some of the great rivers that run into the Atlantic Ocean; and that, on the
banks of any of those rivers, we might there build us canoes which would
carry us down, if it were thousands of miles, so that we could want nothing
but food, of which we were assured we might kill sufficient with our guns;
and to add to the satisfaction of our deliverance, we concluded we might,
every one of us, get a quantity of gold, which, if we came safe, would
infinitely recompense us for our toil.

I cannot say that in all our consultations I ever began to enter into the
weight and merit of any enterprise we went upon till now. My view before
was, as I thought, very good, viz., that we should get into the Arabian
Gulf, or the mouth of the Red Sea; and waiting for some vessel passing or
repassing there, of which there is plenty, have seized upon the first we
came at by force, and not only have enriched ourselves with her cargo, but
have carried ourselves to what part of the world we had pleased; but when
they came to talk to me of a march of 2000 or 3000 miles on foot, of
wandering in deserts among lions and tigers, I confess my blood ran chill,
and I used all the arguments I could to persuade them against it.

But they were all positive, and I might as well have held my tongue; so I
submitted, and told them I would keep to our first law, to be governed by
the majority, and we resolved upon our journey. The first thing we did was
to take an observation, and see whereabouts in the world we were, which we
did, and found we were in the latitude of 12 degrees 35 minutes south of
the line. The next thing was to look on the charts, and see the coast of
the country we aimed at, which we found to be from 8 to 11 degrees south
latitude, if we went for the coast of Angola, or in 12 to 29 degrees north
latitude, if we made for the river Niger, and the coast of Guinea.

Our aim was for the coast of Angola, which, by the charts we had, lying