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30 - Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter three, the author studies to learn the language the Whynum.
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  Speaker 1: His master assists in teaching him the language described. Several
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  Speaker 1: whinnams of quality come out of curiosity to see the author.
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  Speaker 1: He gives his master a short account of his voyage.
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  Speaker 1: My principal endeavor was to learn the language which my master,
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  Speaker 1: for so I shall henceforth call him. And his children
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  Speaker 1: and every servant of his house were desirous to teach me,
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  Speaker 1: for they looked upon it as a prodigy, that a
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  Speaker 1: brute animal should discover such marks of a rational creature.
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  Speaker 1: I pointed to everything and acquired the name of it,
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  Speaker 1: which I wrote down in my journal book when I
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  Speaker 1: was alone, and corrected my bad accent by desiring those
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  Speaker 1: of the family to pronounce it. Often in this employment,
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  Speaker 1: a sorrel nag, one of the under servants, was very
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  Speaker 1: ready to assist me in speaking. They anounced through the
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  Speaker 1: nose and throat, and their language approaches nearest to the
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  Speaker 1: high Dutch or German of any I know in Europe,
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  Speaker 1: but is much more graceful and significant. The Emperor Charles
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  Speaker 1: the fifth made almost the same observation when he said
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  Speaker 1: that if he were to speak to his horse, it
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  Speaker 1: should be in high Dutch. The curiosity and impatience of
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  Speaker 1: my master were so great that he spent many hours
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  Speaker 1: of his leisure to instruct me. He was convinced, as
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  Speaker 1: he afterwards told me, that I must be a yahoo.
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  Speaker 1: But my teachableness, civility, and cleanliness astonished him, which are
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  Speaker 1: qualities altogether opposite to those animals. He was most perplexed
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  Speaker 1: about my clothes, reasoning sometimes with himself whether they were
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  Speaker 1: a part of my body, for I never pulled them
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  Speaker 1: off till the family were asleep, and got them on
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  Speaker 1: before they waked in the morning. My master was eager
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  Speaker 1: to learn whence I came, how I acquired those appearances
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  Speaker 1: of reason which I discovered in all my actions, and
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  Speaker 1: to know my story from my own mouth, which he
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  Speaker 1: hoped he should soon do by the great proficiency I
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  Speaker 1: made in learning and pronouncing their words and sentences. To
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  Speaker 1: help my memory, I formed all I learned into the
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  Speaker 1: English alphabet, and rich the words down with the translations.
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  Speaker 1: This last, after some time I ventured to do my
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  Speaker 1: master's presence. It cost me much trouble to explain to
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  Speaker 1: him what I was doing for the inhabitants of not
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  Speaker 1: the least idea of books or literature. In about ten
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  Speaker 1: weeks time, I was able to understand most of his questions,
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  Speaker 1: and in three months could give him some tolerable answers.
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  Speaker 1: He was extremely curious to know from what part of
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  Speaker 1: the country I came and how I was taught to
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  Speaker 1: imitate rational creature, because the yahoos whom he saw I
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  Speaker 1: exactly resembled in my head, hands and face that were
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  Speaker 1: only visible with some appearance of cunning, and the strongest
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  Speaker 1: disposition to mischief, were observed to be the most unteachable
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  Speaker 1: of all brutes. I answered that I came over the
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  Speaker 1: sea from a far place with many others of my
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  Speaker 1: own kind, in a great hollow vessel made of the
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  Speaker 1: bodies of trees, that my companions forced me to land
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  Speaker 1: on this coast, and then left me to shift from myself.
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  Speaker 1: It was with some difficulty, and by the help of
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  Speaker 1: many signs, that I brought him to understand me. He
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  Speaker 1: replied that I must needs be mistaken, or that I
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  Speaker 1: said the thing which was not, for they have no
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  Speaker 1: word in their language to express lying or falsehood. He
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  Speaker 1: knew it was impossible that there could be a country
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  Speaker 1: beyond the sea, or that a parcel of brutes could
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  Speaker 1: move a wooden vessel whither they pleased upon water. He
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  Speaker 1: was sure no whinnam alive could make such a vessel,
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  Speaker 1: nor would trust yahoos to manage it. The word huinnam
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  Speaker 1: in their tongue signifies a horse, and in its etymology,
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  Speaker 1: the perfection of nature. I told my master that I
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  Speaker 1: was at a loss for expression, but would improve as
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  Speaker 1: fast as I could, and hoped in a short time
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  Speaker 1: I would be able to tell him wonders. He was
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  Speaker 1: pleased to direct his own mare, his cult and foal,
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  Speaker 1: and the servants of the family to take all opportunities
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  Speaker 1: of instructing me, and every day for two or three
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  Speaker 1: hours he was at the same pains himself. Several horses
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  Speaker 1: and mares of quality in the neighborhood came often to
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  Speaker 1: our house upon the report spread of a wonderful Yahoo
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  Speaker 1: that could speak like a whinn them, and seemed in
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  Speaker 1: his words and actions to discover some glimmerings of reason.
