Gulliver's travels

Part 1: A voyage to lilliput

1:1: lemuel gulliver in a strange land..

My adventure begin on may 4, 1699 when i accepted the post of ship's doctor to Captain william prichard, of the antelope .it was a voyage to south seas. At first, our travel was good but when we reached the East indies*, trouble struck. Many of the crew died due to overwork or poor food and the rest were  in a week  condition. A violent storm caught us  by surprise. It tossed our ship about until it was driven north-west of  van diemen's land * in Australia.

I always believed i would travel and see new places. I had  studied under Mr James bates, a famous surgeon

In London. I also studied subjects like navigation , physics and mathematics because i knew it would be useful in long voyages on the sea. My knowledge was going to be greatly tested on this journey.

It was the beginning of summer and the weather was hazy. On November 5*, a fierce wind began to blow and drove the ship straight on to a rock .  with a loud crash and  tearing sound, the ship spilt and began to sink. We were desperate to save ourselves. Six of us tried to escape on  a  lifeboat. We rowed in vain through the  screaming wind   and choppy waters. Completely exhausted, we  surrendered to the mercy of the waves. suddenly the boat was overset by a terrible gust of  wind .  I  swam alone in those waters, pushed forward by wind and  tide . it was  a  long , lonely  struggle. Just as I was about to give up, my feet hit something. I had hit ground ! I was saved!

I must have been about eight 0'clock

In the evening and the storm had reduced. I dragged myself for nearly a mile in shallow waters  before i got to the shore. I walked on  for another half  a mile, but  could not find  houses  or  people . weak and weary, i sank down on the short, soft grass and fell soundly asleep for about  nine hours.

When i  awoke, it was  dawn . i attempted to rise, but was unable to move my body. What was wrong with me? I was lying on my back and could only look upwards. My arms and legs were strongly fastened to the ground  by ropes and pegs. Even my long and thick  hair was tied  down.  I felt  several slender straps across my body, from my armpits to my thighs. The sun  began to grow hot, and  the light hurt my eyes. I heard  a confused  noise around me, but  due  to my imprisoned state,  i could see nothing  except the sky. Sud

denly i felt something moving up my left leg .it moved gently forward over my breast, till it came up almost to my chin.   

I saw the strangest of sights. it was a tiny human creature abot six inches hight, with bow and arrow in his hands, and quiver at his back! Another forty of them came up my body. In utter astonishment, i roared out loud.they darted back in fight . some,  i was told later , were hurt  with the falls they got by leaping from my body to the ground. However, they soon returned  . one of them, who dared to come up to my face , lifted  up his hands and eyes in admiration and cried out in a shrill voice, " Hekinah degul!"

The others repeated the same words several times,but at that time, i could not  understand what they meant. When i had begun my travels i used to read  book and study the language and the manners of the people whose land i visited . i realized i could easily pick up new  language because i had good memory. But for now, their language was strange to my ears.

I struggled to get loose and managed to break the strings and wrench  out the pegs  the fastened my left arm to the ground .with a violent, painful pull, i loosened the strings and tied down my hair on the left side , so that i could turn  my head  about two inches. Before i could catch one of them , the creatures ran off.

A great shout went up from the crowd .i head one of them cry aloud "Tolgo phonac!"  I an instant  a hundred arrow hit my left hand  .  they pricked  me like  hot  needles.  They flight into the air ,and many arrow fell on my body . some fell on my face , whic immediately covered  with my left hand. I began groaning louldy  with grief and pain. I tried to get loose once again , so they discharged another volley larger than the first . some of the person tried to  stick spears in my sides, but i had  on a leather jerkin ,  which they could not pierce. I felt  i could easily free myself and was a match  for their greatest army, but i decided that the wisest  thing would be  to lie still till nightfall

At once they stopped their arrows. By  the growing noise around, l knew that more of the little people had arrived. About four yards from me ,  neat my right ear,  i heard a knocking and banging , like people at work . i turned  my head as much as i could . i saw a stage being erected with two or three ladders on the side.

A well-dressed man hurgo,as they  called him , climbed up on to the stage and cried out three times , " Langro dehul san ! " fifty inhabitants came  forward and cut the strings on the left side of my head so that i could turn and observe the speaker. He made a long speech  with many actions of threat, promise, pity, and kindness. I mumbled a few words in response and showed obedient and meek actions . i pointed to the sun  as my witness and promised that i would not hurt them. I then conveyed to  them how hungry i was. Going against proper manners, i even  put my finger frequently to my mouth , to show them that  i was desperate for food ! 

The hurgo or great lord , understood me bery well . he commanded that several ladders be placed to my sides.  A hundred tiny men mounted and walked towards my mouth with baskets full of meat.  I noticed there was meat several animals no smaller than a lark ,  but could  not distinguish them by the taste . i ate  them in two or three  mouthfuls with bread  the size  of  musket bullets .  they supplied me as fast as they could , shouting in wounder and astonishment at my huge appetite. I then made another sign that i wanted a drink .

The clever people skillfully pushed up one of their largest  barrels , rolled it towards my mouth and knocked out the cap . i drank the liquid off in a gulp. It held only half a pint, and tasted like wine of burgundy , but much more delicious . they brought me a second barrel , which i drank in the same  manner . i made signs for more ; but they had none to give me. Filled with delight and admiration at  my appetite , they danced upon my breast and repeated several times " Hekinah degul! "

To be honest, i was tempted to seize forty or fifty of these people and dash them against the ground . but the memory of their arrows and the promise of honour i made them prevented me .these people had  treated me with so much expense. Surely i owed them some gratitude for their hospitality! I also wondered at the courage of these tiny souls. What boldness they had to mount and walk upon my body! One of my hands was still free toharm them but they walked without trembling at the gigantic creature that i must have  appeared to them ,.....