A

VOYAGE

To the Country of the

H O U Y H N HN MS.

CHAP. I.

The author fets out as captain of a fhip. His men confpire against him, confine him a long time to his cabbin. Set him on shore in an unknown land. He travels up into the country. The Yahoos, a strange fort of animal, defcribed. The author, meets two Houyhn

hams.

I Continued at home with

Continued at home with my wife and children about five months in a very happy condition, if I could have learned the leffon of knowing when I was well. I left my poor wife big with child, and accepted an advantageous offer made me to be captain of the Adventure, a ftout merchant-man of 350 tons: for I understood navigation well, and being grown weary of a furgeon's employment at fea, which however I could exerçife upon occafion, I took a skilful young man of that calling, one Robert Purefoy, into my fhip. We fet fail from Portsmouth upon the 7th day of September, 1710; on the 14th, we met with

U 4

cap

tain

tain Pocock of Bristol at Tenariff, who was going to the bay of Campechy to cut logwood. On the 16th, he was parted from us by a storm; I heard fince my return, that his ship foundered, and none efcaped, but one cabbinboy. He was an honeft man, and a good failor, but a little too pofitive in his own opinions, which was the cause of his destruction, as it hath been of feveral others. For if he had followed my advice, he might have been fafe at home with his family at this time, as well as myself.

I had feveral men died in my fhip of calentures, fo that I was forced to get recruits out of Barbadoes and the Leeward Islands, where I touched by the direction of the merchants, who employed me; which I had foon too much caufe to repent; for I found afterwards, that most of them had been bucaneers. I had fifty hands on board, and my orders were, that I fhould trade with the Indians in the South-fea, and make what discoveries I could. Thefe rogues, whom I had picked up, debauched my other men, and they all formed a confpiracy to feize the fhip, and secure me; which they did one morning, rushing into my cabbin, and binding me hand and foot, threatening to throw me over-board, if I offered to ftir. I told them, I was their prifoner, and would fubmit. This they made me fwear te do, and then they unbound me, only fasten

Certain pyrates, that infefted the Weft-Indies, were fo called,

ing one of my legs with a chain near my bed, and placed a centry at my door with his piece charged, who was commanded to shoot me dead, if I attempted my liberty. They fent me down victuals and drink, and took the government of the ship to themselves. Their defign was to turn pyrates, and plunder the Spaniards, which they could not do, till they got more men. But first they refolved to fell the goods in the fhip, and then go to Madagafcar for recruits, feveral among them having died fince my confinement. They failed many weeks, and traded with the Indians; but I knew not what course they took, being kept a close prifoner in my cabbin, and expecting nothing less than to be murdered, as they often threatened me.

Upon the 9th day of May, 1711, one James Welch came down to my cabbin, and said he had orders from the captain to set me a-shore. I expoftulated with him, but in vain; neither would he fo much as tell me, who their new captain was. They forced me into the long-boat, letting me put on my beft fuit of cloaths, which were as good as new, and take a fmall bundle of linnen, but no arms, except my hanger; and they were fo civil as not to search my pockets, into which I conveyed what money I had with some other little neceffaries. They rowed about a league; and then fet me down on a ftrand. I defired them to tell me, what country it was. They all fwore, they knew no more than myself, but faid, that the cap

tain (as they called him) was refolved, after they had fold the lading, to get rid of me in the first place, where they could discover land. They pushed off immediately, advising me to make hafte for fear of being overtaken by the tide, and fo bad me farewel.

In this defolate condition I advanced forward, and foon got upon firm ground, where I fat down on a bank to reft myself and confider what I had beft do. When I was a little refreshed, I went up into the country, refolving to deliver myself to the first favages I fhould meet, and purchase my life from them by fome bracelets, glafs rings, and other toys, which failors usually provide themselves with in those voyages, and whereof I had fome about me. The land was divided by long rows of trees not regularly planted, but naturally growing; there was great plenty of grafs, and feveral fields of oats. I walked very circumfpectly for fear of being furprised, or fuddenly fhot with an arrow from behind, or on either fide. I fell into a beaten road, where I faw many tracks of human feet, and fome of cows, but most of horses. At laft I beheld feveral animals in a field, and one or two of the fame kind fitting in trees. Their fhape was very fingular and deformed, which a little discompofed me, so that I lay down behind a thicket to obferve them better. Some of them coming forward near the place where I lay, gave me an opportunity of diftinctly marking their form. Their heads and breafts were covered

with a thick hair, fome frizled, and others lank; they had beards like goats, and a long ridge of hair down their backs, and the foreparts of their legs and feet; but the reft of their bodies were bare, fo that I might fee their skins, which were of a brown buff colour. They had no tails, nor any hair at all on their buttocks, except about the anus; which, I prefume, nature had placed there to defend them, as they fat on the ground; for this posture they used, as well as lying down, and often stood on their hind feet. They climbed high trees as nimbly as a squirrel, for they had ftrong extended claws before and behind, terminating in sharp points, and hooked. They would often spring, and bound, and leap with prodigious agility. The females were not fo large as the males; they had long lank hair on their heads, but none on their faces, nor any thing more than a fort of down on the rest of their bodies, except about the anus and pudenda. Their dugs hung between their forefeet, and often reached almoft to the ground as they walked. The hair of both fexes was of several colours, brown, red, black, and yellow. Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my travels fo disagreeable an animal, or one against which I naturally conceived fo ftrong an antipathy. So that thinking I had feen enough, full of contempt and averfion, I got up, and pursued the beaten road, hoping it might direct me to the cabbin of fome Indian, I had not got far, when I met one of these

creatures