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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, was the fear to be laughed at among the neighbours, 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 modesty 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 a fore-mast man, 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, I increased very considerably; for I carried all my money in such toys and trifles 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 how to keep an account of the ship’s course, 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.