Chapter 66
The next morning our guide was very sick from his wounds, so we had to leave him there and take another one to lead us to the plains. Soon we were away from the mountains and the weather was much better.
Nothing exceptional happened on our way to Paris or from there to Calais. A few days later, I landed in Dover, and my friend, the widow, helped me immensely. She gave me useful advice on how to manage my accounts.
I had now decided to stay in England and sell my property in Brazil. I wrote to my partner, and he assisted me in selling the plantation. I passed the papers on to my friend, the Portuguese captain, who sent them to Brazil.
I found myself in a strange situation back in my home country. I was rich, had no family or friends and kept thinking about the island I had left. For seven years I kept wishing to go back to Brazil and to my island and see if the Spaniard was still there. The widow of my friend kept persuading me not to travel by sea again, and so I decided to try to settle down in England. I took two of my nephews under my care. I educated them and made sure they found suitable jobs. I almost saw myself in the younger child. He had taken after me and years later he became a captain. He would often tell me of his adventures at sea, which I enjoyed very much.