rmined to wait his arrival. The two next were accustomed to sail
with me in the schooner, where I did my beat to give them all the
learning I had gained from the good curate, Mr Hamlin, and had since
then picked up by my own exertions. Though they were still boys, they
were very useful on board, and could take the helm and work the vessel
as well as any grownup man. I had eight of them, four boys and four
girls, and the two youngest were still children. The elder ones were
delighted at my proposal,--the boy, at the thought of making a long sea
voyage, of seeing strange lands, and hunting the kangaroo; the girl, at
being able to accompany me and their brothers, and having to tend a
farm, and live under a bright blue sky. Whether it entered into the
calculation of the eldest that she might be able to pick and choose a
husband from the number of young men who were certain to be on the shore
with speaking-trumpets to beg her to marry them, I do not pretend to
say, but it was then the case as now,--no girl could remain in the
colony without being asked to wed every day in the week till she made
her choice.

Having made up our minds to go, the next thing to be thought of was the
way to accomplish our objects. Without hesitation, I determined to
perform the voyage in my own vessel. She was a remarkably good sea
boat, and a fast sailer, and for her size was very roomy. She was
called by a curious coincidence the _May Flower_, which was the name of
the vessel which carried over the first pilgrim fathers to America; and
certainly, when my vessel was named, I never contemplated attempting to
cross the ocean in her. Although she was under sixty tons, I considered
that properly handled she was as well calculated to double the Cape as a
far larger vessel, and I felt sure from what I had heard, that if I got
her out safe to the colony she would fetch a high price. If, however,
she was to be swamped--as my whole family and property would have gone
to the bottom at the same time--there would be no one left behind to
mourn our loss. I do not mean to say that I for one moment thought we
should be lost, but still I knew that it was possible, and I reconciled
myself to the chance with that reflection.

The first thing I did was to haul up my vessel, and to give her a
thorough repair, then to refit her rigging, and to raise her bulwarks
somewhat, so as to make her snugger. As she was from the first fitted
so as to be easily hand