Even this narrow escape had no effect. I was not more afraid of the
water than ever; but _rather liked_ it all the more on account of the
very excitement which its dangers produced.
Very soon after I began to experience a longing to see foreign lands,
and to travel over the great ocean itself. I never cast my eyes out
upon the bay, that this yearning did not come over me; and when I saw
ships with their white sails, far off upon the horizon, I used to think
how happy they must be who were on board of them; and I would gladly
have exchanged places with the hardest-working sailor among their crews.
Perhaps I might not have felt these longings so intensely had I been
happy at home--that is, had I been living with a kind father and gentle
mother; but my morose old uncle took little interest in me; and there
being, therefore, no ties of filial affection to attach me to home, my
longings had full play. I was compelled to do a good deal of work on
the farm, and this was a sort of life for which I had no natural liking.
The drudgery only increased my desire to go abroad--to behold the
wonderful scenes of which I had read in books, and of which I had
received still more glowing accounts from sailors, who had once been
fishermen in our village, and who occasionally returned to visit their
native place. These used to tell us of lions, and tigers, and
elephants, and crocodiles, and monkeys as big as men, and snakes as long
as ships' cables, until their exciting stories of the adventures they
had experienced among such creatures filled me with an enthusiastic
desire to see with my own eyes these rare animals, and to take part in
the chasing and capturing of them as the sailors themselves had done.
In short, I became very tired of the dull monotonous life which I was
leading at home, and which I then supposed was peculiar to our own
country; for, according to our sailor-visitors, in every other part of
the world there was full store of stirring adventures, and wild animals,
and strange scenes.
One young fellow, I remember, who had only been as far as the Isle of
Man, brought back such accounts of his adventures among blacks and
boa-constrictors, that I quite envied him the exciting sports he had
there witnessed. Though, for certain reasons, I had been well schooled
in writing and arithmetic, yet I had but a slight knowledge of
geography, as it was not a prominent branch of study in our school. I
could scarce tell, therefore, where the Isle of Man lay; but I resolved,
the first opportunity that offered, that I should make a voyage to it,
and see some of the wonderful sights of which the young fellow spoke.
Although this to me would have been a grand undertaking, yet I was not
without hopes of being able to accomplish it. I knew that upon odd
occasions a schooner traded from our port to this famed island, and I
believed it possible, some time or other, to get a passage in her. It
might not be so easy, but I was resolved to try what could be done. I
had made up my mind to get on friendly terms with some of the sailors
belonging to the schooner, and ask them to take me along with them on
one of their trips.
While I was patiently waiting and watching for this opportunity an
incident occurred that caused me to form new resolutions and drove the
schooner and three-legged island quite out of my head.
About five miles from our little village, and further down the bay,
stood a large town. It was a real seaport, and big ships came there--
great three-masted vessels, that traded to all parts of the world, and
carried immense cargoes of merchandise.
One day I chanced to have been sent there, along with a farm-servant of
my uncle, who drove a cart full of farm produce which he was taking to
the town for sale. I was sent to assist him, by holding the horse while
he was engaged disposing of the contents of the cart.
It happened that the cart was drawn up near one of the wharves where the
shipping lay, so that I had a fine opportunity of looking at the great
leviathans of vessels moored along the quay, and admiring their tall
slender masts and elegant rigging.
There was one ship directly opposite to us that particularly attracted
my admiration. She was larger than any that was near, and her
beautifully tapering masts rose higher by several feet than those of any
other vessel in the port. But it was neither her superior size nor her
more elegant proportions that fixed my attention so earnestly upon her,
though these had at first attracted it. What rendered her so
interesting in my eyes was the fact that she was about to sail very
soon--upon the following day. This fact I learnt from a large board,
which I saw fastened in a conspicuous place upon her rigging, and upon
which I read the following:--
"The _Inca_--for Peru--To-morrow."
My heart began to thump loudly against my ribs, as if some terrible
danger was near, but it was only the emotion caused by the wild thoughts
that rushed into my mind as I read the brief but stirring
announcement--"For Peru, _to-morrow_."
