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08 - Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift · Adventure Books Library

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  Chapter eight, the author, by a lucky accident, finds means to leave
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  Lefisque, and after some difficulties, returned safe to his native country. Three
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  days after my arrival, walking out of curiosity to the northeast coast of the
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  island, I observed about half a league off in the sea, somewhat that
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  they looked like a boat overturned. I pulled off my shoes and stockings,
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  and wailing two or three hundred yards, I found the object to approach nearer
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  by force of the tide, and then plainly saw it to be a real
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  boat, which I supposed might, by some tempest, have been driven from
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  a ship. Whereupon I returned immediately towards the city, and desired his Imperial
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  Majesty to lend me twenty of his tallest vessels he had left after the loss
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  of his fleet and three thousand seamen. Under the command of his vice admiral.
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  This fleet sailed round while I went back the shortest way to the coast
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  where I first discovered the boat. I found the tide had driven it still
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  nearer. The seamen were all provided with cordage, which I had beforehand twisted
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  to a sufficient strength. When the ships came up, I stripped myself and
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  waited till I came within a hundred yards off the boat, after which I
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  was forced to swim till I got up to it. The seamen threw me
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  the end of the cord, which I fastened to a hole in the fore
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  part of the boat, and at the other end to a man of war.
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  But I found all my labor to little purpose. For being out of
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  my depth, I was not able to work in this necessity. I was
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  forced to swim behind and push the boat forward as often as I could with
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  one of my hands, and the tide favoring me, I advanced so far
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  that I could just hold up my chin and feel the ground. I rested
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  two or three minutes, and then gave the boat another shove, and so
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  on till the sea was no higher than my armpits. And now the most
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  laborous part being over, I took out my other cables, which were stowed
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  in one of the ships, and fastened them first to the boat and then
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  to the nine vessels which attended me. The wind being favorable, the seaman
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  towed and I shoved until we arrived within forty yards of the shore, and
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  waiting till the tide was out. I got dry to the boat, and
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  by assistance of two thousand men with ropes and engines, I made a shift
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  to turn it on its bottom, and found it was but little damaged.
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  I shall not trouble the reader with the difficulties I was under, by the
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  help of certain paddles, which cost me ten days making to get my boat
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  to the royal port of Lefuscue, where a mighty concourse of people appeared upon
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  my arrival. Full of wonder at the sight of so prodigious a vessel,
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  I told the Emperor that my good fortune had thrown this boat in my way
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  to carry me to some place whence I might return into my native country,
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  and begged His Majesty's orders forgetting materials to fit it up, together with his
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  license to depart, which after some kind expostulations, he was pleased to grant.
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  I did very much wonder in all this time not to have heard of
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  any express relating to me from our Emperor to the court of Blefuscue. But
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  I was afterward given privately to understand that his Imperial Majesty, never imagining I
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  had the least notice of his designs believed I was only gone to Blefuscue in
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  performance of my promise according to the license he had given me, which was
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  well known at our court, and would return in a few days when this
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  ceremony was ended. But he was at last in pain at my long absence,
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  and after consulting with the treasurer and the rest of that cable, a
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  person of quality was dispatched with the copy of the articles against me. This
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  envoy had instructions to represent to the Monarch of Blefuscue the great lenienity of his
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  master, who was content to punish me no farther than with the loss of
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  mine eyes, that I had fled from justice, and if I did not
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  return when two hours, I should be deprived of my title of no and
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  declared a traitor. The envoy further added that, in order to maintain the
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  peace and amity between both empires, his master expected that his brother of Blefiscue
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  would give orders to have me sent back to Lilliput, bound hand and foot,
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  to be punished as a traitor. The Emperor of Bleffiscue, having taken
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  three days to consult, returned an answer consisting of many civilities and excuses.
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  He said that as for sending me bound, his brother knew it was impossible.
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  That although I had deprived him of his fleet, yet he owed great
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  obligations to me for many good offices I had done him in making the peace.
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  That, however, both their majesties would soon be made easy, for
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  I had found a bridge's vessel on the shore able to carry me on the
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  sea, which he had given orders to fit up with my own assistance and
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  direction, and he hoped in a few weeks both empires would be freed from
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  so insupportable an encumbrance. With this answer, the EMPI, where it turned
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  to Lilliput, and the Monarch of Lefiskie, related to me all that had
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  passed, offering me at the same time, but under the strictest confidence his
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  gracious protection, if I would continue in his service, wherein, although I
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  believed him sincere, yet I resolved never more to put any confidence in princes
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  or ministers where I could possibly avoid it. And therefore, with all due
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  acknowledgments for his favorable intentions, I humbly begged to be excused. I told
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  him that since fortune, whether good or evil, had thrown a vessel in
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  my way. I was resolved to venture myself on the ocean, rather than
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  be an occasion of difference between two such mighty monarchs. Neither did I find
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  the Emperor at all displeased, and I discovered by a certain accident that he
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  was very glad of my resolution, and so were most of his ministers.
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  These considerations moved me to hasten my departure somewhat sooner than I intended to whish.
