CHAPTER TEN

Escape to Blefuscu

I decided that the safest place for me to go would be Blefuscu. Now that the king wanted to punish me, I knew that he would not let me go anywhere. Because of this, I wrote him a letter telling him I was going to visit Blefuscu, and did not wait for his response.

Blefuscu was not far away from Lilliput, and it only took me half an hour to swim there. When I arrived in Blefuscu, I was instantly seen by many little people. The people had heard about my friendly feelings towards them, so they gladly welcomed me to their country. The first thing I did when I got to Blefuscu was go and speak to the Blefuscudian king. When I arrived at the palace, the king, queen and their children were waiting for me and smiling happily. "Welcome to our country, Man-mountain," said the king of Blefuscu, "We cannot thank you enough for helping us keep our freedom."

That evening, there was a great feast in my honor. There were many bottles of red wine and many delicious dishes. Of course, I had to eat hundreds of plates of food before I was no longer hungry! The Blefuscudian king told me that I could stay on Blefuscu for as long as I wanted, which made me very happy. I decided not to mention my troubles with the Lilliputian people.

For the next three days, I explored the country. On the afternoon of the third day, I found a nice spot on the beach to sit down. For the first time in a while, I began to think about my home and family. Suddenly I saw a large object floating in the ocean. Quickly I walked up the closest mountain (which was like a small hill to me) and climbed up to the top to see what the object was. I was surprised and excited to see that it was a small, empty boat.

I quickly ran back to see the king of Blefuscu. I told him about the boat I had seen. "Great king, I have been happy seeing your country. However, today I have begun to think about returning home. I have lived in the lands of little people for almost a year. I am afraid that my wife and children think that I am dead. I have seen a small boat in the ocean, and I need your help to bring it to land."

The king agreed to do anything he could and ordered his army to help me get the boat. This army of men quickly prepared twenty of their largest ships, with a few thousand sailors on them, to sail out to the small boat. Meanwhile, I swam out to the boat with some strong ropes and tied them to the Blefuscudian ships. Together, the army of men in their ships and I pulled the boat onto the beach.

When we had returned to the beach, I examined the boat. I was very happy to find that it was in good condition. For the next two weeks I built a sail and two strong oars for the boat. When my boat was ready, I went to the king of Blefuscu to ask for one last favor.

"Dear king," I said, "I do not know how far I am from my home, but I know that I am many weeks away. If I am going to return home safely, I will need a large amount of food and water. Can you give me these supplies?"

"Certainly, good Man-mountain," said the king, "However, I am sad to see you go. I had hoped you would stay here in Blefuscu and help me make my country stronger."

I understood how the king felt. However, I remembered my bad experiences with the people of Lilliput and their king. I did not want to become involved in the problems of another country! "I am sorry, good king," I said, "But I feel that I must leave and return to my own people."

Luckily, the king understood, he gave orders for his people to prepare the supplies of food and water for my journey.

While everything was being prepared, I sat down to talk with the king. "Great king," I said, "I am afraid there is something I have not told you. It is about my relationship with the Lilliputian king. Before I left to visit your country, the king accused me of treason. He and his officers were planning to make me a slave and then kill me, so I had to escape."

The king of Blefuscu laughed. "Good Man-mountain, I already know what happened to you in Lilliput. The king of the Lilliputians wrote me a letter explaining what you have done. He told me that if I allowed you to stay in Blefuscu, then our two countries would be at war once again."

"Oh, no! Then I must stay and help your people, king!" I interrupted.

"No, Man-mountain, do not worry. I wrote the Lilliputian king a letter, saying that it was impossible for my people to capture you. After all, you are as big and strong as a mountain! The Lilliputian king knows this. I also said that you were leaving this part of the world, and we would never see you again. I do not think you will have any more trouble—but you can never return here again!"

When we had finished speaking it was late at night, so I went to sleep. Early the next morning it was time to go. Hundreds of Blefuscudians carried food and water to my boat. The king also gave me a special present of ten tiny cows and ten tiny bulls. They were only a few inches high. I was excited for the opportunity to show my people these amazing little creatures. When they saw the animals, my family and friends would know that my strange stories were true. The king also gave me a bag of gold coins from Blefuscu, and a painting of him and the queen.

I put all these things onto my boat and began to sail. "Thank you, kind people of Blefuscu. I will never forget you! I hope your country grows large and strong," I cried as I began to sail away.

I sailed for a few days before I saw a large ship in the distance. I cried out for joy, because the ship had a British flag! Finally, I could travel home. Quickly, I began to sail towards the ship. When I reached the ship, I asked the sailors where they were going. "To England," they cried.

"Please take me with you," I said, "I have many amazing stories to tell the captain. He will learn about parts of the world that no human has ever seen before." The sailors were interested in my comments, and so they allowed me to come on board with my belongings.

At first, when I told the captain and his men my story, no one believed me. I was not surprised. But when I showed them my tiny cows and bulls, and the picture of the king and queen of Blefuscu, they were amazed.

Two weeks later, I was finally home in the city of Nottinghamshire. I thanked the captain and his men, and gave him two cows and two bulls as thanks. Then I hurried to my house.

My wife and children were happy to see me after so long, of course. My family had a very good time listening to my stories of my adventures in Lilliput and Blefuscu. My children loved the little cows and bulls and spent many happy hours playing with them. After a few weeks, I decided to sell the little animals to a rich man who collected strange objects from around the world. The man gave me so much money for the little animals that I was able to buy a new house for my family. For the next few years, we lived comfortably and happily together.

(end of section)