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[00:02.80]chapter 2
[00:04.86]Down the coast of Africa
[00:10.98]For two long years I lived the life of a slave.
[00:16.96]I worked to the house and garden，
[00:21.09]and every day I plan to escape.
[00:24.85]but it was never possible.
[00:30.24]I thought about it day and night.
[00:33.35]My master liked to go fishing in a little boat，
[00:39.34]and he always took me with him.
[00:44.62]A man called Moely，
[00:45.55]and a young boy also went with us.
[00:51.45]One day my master said to us，
[00:54.96]‘Some of my friends want to go fishing tomorrow.
[01:00.61]Get the boat ready. ’
[01:03.44]So we put a lot of food and drink on the boat，
[01:09.43]and the next morning，we waited for my master and his friends.
[01:15.87]But when my master arrived，he was alone.
[01:22.26]‘My friends don't want to go fishing today，’
[01:26.81]he said to me.
[01:31.48]‘But you go with Moely and the boy，
[01:33.86]and catch some fish for our supper tonight. ’
[01:40.88]‘Yes，master，’
[01:43.42][01:39.75]I answered quietly，
[01:45.95]but inside I was excited.
[01:52.18]‘Perhaps now I can escape，’
[01:54.30]I said to myself.
[01:57.94]My master went back to his friends and we took the boat out to sea.
[02:07.62]For a time we fished quietly，
[02:13.24]and then I moved carefully behind Moely and knocked him into the water.
[02:20.33]‘Swim！’
[02:22.39]I cried.
[02:24.24]‘Swim to the shore！’
[02:27.92]My master liked to shoot seabirds and so there were guns on the boat.
[02:36.61]Quickly，I took one of these guns.
[02:41.46] Moely was swim－ming after the boat and I shouted to him：
[02:47.45]Go back to the shore！
[02:50.41]You can swim there—it's not too far.
[02:55.85]I won't hurt you，but if you come near the boat，
[03:01.15]I'll shoot you through the head！’
[03:04.91]So Moely turned，and swam back to the shore as quickly as he could.
[03:14.79]Then I said to the boy，
[03:17.60]‘Xury，if you help me，
[03:21.34]I'll be a good friend to you.
[03:25.24] If you don't help me，
[03:27.44]I'll push you into the sea too. ’
[03:32.24]But Xury was happy to help me.
[03:36.53]‘I'll go all over the world with you，’
[03:38.73]he cried.
[03:41.57]I wanted to sail to the Canary Islands，
[03:46.33]but I was afraid to go too far from the shore.
[03:51.20]It was only a small boat.
[03:54.00] And so we sailed on south for some days.
[03:59.49]We had very little water，
[04:02.60]and it was dangerous country here，
[04:05.92]with many wild animals.
[04:09.87]We were afraid，
[04:12.02]but we often had to go on shore to get more water.
[04:17.21]Once I used a gun to shoot a wild animal.
[04:22.62] I don't know what animal it was，
[04:26.52]but it made a good meal.
[04:29.92]For about ten or twelve days we sailed on south，
[04:35.83]down the coast of Africa.
[04:39.18]Then one day we saw some people on the shore—strange，
[04:46.43]wild people，
[04:48.54]who did not look friendly.
[04:51.75] By now we had very little food，
[04:55.31]and We really needed help.
[04:58.95]we were afraid，but we had to go on shore.
[05:04.64]At first，they were afraid of us，too.
[05:09.04]Perhaps white people never visited this coast.
[05:14.60]We did not speak their language，of course，
[05:18.69]so we used our hands and faces to show that we were hungry.
[05:26.02]They came with food for us，but then they moved away quickly.
[05:33.62]We carried the food to our boat，and they watched us.
[05:39.31]I tried to thank them，but I had nothing to give them.
[05:46.21]Just then two big wild cats came down to the shore from the mountains.
[05:54.55]I think they were leopards.
[05:58.20]The people were afraid of these wild cats，
[06:01.99]and the women cried out. Quickly，I took a gun，
[06:08.58]and shot one of the animals.
[06:12.12]The second wild cat ran back up into the mountains.
[06:19.02]Guns were new to these African people，
[06:22.76]and they were afraid of the loud noise and the smoke.
[06:27.76]But they were happy about the dead wild cat.
[06:32.76]I gave them the meat of the dead animal，
[06:36.41]and they gave us more food and water.
[06:41.16]We now had a lot of food and water，
[06:45.61]and we sailed on.
[06:49.05]Eleven days later we came near the Cape Verde Islands.
[06:55.16]We could see them，
[06:57.36]but we couldn't get near because there was no wind.
[07:03.50]We waited.
[07:05.94]Suddenly Xury called to me，
[07:10.24]‘Look，a ship！’
[07:13.45]He was right！
[07:15.78]We called and shouted and sailed our little boat as fast as we could.
[07:23.03]But the ship did not see us.
[07:27.51]Then I re-membered the guns which made a lot of smoke.
[07:32.52]A few minutes later the ship saw us and turned.
[07:39.44]When we were on the ship，
[07:42.09]the Portuguese captain listened to my story.
[07:46.85]He was going to Brazil and agreed to help me，
[07:51.74]but he wanted nothing for his help.
[07:55.49]‘No，’he said，when I tried to pay him.
[07:59.63]‘Perhaps，one day，someone will help me when I need it. ’
[08:05.99]But he gave me money for my boat，
[08:09.63]and for Xury，too.
[08:13.12]At first，I did not want to sell Xury as a slave，
[08:18.22]after all our danger-ous adventures together.
[08:22.36]But Xury was happy to go to the cap-tain，
[08:27.94]and the captain was a good man.
[08:31.24]‘In ten years’time，’he said，‘
[08:34.46]Xury can go free. ’
[08:39.51]When we arrived in Brazil three weeks later，
[08:44.06]I said goodbye to the captain and Xury，
[08:49.37]left the ship，
[08:52.41]and went to begin a new life.