vessel stopped suddenly, and the waves began crashing over it.
We were trapped.
The sea was so rough that we could not move the ship away from the sand.
Every wave threatened to break it apart.
The sailors rushed about, trying to find a way to escape.
But there was nothing we could do to save the vessel.
The captain ordered us to prepare the small boat.
Fortunately, the boat was still attached to the ship.
With great difficulty, we managed to lower it into the water.
Eleven of us climbed aboard.
We had no proper supplies, and the waves were dangerously high.
Still, remaining on the ship meant almost certain death.
We pushed away from the wreck.
The sailors took the oars and began rowing toward the shore.
I looked back at our ship.
It was being beaten by the waves, and I knew that we would never return to it.
Ahead of us lay an unfamiliar coast.
We could see no houses, boats, or people.
The waves were so powerful that we could hardly control our little boat.
We tried to keep its front facing the sea, but the water pushed us closer and closer to land.
Then an enormous wave rose behind us.
It was much higher than the others.
Before anyone could react, it struck our boat with tremendous force.
The boat overturned immediately.
All eleven of us were thrown into the sea.
I disappeared beneath the water.
For a moment, I could neither breathe nor see.
I did not know which direction led to the surface.
The force of the wave carried me helplessly toward the shore.
I believed that my life was about to end.