Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, Page 32

  CHAPTER I.

  The author sets out as captain of a ship. His men conspire against him,confine him a long time to his cabin, and set him on shore in an unknownland. He travels up into the country. The Yahoos, a strange sort ofanimal, described. The author meets two Houyhnhnms.

  I continued at home with my wife and children about five months, in avery happy condition, if I could have learned the lesson of knowing whenI was well. I left my poor wife big with child, and accepted anadvantageous offer made me to be captain of the Adventurer, a stoutmerchantman of 350 tons: for I understood navigation well, and beinggrown weary of a surgeon's employment at sea, which, however, I couldexercise upon occasion, I took a skilful young man of that calling, oneRobert Purefoy, into my ship. We set sail from Portsmouth upon the 7thday of September, 1710; on the 14th we met with Captain Pocock, ofBristol, at Teneriffe, who was going to the bay of Campechy to cutlogwood. On the 16th, he was parted from us by a storm; I heard since myreturn, that his ship foundered, and none escaped but one cabin boy. Hewas an honest man, and a good sailor, but a little too positive in hisown opinions, which was the cause of his destruction, as it has been withseveral others; for if he had followed my advice, he might have been safeat home with his family at this time, as well as myself.

  I had several men who died in my ship of calentures, so that I was forcedto get recruits out of Barbadoes and the Leeward Islands, where Itouched, by the direction of the merchants who employed me; which I hadsoon too much cause to repent: for I found afterwards, that most of themhad been buccaneers. I had fifty hands onboard; and my orders were, thatI should trade with the Indians in the South-Sea, and make whatdiscoveries I could. These rogues, whom I had picked up, debauched myother men, and they all formed a conspiracy to seize the ship, and secureme; which they did one morning, rushing into my cabin, and binding mehand and foot, threatening to throw me overboard, if I offered to stir.I told them, "I was their prisoner, and would submit." This they made meswear to do, and then they unbound me, only fastening one of my legs witha chain, near my bed, and placed a sentry at my door with his piececharged, who was commanded to shoot me dead if I attempted my liberty.They sent me own victuals and drink, and took the government of the shipto themselves. Their design was to turn pirates and, plunder theSpaniards, which they could not do till they got more men. But firstthey resolved to sell the goods the ship, and then go to Madagascar forrecruits, several among them having died since my confinement. Theysailed many weeks, and traded with the Indians; but I knew not whatcourse they took, being kept a close prisoner in my cabin, and expectingnothing less than to be murdered, as they often threatened me.

  Upon the 9th day of May, 1711, one James Welch came down to my cabin, andsaid, "he had orders from the captain to set me ashore." I expostulatedwith him, but in vain; neither would he so much as tell me who their newcaptain was. They forced me into the long-boat, letting me put on mybest suit of clothes, which were as good as new, and take a small bundleof linen, but no arms, except my hanger; and they were so civil as not tosearch my pockets, into which I conveyed what money I had, with someother little necessaries. They rowed about a league, and then set medown on a strand. I desired them to tell me what country it was. Theyall swore, "they knew no more than myself;" but said, "that the captain"(as they called him) "was resolved, after they had sold the lading, toget rid of me in the first place where they could discover land." Theypushed off immediately, advising me to make haste for fear of beingovertaken by the tide, and so bade me farewell.

  In this desolate condition I advanced forward, and soon got upon firmground, where I sat down on a bank to rest myself, and consider what Ihad best do. When I was a little refreshed, I went up into the country,resolving to deliver myself to the first savages I should meet, andpurchase my life from them by some bracelets, glass rings, and othertoys, which sailors usually provide themselves with in those voyages, andwhereof I had some about me. The land was divided by long rows of trees,not regularly planted, but naturally growing; there was great plenty ofgrass, and several fields of oats. I walked very circumspectly, for fearof being surprised, or suddenly shot with an arrow from behind, or oneither side. I fell into a beaten road, where I saw many tracts of humanfeet, and some of cows, but most of horses. At last I beheld severalanimals in a field, and one or two of the same kind sitting in trees.Their shape was very singular and deformed, which a little discomposedme, so that I lay down behind a thicket to observe them better. Some ofthem coming forward near the place where I lay, gave me an opportunity ofdistinctly marking their form. Their heads and breasts were covered witha thick hair, some frizzled, and others lank; they had beards like goats,and a long ridge of hair down their backs, and the fore parts of theirlegs and feet; but the rest of their bodies was bare, so that I might seetheir skins, which were of a brown buff colour. They had no tails, norany hair at all on their buttocks, except about the anus, which, Ipresume, nature had placed there to defend them as they sat on theground, for this posture they used, as well as lying down, and oftenstood on their hind feet. They climbed high trees as nimbly as asquirrel, for they had strong extended claws before and behind,terminating in sharp points, and hooked. They would often spring, andbound, and leap, with prodigious agility. The females were not so largeas the males; they had long lank hair on their heads, but none on theirfaces, nor any thing more than a sort of down on the rest of theirbodies, except about the anus and pudenda. The dugs hung between theirfore feet, and often reached almost to the ground as they walked. Thehair of both sexes was of several colours, brown, red, black, and yellow.Upon the whole, I never beheld, in all my travels, so disagreeable ananimal, or one against which I naturally conceived so strong anantipathy. So that, thinking I had seen enough, full of contempt andaversion, I got up, and pursued the beaten road, hoping it might directme to the cabin of some Indian. I had not got far, when I met one ofthese creatures full in my way, and coming up directly to me. The uglymonster, when he saw me, distorted several ways, every feature of hisvisage, and stared, as at an object he had never seen before; thenapproaching nearer, lifted up his fore-paw, whether out of curiosity ormischief I could not tell; but I drew my hanger, and gave him a good blowwith the flat side of it, for I durst not strike with the edge, fearingthe inhabitants might be provoked against me, if they should come to knowthat I had killed or maimed any of their cattle. When the beast felt thesmart, he drew back, and roared so loud, that a herd of at least fortycame flocking about me from the next field, howling and making odiousfaces; but I ran to the body of a tree, and leaning my back against it,kept them off by waving my hanger. Several of this cursed brood, gettinghold of the branches behind, leaped up into the tree, whence they beganto discharge their excrements on my head; however, I escaped pretty wellby sticking close to the stem of the tree, but was almost stifled withthe filth, which fell about me on every side.

