GULLIVER’S
TRAVELS
PART 8
CHAPTER VIII.
The author, by a lucky
accident, finds means to leave Blefuscu; and, after some difficulties, returns
safe to his native country.
Three days
after my arrival, walking out of curiosity to the north-east coast of the
island, I observed, about half a league off in the sea, somewhat that looked
like a boat overturned. I pulled off my shoes and stockings, and, wailing
two or three hundred yards, I found the object to approach nearer by force of
the tide; and then plainly saw it to be a real boat, which I supposed might by
some tempest have been driven from a ship. Whereupon, I returned
immediately towards the city, and desired his imperial majesty to lend me
twenty of the tallest vessels he had left, after the loss of his fleet, and
three thousand seamen, under the command of his vice-admiral. This fleet
sailed round, while I went back the shortest way to the coast, where I first discovered
the boat. I found the tide had driven it still nearer. The seamen
were all provided with cordage, which I had beforehand twisted to a sufficient
strength. When the ships came up, I stripped myself, and waded till I
came within a hundred yards off the boat, after which I was forced to swim till
I got up to it. The seamen threw me the end of the cord, which I fastened
to a hole in the fore-part of the boat, and the other end to a man of war; but
I found all my labour to little purpose; for, being out of my depth, I was not
able to work. In this necessity I was forced to swim behind, and push the
boat forward, as often as I could, with one of my hands; and the tide favouring
me, I advanced so far that I could just hold up my chin and feel the ground.
I rested two or three minutes, and then gave the boat another shove, and so on,
till the sea was no higher than my arm-pits; and now, the most laborious part
being over, I took out my other cables, which were stowed in one of the ships,
and fastened them first to the boat, and then to nine of the vessels which
attended me; the wind being favourable, the seamen towed, and I shoved, until
we arrived within forty yards of the shore; and, waiting till the tide was out,
I got dry to the boat, and by the assistance of two thousand men, with ropes
and engines, I made a shift to turn it on its bottom, and found it was but
little damaged.
I shall
not trouble the reader with the difficulties I was under, by the help of
certain paddles, which cost me ten days making, to get my boat to the royal
port of Blefuscu, where a mighty concourse of people appeared upon my arrival,
full of wonder at the sight of so prodigious a vessel. I told the emperor
“that my good fortune had thrown this boat in my way, to carry me to some place
whence I might return into my native country; and begged his majesty’s orders
for getting materials to fit it up, together with his license to depart;”
which, after some kind expostulations, he was pleased to grant.
I did very
much wonder, in all this time, not to have heard of any express relating to me
from our emperor to the court of Blefuscu. But I was afterward given
privately to understand, that his imperial majesty, never imagining I had the
least notice of his designs, believed I was only gone to Blefuscu in
performance of my promise, according to the license he had given me, which was
well known at our court, and would return in a few days, when the ceremony was
ended. But he was at last in pain at my long absence; and after consulting
with the treasurer and the rest of that cabal, a person of quality was
dispatched with the copy of the articles against me. This envoy had
instructions to represent to the monarch of Blefuscu, “the great lenity of his
master, who was content to punish me no farther than with the loss of mine
eyes; that I had fled from justice; and if I did not return in two hours, I
should be deprived of my title of nardac, and declared a traitor.”
The envoy further added, “that in order to maintain the peace and amity between
both empires, his master expected that his brother of Blefuscu would give
orders to have me sent back to Lilliput, bound hand and foot, to be punished as
a traitor.”
The
emperor of Blefuscu, having taken three days to consult, returned an answer
consisting of many civilities and excuses. He said, “that as for sending
me bound, his brother knew it was impossible; that, although I had deprived him
of his fleet, yet he owed great obligations to me for many good offices I had
done him in making the peace. That, however, both their majesties would
soon be made easy; for I had found a prodigious vessel on the shore, able to
carry me on the sea, which he had given orders to fit up, with my own
assistance and direction; and he hoped, in a few weeks, both empires would be
freed from so insupportable an encumbrance.”
With this
answer the envoy returned to Lilliput; and the monarch of Blefuscu related to
me all that had passed; offering me at the same time (but under the strictest
confidence) his gracious protection, if I would continue in his service;
wherein, although I believed him sincere, yet I resolved never more to put any
confidence in princes or ministers, where I could possibly avoid it; and
therefore, with all due acknowledgments for his favourable intentions, I humbly
begged to be excused. I told him, “that since fortune, whether good or
evil, had thrown a vessel in my way, I was resolved to venture myself on the
ocean, rather than be an occasion of difference between two such mighty
monarchs.” Neither did I find the emperor at all displeased; and I
discovered, by a certain accident, that he was very glad of my resolution, and
so were most of his ministers.
These
considerations moved me to hasten my departure somewhat sooner than I intended;
to which the court, impatient to have me gone, very readily contributed.
Five hundred workmen were employed to make two sails to my boat, according to
my directions, by quilting thirteen folds of their strongest linen
together. I was at the pains of making ropes and cables, by twisting ten,
twenty, or thirty of the thickest and strongest of theirs. A great stone
that I happened to find, after a long search, by the sea-shore, served me for
an anchor. I had the tallow of three hundred cows, for greasing my boat,
and other uses. I was at incredible pains in cutting down some of the
largest timber-trees, for oars and masts, wherein I was, however, much assisted
by his majesty’s ship-carpenters, who helped me in smoothing them, after I had
done the rough work.
