Not long after I had returned to England, my family and I said our good-byes again.
On June 20, 1702, I left England on a ship called the Adventure.
It was going to sail around Africa to India.
The winds were good on the way to the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa.
When we arrived in the harbor, the captain said,
"We'll stay here until March."
"But why?" I asked.
"The ship needs some repairs," he explained.
"And the winds are not good now for sailing to India.
The March winds will be better."
"I'm not pleased," I said.
"I want to see India."
"Can't you explore this place?" said the captain.
"There is much to see here."
The captain was right.
In Africa I met fascinating people and saw some amazing animals.
But I was impatient to continue our trip.
Finally, in March of 1703, the Adventure set sail for India.
The winds were good until we got near Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa.
Then a strong wind began to blow.
The sea was very rough and tossed our little ship around for twenty days.
Then, suddenly, the wind stopped.
"This perfect calm is very pleasant,"
I said to the captain, who had sailed the oceans for many years.
"It won't last long," he replied with a worried look.
"I think a bad storm will begin soon."
To the crew he shouted, "Prepare for rough seas tomorrow!"
As the captain had predicted, the next day the wind got stronger and stronger.
The crew adjusted the sails as the violent storm raged.
The fierce wind howled and the waves broke over the ship.
After many hours, the wind finally became less violent and the sea became calmer.
The storm had blown the Adventure hundreds of kilometers to the east.
"Where are we?" I asked the captain.
"I can't tell for sure," he said, "but our supply of water is now very low.
We must reach land soon and fill our water barrels."
Many days passed and we saw nothing but the sea.
At last, one morning a sailor cried out, "Land!"
Everyone on the ship was happy to hear that word.
The ship sailed closer to the land.
We could not tell whether it was a large island or a continent.
"You men," said the captain to some of the crew, "take the rowboats and go ashore.
Fill the water barrels with fresh water."
"Captain," I said, "may I go with them to take a look at this place?"
"Of course," he replied.
"You can tell me later what it is like."
When the rowboats reached the shore, one of the sailors said,
"I see no rivers or streams nearby.
We will have to walk along the shore to look for fresh water."
"I'm going to walk inland to explore a little," I told them.
"I will meet you back here in an hour."
I walked about a kilometer, enjoying being on land again.
Then I turned and walked back to meet the crew.
When I arrived on the beach, the sailors were not there.
They were in the rowboats, rowing as fast as they could toward the Adventure.
I was going to shout out to them, when I saw a huge giant walking through the sea.
It was trying to catch up with the rowboats.
The sailors were almost at the ship, and I could see that the giant would not catch them.
I did not wait to see what happened next.
I ran as fast as I could in the other direction.