3

　　The storm and the shipwreck

　　I stayed in Brazil and worked hard for some years. By then I was rich…but also bored. One day some friends came to me and said，'We're going to Africa to do business. Why don't you come with us？We'll all be rich after this journey！'

　　How stupid I was！I had an easy，comfortable life in Brazil，but，of course，I agreed. And so，in 1659，I went to sea again.

　　At first，all went well，but then there was a terrible storm. For twelve days the wind and the rain didn't stop. We lost three men in the sea，and soon the ship had holes in its sides. 'We're all going to die this time，'I said to myself. Then one morning one of the sailors saw land，but the next minute our ship hit some sand just under the sea. The ship could not move and we were really in danger now. The sea was trying to break the ship into pieces，and we had very little time. Quickly，we put a boat into the sea and got off the ship. But the sea was very rough and our little boat could not live for long in that wild water.

　　Half an hour later the angry sea turned our boat over and we were all in the water. I looked round for my friends，but I could see nobody. I was alone.

　　That day I was lucky，and the sea carried me to the shore. I could not see the land，only mountains of water all around me. Then，suddenly，I felt the ground under my feet. Another mountain of water came，pushed me up the beach，and I fell on the wet sand.

　　At first I was very thankful to be alive. Slowly，I got to my feet and went higher up the shore. From there，I looked out to sea. I could see our ship，but it was wrecked and there was no－body near it. There was nobody in the water. All my friends were dead. I was alive，but in a strange wild country，with no food，no water，and no gun.

　　It was dark now and I was tired. I was afraid to sleep on the shore. Perhaps there were wild animals there. So I went up into a tree and I stayed there all night.

　　3 风暴与海难

　　我留在巴西苦干了几年。不久我就有了一笔财富……但我又感到了厌倦。一天，一些朋友来看我并对我说，“我们将要去非洲做生意。为什么你不和我们一起去呢？这次航行后我们都会发财的！”

　　我是多么的傻啊！我在巴西已有了轻松、舒适的生活，然而我又同意了。于是，在1659年，我又一次出海了。

　　最初，一帆风顺，但不久就来了一场可怕的风暴。狂风暴雨持续了12天没有停息。我们在海上失去了三个同伴，而且没多久，船舷上就出现了漏洞。“这回我们都活不成了，”我自言自语。一天早上，一个水手瞧见了陆地，但紧接着我们的船就触到了海底的沙滩，船没法移动，我们此刻真正地陷在了危险之中。海浪似乎极力地想把船击成粉碎，我们只有很少的时间了。迅速地，我们往海里放下小艇，离开了船。但大海太粗暴了，我们的小船在这样的大浪中根本没法长时间航行。

　　半个时辰后，愤怒的大海掀翻了我们的小船，我们全都落到了水里。我四处张望寻视我的伙伴，但却看不到一个人。只剩我一人了。

　　那天，我是幸运的，海水把我送到了岸边。我没法看见陆地，我的四周只有排山倒海的浪涛。突然间我触到了脚下的陆地。又一个浪峰盖过来，把我推上了沙滩，我跌倒在湿湿的沙地上。

　　最初，我非常庆幸我还活着。慢慢地我站起来，走到高外的岸上。在那儿，我眺望大海。我能够看见我们的船，但它已倾覆了。船的附近没有一个人，水中也没有人。我的伙伴们都死了。我活着，但却在一个陌生的荒山野地，没有食物，没有水，没有枪支。

　　此刻，天黑了，我很累，我不敢睡在岸上，也许这儿有野兽，我只好爬到一棵树上过了一夜。