Before I begin my story, I would like to tell you a little about myself. ‘I want to be a sailor and go to sea,’ I told my mother and father. They were very unhappy about this. For two long years I lived the life of a slave. I worked in the house and the garden, and every day I planned to escape, but it was never possible. I stayed in Brazil and worked hard for some years. One day some friends came to me and said, ‘We’re going to Africa to do business. When day came, the sea was quiet again. I looked for our ship and, to my surprise, it was still there and still in one piece. I was on the island for ten months before I visited other parts of it. Then, one year, something strange and terrible happened. I went over to look at it more carefully, and stopped in sudden surprise it was a footprint-the footprint of a man!. One day, a year later, I was over on the west side of the island. From there I could see the other island, and I could also see a boat, far out to sea. Then one year something happened which I can never forget. Suddenly, I saw something which made me feel ill. There were heads, arms, feet, and other pieces of men’s bodies everywhere. I wanted people, a friend, somebody to talk to somebody who could help me escape from my island. When I came back to England, I felt like a stranger in the country. They were happy to learn that I was alive, and I was pleased to find some family.