Het Begin van het Leven

Around noon the waves were like mountains. Our ship went up and down, up and down. Water hit over the deck. Once, twice, we thought that our anchor had come loose. The captain ordered to throw out another anchor. Now we had two anchors that held us steady.

Finally I forced myself to go on deck. What I saw there still gives me nightmares. The sea was black and white with foam. Waves as high as churches crashed over us. The wind screamed like a thousand demons. I held on tightly or I would be swept away.

I looked around. Two ships near us had chopped down their masts. Another ship about a mile away was sinking. I watched how it disappeared under the waves. All those men drowned in the cold black water. Two more ships had broken loose from their anchors.

That evening our crew begged the captain to chop down our masts. He didn't want to do it. A ship without masts is helpless. But the bosun said: "If we don't chop them down, the ship will sink!" The captain finally agreed. They had to save the ship.