Start in life

(Het Begin van het Leven)

1. The wind was still bad. It blew from the southwest. We could not sail up the river. After four days the wind became stronger. Much stronger. But our sailors were not worried. They said that Yarmouth Roads was safe.

2. Our anchor was strong. Our ship was good. So the men drank and laughed. They told stories. They played cards. I tried to act like them. I wanted to be a real sailor. Everything seemed fine.

3. But on the eighth morning everything changed. The wind became wild. The captain ordered all men to work. "Take down the topmasts!" he shouted. "Tie everything down! Prepare for a storm!" The sailors jumped to obey. They knew this was serious.

4. By noon the waves were like mountains. Our ship went up and down, up and down. Water crashed over the deck. Once, twice, we thought our anchor had broken loose. The captain ordered another anchor thrown out. Now we had two anchors holding us.

5. Then the real storm hit. I have no words for how terrible it was. Even the old sailors were afraid. I saw fear in their eyes. The captain walked past my cabin many times. I heard him whisper, "Lord, have mercy on us!"

6. "We are all lost!" the captain continued to whisper. "We are all dead men!" When the captain said those words my courage died. This man had sailed for thirty years. If he was afraid we were doomed. I stayed in my cabin. I was frozen with fear.

7. I could not move. I could not think. I had laughed at the first storm. I had drunk punch and forgotten my promises to God. Now God was really angry. This storm would kill us all. There was no escape this time.

8. 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 tall as churches crashed over us. The wind screamed like a thousand demons. I held on tight or I would be swept away.

9. I looked around. Two ships near us had cut down their masts. Another ship about a mile away was sinking. I watched it disappear under the waves. All those men were drowning in the cold black water. Two more ships had broken free of their anchors.

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