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  Speaker 1: These delighted to converse with me. They put many questions
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  Speaker 1: and received such answers as I was able to return.
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  Speaker 1: By all these advantages, I made so great a progress
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  Speaker 1: that in five months from my arrival I understood whatever
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  Speaker 1: was spoken, and could express myself tolerably well. The Whuynhams,
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  Speaker 1: who came to visit my Master, out of a design
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  Speaker 1: of seeing and talking with me, could hardly believe me
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  Speaker 1: to be a right yahoo, because my body had a
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  Speaker 1: different covering from others of my kind. They were astonished
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  Speaker 1: to observe me without the usual hair or skin except
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  Speaker 1: on my head, face and hands. But I discovered that
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  Speaker 1: secret to my master upon an accident, which happened about
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  Speaker 1: a fortnight before. I have already told the reader that
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  Speaker 1: every night, when the family were gone to bed, it
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  Speaker 1: was my custom to strip and cover myself with my clothes.
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  Speaker 1: It happened one morning early that my Master sent for
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  Speaker 1: me by the sorrel Nag, who was his valet. When
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  Speaker 1: he came, I was fast asleep, my clothes fallen off
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  Speaker 1: on one side, and my shirt above my waist. I
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  Speaker 1: awaked at the noise he made, and observed him to
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  Speaker 1: deliver his message in some disorder, after which he went
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  Speaker 1: to my Master, and in a great fright, gave him
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  Speaker 1: a very confused account of what he had seen. This
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  Speaker 1: I presently discovered for going as soon as I was
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  Speaker 1: dressed to pay my attendance upon his honor, he asked
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  Speaker 1: me the meaning of what his servant had reported. That
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  Speaker 1: I was not the same thing when I slept as
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  Speaker 1: I appeared to be at other times, that his valet
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  Speaker 1: assured him, some part of me was white, some yellow,
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  Speaker 1: at least not so white, and some brown. I had
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  Speaker 1: hithero concealed the secret of my dress in order to
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  Speaker 1: distinguish myself as much as possible from that cursed race
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  Speaker 1: of Yahoos. But now I found it in vain to
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  Speaker 1: do so any longer. Besides, I considered that my clothes
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  Speaker 1: and shoes would soon wear out, which already were in
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  Speaker 1: a declining condition, and must be supplied by some contrivance
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  Speaker 1: from the hides of Yahoos or other brutes, whereby the
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  Speaker 1: whole secret would be known. I therefore told my master
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  Speaker 1: that in the country, whence I came, those of my
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  Speaker 1: kind always covered their bodies with the hairs of certain
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  Speaker 1: animals prepared by art, as well as for decency, as
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  Speaker 1: to avoid the inclemencies of air, both hot and cold,
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  Speaker 1: of which as to my own person, I would give
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  Speaker 1: him immediate conviction if you pleased to command me, only
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  Speaker 1: desiring his excuse, if I did not expose those parts
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  Speaker 1: that nature taught us to conceal. He said, my discourse
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  Speaker 1: was all very strange, but especially the last part, for
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  Speaker 1: he could not understand why nature should teach us to
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  Speaker 1: conceal what nature had given. That neither himself nor family
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  Speaker 1: were ashamed of any parts of their bodies. But however,
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  Speaker 1: I might do as I pleased. Whereupon I first unbuttoned
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  Speaker 1: my coat and pulled it off. I did the same
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  Speaker 1: with my waistcoat. I drew off my shoes, stockings, and breeches.
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  Speaker 1: I let my shirt down to my waist and drew
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  Speaker 1: up the bottom, fastening it like a girdle about my
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  Speaker 1: middle to hide my nakedness. My master observed the whole
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  Speaker 1: performance with great signs of curiosity and admiration. He took
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  Speaker 1: up all my clothes in his pastern one piece after another,
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  Speaker 1: and examined them diligently. He then stroked my body very
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  Speaker 1: gently and looked round me several times, after which he said,
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  Speaker 1: it was plain I must be a perfect yahoo, but
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  Speaker 1: that I differed very much from the rest of my
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  Speaker 1: species in the softness, whiteness, and smoothness of my skin,
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  Speaker 1: my want of hair, in several parts of my body,
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  Speaker 1: the shape and shortness of my claws behind and before,
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  Speaker 1: and my affectation of walking continually on my two hinder feet.