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  The court, impatient to have me gone, very readily contributed. Five
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  hundred workmen were employed to make two sails to my boat according to my directions,
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  by quilting thirteen folds of their strongest linen together. I was at the
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  panes of making ropes and cables by twisting ten twenty or thirty of the thickest
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  and strongest of theirs. A great stone that I happened to find after a
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  long search by the sea shore, served me for an anchor. I had
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  the tallow of three hundred cows for greasing my boat and other uses. I
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  was at incredible pains in cutting down some of the largest timber trees for oars
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  and masts, wherein I was, however, much assisted by his Majesty's ship
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  carpenters, who helped me in smoothing them. After I had done the rough
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  work in about a month, when all was prepared, I sent to receive
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  His Majesty's commands and to take my leave. The Emperor and royal family came
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  out of the palace. I lay down on my face to kiss his hand,
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  and which he very graciously gave me, so did the Empress and young
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  princes of the blood. His Majesty presented me with fifty purses of two hundred
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  sprugs apiece, together with his picture at full length, which I immediately put
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  into one of my gloves to keep it from being hurt. The ceremonies at
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  my departure were too many to trouble the reader with. At this time I
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  stored the boat with the carcasses of a hundred oxen and three hundred sheep,
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  with bread and drink proportionable, and as much meat ready dressed as four hundred
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  cooks could provide. It took with me six cows and two bulls alive,
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  with as many ewes and rams, intending to carry them into my own country
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  and propagate the breed, and to feed them on board. I had a
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  good bundle of hay and a bag of corn, I would gladly have taken
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  a dozen of the natives, but this was the thing the Emperor would,
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  by no means permit, And besides a diligent search into my pockets, his
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  Majesty engaged my honor not to carry away any of his subjects, although with
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  their own consent and desire. Having thus repaired all things, as well as
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  I was able, I set sail on the twenty fourth day of September seventeen
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  o one at six in the morning, and when I had gone about four
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  leagues to the northward, the wind being at southeast, at six in the
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  evening, I descried a small island about half a league to the northwest.
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  I advanced forward and cast anchor on the lee side of the island, which
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  seemed to be uninhabited. I then took some refreshment and went to my rest.
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  I slept well, and as I conjectured, at least six hours,
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  for I found the day broken two hours after I waked. It was a
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  clear night. I ate my breakfast before the sun was up, and heaving
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  anchor, the wind being favorable, I steered the same course that I had
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  done the day before, wherein I was directed by my pocket compass. My
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  intention was to reach, if possible, one of those islands which I had
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  reason to believe lay to the northeast of and de Amsland. I discovered nothing
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  all that day, But upon the next, about three in the afternoon,
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  when I had, by my computation, made twenty four leagues from Lefuscue,
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  I descried a sail steering to the southeast. My cause was due east.
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  I hailed her, but could get no answer. Yet I found I gained
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  upon her, for the wind slackened. I made all the sail I could,
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  and in half an hour she spied me, then hung out her ancient
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  and discharged a gun. It is not easy to express the joy I was
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  in upon the unexpected hope of once more seeing my beloved country and the dear
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  pledges I left in it. The ship slackened her sails, and I came
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  up with her between five and six in the evening September twenty sixth. But
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  my heart leaped within me to see her English colors. I put my cows
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  and sheep into my coat pockets and got on board with all my little cargo
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  of provisions. The vessel was an English merchantman returning from Japan by the North
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  and South seas. The captain mister John Biddle of Deptford, a very civil
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  man and an excellent sailor. We were now in the latitude of thirty degrees
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  south. There were about fifty men in the ship, and here I met
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  an old comrade of mine, one Peter Williams, who gave me a good
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  character to the captain. This gentleman treated me with kindness and desired I would
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  let him know what place I had come from last and whither I was bound,
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  which I did in a few words. But he thought I was raving,
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  and that the dangers I underwent had disturbed my head. Whereupon I took
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  my black Cathlen sheep out of my pocket, which, after great astonishment,
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  clearly convinced him of my veracity. I then showed him the gold given me
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  by the Emperor of Blefiscue, together with his Majesty's picture at full length,
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  and some other rarities of that country. I gave him two purses of two
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  hundred sprugs each, and promised, when we arrived in England, to make
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  him a present of a cow and sheep big with young I shall not trouble
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  the reader with a particular account of this voyage, which was very prosperous for
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  the most part. We arrived in the Downs on the thirteenth of April seventeen
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  o two. I had only one misfortune that the rats on board carried away
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  one of my sheep. I found her bones in a hole, picked clean
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  from the flesh. The rest of my cattle are got safe ashore and set
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  them a gazing in a bowling green at Greenwich, where the fineness of the
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  grass made them feed very heartily. Though I had always feared the contrary,
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  neither could I possibly preserve them in so long a voyage if the captain had
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  not allowed me Some of his best biscuit, which rubbed a powder and mingled
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  with water, was their constant food. The short time I continued in England,
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  I made a considerable profit by showing my cattle to many persons of quality
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  and others, and before where began my second voyage, I sold them for
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  six hundred pounds. Since my last return, I find the breed is considerably
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  increased, especially the sheep, which I hope would prove much to the advantage
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  of the woolen manufacturer. By the fineness of the fleeces, I stayed but
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  two months with my wife and family, for my insatiable desire of seeing foreign
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  countries would suffer me to continue no longer. I left fifteen hundred pounds with
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  my wife and fixed her a good house in Redriff. My remaining stock are
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  carried with me, part in money and part in goods, in hopes to
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  improve my fortunes. My eldest uncle John had left me in a state in
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  land near Epping of about thirty pounds a year, and I had a long
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  lease of the Black Bull in Fetter Lane, which yielded me as much more
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  so that I was not in any danger of leaving my family. Upon the
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  parish, my son Johnny, named so after his uncle, was at the
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  grammar school and a towardly child. My daughter Better, who is now well
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  married and has children, was then at her needlework. I took leave of
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  my wife and boy and girl, with tears on both sides, and went
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  on board the Adventurer, a merchant ship of three hundred tons bound for Surrat
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  Captain John Nicholas of Liverpool, Commander. But my account of this voyage must
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  be referred to the second part of my travels. End of Part one, chapter eight