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Gulliver's Travels: Blefuscuan

One day the king, who was most friendly to me, came to me in great trouble. The Emperor of the neighboring kingdom of Blefuscu had threatened to lay waste the kingdom of Lilliputia. The Blefuscuan navy, consisting of fifty great ships of war, was even then about to set sail; but I, by wading and swimming, reached their chief harbor where they were yet at anchor. With my pocket-knife I cut the cables of their fifty ships of war, and then, typing each ship to a piece of twine, I drew them after me to dry land, and so compelled the capitulation of Blefuscu.

While this deed redounded to my glory, it also raised me up powerful enemies, one being the high admiral of the Lilliputian navy. Had I wished, I could have crushed them and their entire kingdom under my boots, but there was my pledged word not to harm them. So when by secret intrigue they had me tried and condemned to the loss of my eyes, there was nothing left me but escape. I went to Blefuscu, where I was given a great reception and where they would have me stay; but I was weary of kings and princes, and told them that I desired nothing except that they would provision for me a boat, which I had found drifting on the shore, and allow me to go my way.

They stored the boat with the carcasses of 100 oxen, 300 sheep, with cows, bulls, and as much ready-dressed meat as 400 cooks could provide. Being thus protected against famine, I set sail on the third day and was picked up by an English merchant captain, who deemed me crazy when I told him my story. Not until I had taken several head of cattle from my pockets would he believe me. To my great grief, one of the ship's rats carried off one of my sheep on the way home.

On reaching home I learned that my uncle John had died and left me his estate near Epping, and the same being sufficient to keep my family from want, and the lust to wander being still quick within me, I set off to sea once more, this time in the Adventurer, bound for Surat.

On this voyage, after a great tempest, we put into a strange bay for water. Rambling on the shore, I became separated from my companions and fell into the hands of some natives of Brobdingnag, colossal men, of whom hardly one was under sixty English feet in height.

I was here put on exhibition, and, my fame reaching the ears of the king and queen, they commanded my presence at court; and thither I was brought, in charge of the daughter of one of my captors, a little girl named Glumdalclitch, nine years of age and small for her years, being not above thirty feet in height.

In the train of their Majesties, I traveled all over the kingdom, which was 6,000 miles in length by 3,000 to 5,000 in breadth. The capital city was 54 miles in length by 45 in breadth, a wonderful city where the king's palace was 7 miles around and the chief room therein 240 feet high, and broad and long in proportion. The king's stable was also a goodly building, housing 500 horses, noble creatures of a height of from 54 to 60 feet.