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  Speaker 1: He desired to see no more, and gave me leave
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  Speaker 1: to put on my clothes again, for I was shuddering
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  Speaker 1: with cold. I expressed my uneasiness at his given me
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  Speaker 1: so often the appellation of yahoo, an odious animal for
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  Speaker 1: which I had so utter a hatred and contempt. I
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  Speaker 1: begged he would forbear applying that word to me, and
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  Speaker 1: make the same order in his family and among his friends,
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  Speaker 1: whom he suffered to see me. I requested likewise that
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  Speaker 1: the secret of my having a false covering to my
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  Speaker 1: body might be known to none but himself, at least
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  Speaker 1: as long as my present clothing should last, For as
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  Speaker 1: to what the sorrel nag his valet had observed, his
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  Speaker 1: honor might command him to conceal it. All this my
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  Speaker 1: master very graciously consented to, and thus the secret was
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  Speaker 1: kept till my clothes began to wear out, which I
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  Speaker 1: was forced to supply by several contrivances that shall hereafter
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  Speaker 1: be mentioned. In the meantime, he desired I would go
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  Speaker 1: on with my utmost diligence to learn their language, because
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  Speaker 1: he was more astonished at my captivity for speech and
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  Speaker 1: reason than at the figure of my body, whether it
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  Speaker 1: were covered or not, adding that he waited with some
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  Speaker 1: impatience to hear the wonders which I promised to tell him.
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  Speaker 1: Thenceforward he doubled the pains he had been at to
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  Speaker 1: instruct me. He brought me into all company and made
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  Speaker 1: them treat me with civility, because, as he told them privately,
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  Speaker 1: this would put me into good humor and make me
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  Speaker 1: more diverting. Every day when I waited on him beside
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  Speaker 1: the trouble he was at in teaching, he would ask
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  Speaker 1: me several questions concerning myself, which I answered as well
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  Speaker 1: as I could, And by these means he had already
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  Speaker 1: received some general ideas, though very imperfect. It would be
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  Speaker 1: tedious to relate the several steps by which I advanced
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  Speaker 1: to a more regular conversation. But the first account I
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  Speaker 1: gave for myself in any order in length was to
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  Speaker 1: this purpose, that I came from a very far country,
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  Speaker 1: as I already had attempted to tell him, with about
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  Speaker 1: fifty more of my own species, that we traveled upon
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  Speaker 1: the seas in a great hollow vessel made of wood
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  Speaker 1: and larger than his honor's house. I described the ship
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  Speaker 1: to him in the best terms I could, and explained
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  Speaker 1: by the health of my handkerchief, displayed how it was
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  Speaker 1: driven forward by the wind, and that upon a quarrel
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  Speaker 1: among us, I was set on shore on this coast,
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  Speaker 1: where I walked forward without knowing whither till he had
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  Speaker 1: delivered me from the persecution of those excricable yahoos. He
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  Speaker 1: asked me who made the ship, and how it was
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  Speaker 1: possible that the Hunams of my country would leave it
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  Speaker 1: to the management of brutes. My answer was that I
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  Speaker 1: durst proceed no further in my relation unless he would
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  Speaker 1: give me his word and honor that he would not
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  Speaker 1: be offended, and then I would tell in the wonders
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  Speaker 1: I had so often promised. He agreed, and I went
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  Speaker 1: on by assuring him that the ship was made by
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  Speaker 1: creatures like myself, who, in all the countries I had traveled,
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  Speaker 1: as well as in my own, were the only governing
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  Speaker 1: rational animals, and that upon my arrival hither I was
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  Speaker 1: as much astonished to see the Whinnhams act like rational
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  Speaker 1: beings as he or his friends could be. In finding
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  Speaker 1: some marks of reason and a creature he was pleased
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  Speaker 1: to call a Yahoo, to which I owned my resemblance
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  Speaker 1: in every part, but could not account for their degenerate
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  Speaker 1: and brutal nature. I said, father, that if good fortune
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  Speaker 1: ever restored me to my native country to relate my
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  Speaker 1: travels hither as I resolved to do, everybody would believe
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  Speaker 1: that I said the thing that was not that I
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  Speaker 1: invented the story out of my own head, and with
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  Speaker 1: all possible respect to himself, his family, and his friends,
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  Speaker 1: and under his promise of not being offended, our countrymen
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  Speaker 1: would hardly think it probable that a Wynham should be
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  Speaker 1: the presiding creature of a nation and a Yahoo the
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  Speaker 1: brute and a Part four, Chapter three