<h3>I - CHAPTER VIII.</h3>
<p class="gutsumm">The author, by a lucky accident, finds means
to leave Blefuscu; and, after some difficulties, returns safe to
his native country.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <i>nardac</i>, 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.”</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <i>sprugs</i>
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.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <i>sprugs</i> each, and
promised, when we arrived in England, to make him a present of a
cow and a sheep big with young.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p> </p>
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