  In the midst of this distress, I observed them all to run away on asudden as fast as they could; at which I ventured to leave the tree andpursue the road, wondering what it was that could put them into thisfright. But looking on my left hand, I saw a horse walking softly in thefield; which my persecutors having sooner discovered, was the cause oftheir flight. The horse started a little, when he came near me, but soonrecovering himself, looked full in my face with manifest tokens ofwonder; he viewed my hands and feet, walking round me several times. Iwould have pursued my journey, but he placed himself directly in the way,yet looking with a very mild aspect, never offering the least violence.We stood gazing at each other for some time; at last I took the boldnessto reach my hand towards his neck with a design to stroke it, using thecommon style and whistle of jockeys, when they are going to handle astrange horse. But this animal seemed to receive my civilities withdisdain, shook his head, and bent his brows, softly raising up his rightfore-foot to remove my hand. Then he neighed three or four times, but inso different a cadence, that I almost began to think he was speaking tohimself, in some language of hi
s own.

  While he and I were thus employed, another horse came up; who applyinghimself to the first in a very formal manner, they gently struck eachother's right hoof before, neighing several times by turns, and varyingthe sound, which seemed to be almost articulate. They went some pacesoff, as if it were to confer together, walking side by side, backward andforward, like persons deliberating upon some affair of weight, but oftenturning their eyes towards me, as it were to watch that I might notescape. I was amazed to see such actions and behaviour in brute beasts;and concluded with myself, that if the inhabitants of this country wereendued with a proportionable degree of reason, they must needs be thewisest people upon earth. This thought gave me so much comfort, that Iresolved to go forward, until I could discover some house or village, ormeet with any of the natives, leaving the two horses to discoursetogether as they pleased. But the first, who was a dapple gray,observing me to steal off, neighed after me in so expressive a tone, thatI fancied myself to understand what he meant; whereupon I turned back,and came near to him to expect his farther commands: but concealing myfear as much as I could, for I began to be in some pain how thisadventure might terminate; and the reader will easily believe I did notmuch like my present situation.

  The two horses came up close to me, looking with great earnestness uponmy face and hands. The gray steed rubbed my hat all round with his rightfore-hoof, and discomposed it so much that I was forced to adjust itbetter by taking it off and settling it again; whereat, both he and hiscompanion (who was a brown bay) appeared to be much surprised: the latterfelt the lappet of my coat, and finding it to hang loose about me, theyboth looked with new signs of wonder. He stroked my right hand, seemingto admire the softness and colour; but he squeezed it so hard between hishoof and his pastern, that I was forced to roar; after which they bothtouched me with all possible tenderness. They were under greatperplexity about my shoes and stockings, which they felt very often,neighing to each other, and using various gestures, not unlike those of aphilosopher, when he would attempt to solve some new and difficultphenomenon.

  Upon the whole, the behaviour of these animals was so orderly andrational, so acute and judicious, that I at last concluded they mustneeds be magicians, who had thus metamorphosed themselves upon somedesign, and seeing a stranger in the way, resolved to divert themselveswith him; or, perhaps, were really amazed at the sight of a man so verydifferent in habit, feature, and complexion, from those who mightprobably live in so remote a climate. Upon the strength of thisreasoning, I ventured to address them in the following manner:"Gentlemen, if you be conjurers, as I have good cause to believe, you canunderstand my language; therefore I make bold to let your worships knowthat I am a poor distressed Englishman, driven by his misfortunes uponyour coast; and I entreat one of you to let me ride upon his back, as ifhe were a real horse, to some house or village where I can be relieved.In return of which favour, I will make you a present of this knife andbracelet," taking them out of my pocket. The two creatures stood silentwhile I spoke, seeming to listen with great attention, and when I hadended, they neighed frequently towards each other, as if they wereengaged in serious conversation. I plainly observed that their languageexpressed the passions very well, and the words might, with little pains,be resolved into an alphabet more easily than the Chinese.

  I could frequently distinguish the word _Yahoo_, which was repeated byeach of them several times: and although it was impossible for me toconjecture what it meant, yet while the two horses were busy inconversation, I endeavoured to practise this word upon my tongue; and assoon as they were silent, I boldly pronounced _Yahoo_ in a loud voice,imitating at the same time, as near as I could, the neighing of a horse;at which they were both visibly surprised; and the gray repeated the sameword twice, as if he meant to teach me the right accent; wherein I spokeafter him as well as I could, and found myself perceivably to improveevery time, though very far from any degree of perfection. Then the baytried me with a second word, much harder to be pronounced; but reducingit to the English orthography, may be spelt thus, _Houyhnhnm_. I did notsucceed in this so well as in the former; but after two or three farthertrials, I had better fortune; and they both appeared amazed at mycapacity.

  After some further discourse, which I then conjectured might relate tome, the two friends took their leaves, with the same compliment ofstriking each other's hoof; and the gray made me signs that I should walkbefore him; wherein I thought it prudent to comply, till I could find abetter director. When I offered to slacken my pace, he would cry _hhuunhhuun_: I guessed his meaning, and gave him to understand, as well as Icould, "that I was weary, and not able to walk faster;" upon which hewould stand awhile to let me rest.