Then, she is ill. She can’t come to my house. I feel a strange feeling when she is not in my house.

I miss her. I think, “Maybe, I love her.”

One week later, she comes to my house. I am happy when I see her. I see that she is happy too.

I hug her. Then I kiss her. It is a long kiss.

Two weeks later, I go to her father’s house. I ask him if I can marry his daughter. He is quiet. I wait for his answer. Then he says, “I agree.” I am very happy.

Two months later, I marry the daughter of my friend. We start to plan a family. This part of my life is great.

We have big plans for our family. We have big plans for our plantation. We need a bigger house.

We need more money for a bigger house. I think about the business in Africa. I can make a lot of money in Africa fast. I speak about Africa with my friends very often. I tell my friends that we can make a lot of money in Africa.

CHAPTER 7 – HURRICANE

One day, three friends come to our house.

They tel me that they want to go to Africa. They ask me if I want to go with them. I say, “Yes, I want to go with you.” We start to prepare for the journey. Soon, we are ready. I say goodbye to my wife. Then we go. We want to come back two months later.

We leave Brazil in September. Our ship is very big. But we are only seventeen men. The ship is full of things for business.

The weather is good but very hot at the beginning. One week later, we see a hurricane. The hurricane is very strong. Our ship is in danger. The hurricane is finished after three days. But when the hurricane is away, we have a problem. The ship is broken. We can’t go to Africa. The captain wants to go back and repair the ship. But I don’t want to go back. We talk about it. We think about the best solution.

Then in the evening, a second hurricane comes. The wind is strong. The waves are very big.

Then one man shouts, “Land!”

When the man shouts “Land!”, the ship stops. The sea is not deep enough. It is bad for our broken ship. The ship can break every second.

We must go on a smaller boat. This is very dangerous because the boat is very small for 17 men.

But we must do it if we want to survive. So we go on a small boat.

The waves are very big. The wind is very strong. The wind pushes us to big rocks. We know that the crash is near.

Then, a big wave comes. The wave turns the boat. I am under water. I can’t breathe. I don’t see the other men. I don’t see the boat.

Then, my head is above water. It is only a short moment. But I can breathe. I see a small beach between the rocks. A big wave pushes me to the beach.

I am still in water. But I feel a land under my feet. I know that I must stand up. I must get out of the water. The next wave can take me back to sea. But my body is weak. I can’t stand up fast.

The next wave comes. I am under water again.

I can’t breathe again. But then another wave takes me back on the beach.

I am in water. But I can stand up. I can go ten metres. I am on the sand.

I am safe. But my arms and legs are very weak. I collapse. And I lie on the beach.

After some time, I stand up. I look for the other men. I can’t find the other men. I am the only man alive.

All my friends are dead. I only find three hats and two shoes on the beach.

It is horrible for me.

CHAPTER 8 – ISLAND

The weather is still very bad. But the waves are not so big. I see the ship. The ship is far from the land.

I look around. I see that I have nothing. I am wet. I have no other clothes. I have nothing to eat or drink. I have no gun. Dangerous animals can eat me. I have only a small knife which I find in my pocket. This situation is really bad. How can I survive with only a small knife?

I need to drink some fresh water. I find a small river. I drink the water.

The night comes. I am scared of dangerous animals. I can’t sleep on the ground. So, I spend the night in a big tree.

When I wake up the next morning, the sea is calm. I still see the ship.

I swim to the ship. I don’t see a way inside the big ship. I swim around the ship twice. Then I see a rope on one side of the ship. I use the rope.

Now, I am on the ship. The ship is empty. I try to find some food. I am lucky. Some food on the ship is dry. I also find a bottle of rum. I take the bottle with me.

Then I hear something. Somebody is on the ship. Who is it? Somebody from my friends? It is not possible. My friends are all dead. I am scared.

I go to the place where I hear the noises. Then I see who it is. It is a dog. It is a dog of our captain. Now, I have a friend. I am not alone.

I must take the food, rum and the dog to the beach. But I don’t have a smal boat on the ship. I must make a raft. I find some wood. I make a raft from the wood. I also need some clothes. I look for the clothes.

When I look for the clothes, I find a nice carpet. I also find four guns and a box with gunpowder.

I put everything on my raft. The sea is calm. The wind goes to the land. This is all good.

Soon, I am on the beach. I look for a place where I can stay.

I see a hill. From the hill, I can see where I am.

I take a gun. I walk to the hill. I go to the top. I see sea around the whole place. I am on an island.

I see two small islands near. One is to the north. One is to the west. I also see a big land to the south. The land is about 100 kilometres far. I see nothing to the east. I see only the ocean. I don’t see people on the island. I see only wild animals.