Quick as lightning ran my reflections, all having their origin in the
question, self-asked: why cannot I start "for Peru, to-morrow?" Why
not?
There were grand impediments, and many of them; I knew that, well
enough. First, there was my uncle's servant, who was by my side, and
whose duty it was to take me home again. Of course, it would have been
preposterous to have asked his consent to my going.
Secondly, there was the consent of the people of the ship to be
obtained. I was not so innocent as to be ignorant of the fact, that a
passage to Peru, or to any other part of the world, was a thing that
cost a great deal of money; and that even little boys like myself would
not be taken without paying.
As I had no money, or not so much as would have paid for a passage in a
ferry-boat, of course this difficulty stared me in the face, very
plainly. How was I to get passage?
As I have said, my reflections ran as quick as lightning, and before I
had gazed for a dozen minutes upon that beautiful ship, the impediments,
both of the passage-money and the guardianship of the farmer's man,
vanished from my thoughts; and I had come to the determination, with
full belief in being able to carry it out, that I _should_ start for
Peru to-morrow.
In what part of the world Peru lay, I knew no more than the man in the
moon; not near so much, since he has a good view of it on moonlight
nights, and must know very well where it is. My school learning had
extended no farther than to reading, writing, and arithmetic. In the
last I was quite an adept, for our village teacher was rather clever at
"ciphering," and took great pride in proving his accomplishment, by
communicating what he knew to his pupils. It was the leading branch of
study in his school. Geography, however, had been neglected, almost
untaught; and I knew not in what part of the world Peru lay, though I
had heard that there was such a country.
The returned sailors already mentioned had spoken much about Peru--that
it was a very hot country, and a very long way from England, a full six
months' voyage. I had heard, moreover, that it was a country of
wonderful gold mines, and blacks, and snakes, and palm-trees; and this
was enough for me. It was just the sort of place I desired to see. For
Peru, then, was I bound, and in the good ship _Inca_.
My next reflection was how I should act--how get over the difficulty
about the passage-money, and also escape from the guardianship of my
friend "John," the driver of the cart. The former would appear the
greater dilemma, though in reality it was no such thing; at least, so I
thought at the time. My reasons for thinking so were these: I had often
heard of boys running away to sea--of their being accepted on board
ships, and allowed to become boy-sailors and afterwards able seamen. I
was under the impression that there was not much difficulty about the
matter, and that almost any boy who was big enough and smart enough
would be taken aboard, if he was but willing to work for it.
My only apprehension at the time was about my own bigness, or rather
"littleness," for I knew that I was still but a very small shaver--
smaller even than my age would indicate--though I had a well-knit frame,
and was tolerably tight and tough. I had some doubt, however, about my
size, for I was often "twitted" with being such a very little fellow. I
was fearful, therefore, that this might be an obstacle to my being taken
as a boy-sailor; for I had really made up my mind to offer myself as
such on board the _Inca_. With regard to "John," my apprehensions were
very great. On the first impulse, I thought of no other plan than to
give him the slip, and leave him to go home without me. After a little
reflection, I perceived that that course would never do. John would be
back in the morning with half-a-dozen of his kind--and perhaps my uncle
himself--in quest of me. They would most likely arrive before the ship
should sail, for vessels rarely take their departure at an early hour in
the morning. The bellman would raise the hue and cry. The whole town
would be traversed, and perhaps the ship searched, where, of course, I
should be found, delivered up, carried home, and, beyond doubt, severely
whipped; for I knew my uncle's disposition well enough to believe that
that would most certainly be the wind-up of the adventure. No, no, it
would never do to let John and his cart go home without me.
A little reflection convinced me of this, and at the same time helped me
to resolve upon a better plan. The new resolve was to go back along
with my guardian John, and then take my departure from home itself.
Without imparting aught of my design, or making John in any way my
confidant, I mounted into the cart along with him, and rode back to the
village. I reached home as quietly, and apparently as little concerned
about anything that was passing in my mind, as when I left it in the
morning.