Start in life

(Het Begin van het Leven)

1. The storm grew stronger. The ship climbed up giant waves. Then it crashed down into deep valleys of water. Each time we went down I thought: we would never come up again. I was certain we would die. The waves would be my grave.

2. "Oh God!" I prayed. "Save me! If you let me live I will go home. I will listen to my father. I will never go to sea again. I promise! I see now that he was right. The middle life is best!"

3. I thought about my father's tears. I remembered my mother's warnings. My conscience hurt me. I had been a bad son. I had left without permission. I had broken their hearts. And now God was punishing me.

4. All night the storm continued. I made promise after promise to God. I would be good. I would always obey my parents. Please, please, let me live! Every wave seemed ready to kill us.

5. But the next morning something changed. The wind became calmer. The waves became smaller. The sun came out. And suddenly the ocean did not look so terrible. It was actually quite beautiful. My sickness was gone. My fear disappeared too.

6. My friend found me on deck. He laughed and slapped my shoulder. "You were scared last night, weren't you? Did you think that little wind would kill us?" I could not believe his words. "Little wind?" I said. "It was a terrible storm!"

7. He laughed harder. "That was nothing! Wait until you see a real storm. You are just a new sailor. You will learn. Come, let's drink some punch. Let's celebrate your first time at sea!" We went below deck to drink.

8. We drank. We laughed. And in one night I forgot all my promises to God. I forgot my fear. I forgot my father's wisdom. The ocean was calm. So was my conscience. I pushed away all serious thoughts. When they tried to return I drank more punch.

9. After five or six days I felt like a real sailor. I was proud of myself. I had survived my first storm. I was not a coward. I would have adventures. I would see the world. What did my father know about life?

10. But I was a fool. God had given me a warning. The storm was a chance to turn back. I should have listened. The next storm would be much, much worse. It would nearly kill me.

11. Six days after leaving Hull we reached Yarmouth Roads. This was a place where ships waited for good wind. The wind had been against us. Our journey was slow. Many ships from Newcastle were there too. We dropped our anchor and waited. We stayed there seven or eight days.