‘Then all my countrymen called out, and said that I was king in his place, and that we must go back to Africa, to the deep forests and the dark rivers, to their huts, and their wives, and their slaves, to where the panther leaped and the crocodile swam, and the large bats hung in clusters from the trees. So they led me to the helm, and they said, “Steer us home.” There were clouds then over the moon, and the night was dark. I said, “Wait until the morning, and I will steer you home.” The morning came, the clouds passed away, the sun rose, and the wind came fast over the sea. They said again, “Steer us home.” But I looked around. I looked far and near. There was no land, only water. As in the desert there is only sand; so round us there was only water. It was the same on the right hand and on the left. There was the sky and the sea, and that was all. How could I steer them home? But if I said I could not steer them home, they would kill me; therefore I took the tiller in my hand. I stayed by it all day. Those who were the masters of the ship and of me, danced and sung about the deck. Sometimes they asked when we would be at home. I said, soon. They thought that I could conduct the ship to land. They would not let me leave the tiller. They brought food there. I slept there. I was afraid to move. I did not know the road home. Days came and turned into nights, and nights into days again. The sun rose out of the sea, sometimes on the right hand, sometimes on the left; sometimes before us, sometimes behind us. We were wandering upon the sea; a moon passed over us, and they said to me, “We are not yet at home; there is no land, only water. Take us home, or we will kill you, as you made us kill the white men.” Then I was sorry that we killed the white men. The night after, the wind grew loud, and the waves beat over the ship. I did not know what to do. The sails were left as the white men had spread them. The ship was tossed. She moaned, and groaned, and plunged deep into the waves. The sails made strange noises, the masts reeled and bent as trees in a hurricane. Then one by one they broke, and fell into the sea. The foam flew over us all night. A great load of masts, and ropes, and sails lay upon the decks, and from the decks they reached down into the sea. These we cut asunder with hatchets, for they were pulling the ship down into the depths; and when the morning came, the wind had gone away, and the ship lay quite still. She had no masts, and no sails; and as a man without legs cannot walk, so a ship without rigging cannot move upon the ocean. ‘And still all on board cried, “Take us home.” Then I said to them, “We cannot go home, there are no sails; we must die here upon the sea.” Then for the first time I left the helm. I knew one thing that none else there knew—I knew where there was the strong drink.’ ‘Ay, that I’ll be bound you did!’ said Captain Garbo.