But at last Charles and his uncles persuaded Doctor Darwin to let him go.
That voyage was the start of Charles Darwin's great life work.
In those days a great many people believed that every word written in the Bible
was true.FitzRoy hoped that the plants and animals that they found in the course of their
voyage would prove the truth of of the Bible story of the great Flood.
Darwin too - at least in those days - believed what the Bible said , and hoped to find proof of this.
The beginning of the voyage nearly killed Charles. For weeks he was sea-sick all the time -
so sea-sick that he could hardly eat anything. From time ti time he dragged himself up on deck
but soon had to lie down again. He worried in case FitzRoy thought that his naturalist was too
"soft" for the voyage.
When he felt better he began to observe everything. He made a net to drag behind the ship.
In it he caught tiny sea-creatures which he then examined. The officers of the beagle
called him 'our fly-catcher' because of his interest in insects.
The first officer camplained of the nuisabce of having him to Edinburgh to study medicine too.