open his heart very freely, and would
have told us all his secrets if we had asked him; but we cut off the
conversation, and answered his questions with civility. When we
reached home in the evening, we saw some ships had arrived, and
supposed certainly one of them was ours; but, as it was dark, we were
compelled to wait till next morning.

[Footnote 51: The main channel past the Texel.]

_21st, Wednesday._ As soon as we had taken a little breakfast we went
along the dyke to Oosterent, near which the ships had come to anchor.
As we approached the place, we could no longer doubt ours was there,
which we were the first to discover. We therefore hired a boat
immediately and went on board, when we not only found it was our ship,
but that she was full and overladen. She was so full of passengers of
all kinds, and so stowed, that we saw no chance of finding a place in
which to sleep, and there were scarcely any of our goods to be found.
The berth, which we had selected, had been taken by others, which
there was no use of resisting; but it caused us no regret, as we
thereby secured another near the cables, almost entirely out of the
way, and always removed from the greatest noise. We determined to go
ashore and come back the next day; but after taking our dinner there
and paying our landlord, we returned on board. When we came on the
ship, they began immediately to inquire of us about everything, and we
answered them discreetly and civilly. Among others who thus made
themselves conspicuous, was Jan, whom we did not know, and whose
deportment did not accord with what we had imagined of him; but we
supposed he was one of the passengers, and one of the best, and most
slovenly. He asked my comrade if we were not of such a people,
expressly naming them, who answered him according to his and our
condition.[52] After we had been on board some time, seeing we
obtained no place, I went myself to look after one and observed where
we could make a berth. I spoke to the captain, who had the chests
removed and a berth arranged for us on the larboard side near the
forehatch; but as the cable was lying there so that it could not be
stretched out as long as it ought, and as there was room enough, I
took a little old rope and set to work to lengthen it out, which I
accomplished before evening, so that we could sleep there that night.
Certainly we had reason to thank the Lord that He had given us a berth
in a more quiet place than we ourselve