All my life, I knew I wanted to travel so, at 14, I became an apprentice to an important surgeon in London and I studied to be a doctor, knowing it would be useful in long voyages.
A few years later, I accepted an offer from Captain William Prichard, master of the
Antelope, who was making a voyage to the South Sea. We set sail from Bristol in May 1699, and, at first, our voyage was very prosperous. But on our passage, we met a violent storm. Twelve of our crew died and the rest were very weak.
On the fifth of November, which was the beginning of summer in those parts, the seamen spied a rock, and the wind was so strong, we were driven into it. The ship…
