made many attempts to stand up and walk
like a man--all of which attempts, however, resulted in my sitting down
violently and in sudden surprise. One day I took advantage of my dear
mother's absence to make another effort; and, to my joy, I actually
succeeded in reaching the doorstep, over which I tumbled into a pool of
muddy water that lay before my father's cottage door. Ah, how vividly I
remember the horror of my poor mother when she found me sweltering in
the mud amongst a group of cackling ducks, and the tenderness with which
she stripped off my dripping clothes and washed my dirty little body!
From this time forth my rambles became more frequent and, as I grew
older, more distant, until at last I had wandered far and near on the
shore and in the woods around our humble dwelling, and did not rest
content until my father bound me apprentice to a coasting-vessel and let
me go to sea.

For some years I was happy in visiting the seaports, and in coasting
along the shores, of my native land. My Christian name was Ralph; and
my comrades added to this the name of Rover, in consequence of the
passion which I always evinced for travelling. Rover was not my real
name; but as I never received any other, I came at last to answer to it
as naturally as to my proper name. And as it is not a bad one, I see no
good reason why I should not introduce myself to the reader as Ralph
Rover. My shipmates were kind, good-natured fellows, and they and I got
on very well together. They did, indeed, very frequently make game of
and banter me, but not unkindly; and I overheard them sometimes saying
that Ralph Rover was a "queer, old-fashioned fellow." This, I must
confess, surprised me much; and I pondered the saying long, but could
come at no satisfactory conclusion as to that wherein my
old-fashionedness lay. It is true I was a quiet lad, and seldom spoke
except when spoken to. Moreover, I never could understand the jokes of
my companions even when they were explained to me, which dulness in
apprehension occasioned me much grief. However, I tried to make up for
it by smiling and looking pleased when I observed that they were
laughing at some witticism which I had failed to detect. I was also
very fond of inquiring into the nature of things and their causes, and
often fell into fits of abstraction while thus engaged in my mind. But
in all this I saw nothing that did not seem to be exceedingly natural,
and could by no means unders