Willing To Die

First I must tell you how I intend to relate my story Having never before undertaken to write a long narrative I have considered and laid down a few rules which I shall observe Some of these are unquestionably good others I daresay offend against the canons of composition but I adopt them because they will enable me to tell my story better than with my imperfect experience better rules possibly would In the first place I shall represent the people with whom I had to deal quite fairly I have met some bad people some indifferent and some who at this distance of time seem to me like angels in the unchanging light of heaven My narrative shall be arranged in the order of the events I shall not recapitulate or anticipate What I have learned from others and did not witness that which I narrate in part from the hints of living witnesses and in part conjecturally I shall record in the historic third person and I shall write it down with as much confidence and particularity as if I had actually seen it in that respect imitating I believe all great historians modern and ancient But the scenes in which I have been an actor that which my eyes have seen and my ears heard I will relate accordingly If I can be clear and true my clumsiness and irregularity I hope will be forgiven me