In about a
month, when all was prepared, I sent to receive his majesty’s commands, and to
take my leave. The emperor and royal family came out of the palace; I lay
down on my face to kiss his hand, which he very graciously gave me: so did the
empress and young princes of the blood. His majesty presented me with
fifty purses of two hundred sprugs a-piece, together with his picture at
full length, which I put immediately into one of my gloves, to keep it from
being hurt. The ceremonies at my departure were too many to trouble the
reader with at this time.
I stored
the boat with the carcases of a hundred oxen, and three hundred sheep, with
bread and drink proportionable, and as much meat ready dressed as four hundred
cooks could provide. I took with me six cows and two bulls alive, with as
many ewes and rams, intending to carry them into my own country, and propagate
the breed. And to feed them on board, I had a good bundle of hay, and a
bag of corn. I would gladly have taken a dozen of the natives, but this
was a thing the emperor would by no means permit; and, besides a diligent
search into my pockets, his majesty engaged my honour “not to carry away any of
his subjects, although with their own consent and desire.”
Having
thus prepared all things as well as I was able, I set sail on the twenty-fourth
day of September 1701, at six in the morning; and when I had gone about
four-leagues to the northward, the wind being at south-east, at six in the
evening I descried a small island, about half a league to the north-west.
I advanced forward, and cast anchor on the lee-side of the island, which seemed
to be uninhabited. I then took some refreshment, and went to my
rest. I slept well, and as I conjectured at least six hours, for I found
the day broke in two hours after I awaked. It was a clear night. I
ate my breakfast before the sun was up; and heaving anchor, the wind being
favourable, I steered the same course that I had done the day before, wherein I
was directed by my pocket compass. My intention was to reach, if
possible, one of those islands which I had reason to believe lay to the
north-east of Van Diemen’s Land. I discovered nothing all that day; but
upon the next, about three in the afternoon, when I had by my computation made
twenty-four leagues from Blefuscu, I descried a sail steering to the
south-east; my course was due east. I hailed her, but could get no
answer; yet I found I gained upon her, for the wind slackened. I made all
the sail I could, and in half an hour she spied me, then hung out her ancient,
and discharged a gun. It is not easy to express the joy I was in, upon
the unexpected hope of once more seeing my beloved country, and the dear
pledges I left in it. The ship slackened her sails, and I came up with
her between five and six in the evening, September 26th; but my heart leaped
within me to see her English colours. I put my cows and sheep into my
coat-pockets, and got on board with all my little cargo of provisions.
The vessel was an English merchantman, returning from Japan by the North and
South seas; the captain, Mr. John Biddel, of Deptford, a very civil man, and an
excellent sailor.
We were
now in the latitude of 30 degrees south; there were about fifty men in the
ship; and here I met an old comrade of mine, one Peter Williams, who gave me a
good character to the captain. This gentleman treated me with kindness,
and desired I would let him know what place I came from last, and whither I was
bound; which I did in a few words, but he thought I was raving, and that the
dangers I underwent had disturbed my head; whereupon I took my black cattle and
sheep out of my pocket, which, after great astonishment, clearly convinced him
of my veracity. I then showed him the gold given me by the emperor of
Blefuscu, together with his majesty’s picture at full length, and some other
rarities of that country. I gave him two purses of two hundreds sprugs
each, and promised, when we arrived in England, to make him a present of a cow
and a sheep big with young.
I shall
not trouble the reader with a particular account of this voyage, which was very
prosperous for the most part. We arrived in the Downs on the 13th of
April, 1702. I had only one misfortune, that the rats on board carried
away one of my sheep; I found her bones in a hole, picked clean from the
flesh. The rest of my cattle I got safe ashore, and set them a-grazing in
a bowling-green at Greenwich, where the fineness of the grass made them feed
very heartily, though I had always feared the contrary: neither could I
possibly have preserved them in so long a voyage, if the captain had not
allowed me some of his best biscuit, which, rubbed to powder, and mingled with
water, was their constant food. The short time I continued in England, I
made a considerable profit by showing my cattle to many persons of quality and
others: and before I began my second voyage, I sold them for six hundred
pounds. Since my last return I find the breed is considerably increased,
especially the sheep, which I hope will prove much to the advantage of the
woollen manufacture, by the fineness of the fleeces.
I stayed
but two months with my wife and family, for my insatiable desire of seeing
foreign countries, would suffer me to continue no longer. I left fifteen
hundred pounds with my wife, and fixed her in a good house at Redriff. My
remaining stock I carried with me, part in money and part in goods, in hopes to
improve my fortunes. My eldest uncle John had left me an estate in land,
near Epping, of about thirty pounds a-year; and I had a long lease of the Black
Bull in Fetter-Lane, which yielded me as much more; so that I was not in any
danger of leaving my family upon the parish. My son Johnny, named so
after his uncle, was at the grammar-school, and a towardly child. My
daughter Betty (who is now well married, and has children) was then at her
needle-work. I took leave of my wife, and boy and girl, with tears on
both sides, and went on board the Adventure, a merchant ship of three hundred
tons, bound for Surat, captain John Nicholas, of Liverpool, commander.
But my account of this voyage must be referred to the Second Part of my
Travels.
To be continued
