[Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift]@TWC D-Link bookGulliver’s Travels CHAPTER VIII 8/10
The vessel was an English merchantman, returning from Japan by the North and South seas; the captain, Mr.John Biddel, of Deptford, a very civil man, and an excellent sailor. We were now in the latitude of 30 degrees south; there were about fifty men in the ship; and here I met an old comrade of mine, one Peter Williams, who gave me a good character to the captain.
This gentleman treated me with kindness, and desired I would let him know what place I came from last, and whither I was bound; which I did in a few words, but he thought I was raving, and that the dangers I underwent had disturbed my head; whereupon I took my black cattle and sheep out of my pocket, which, after great astonishment, clearly convinced him of my veracity.
I then showed him the gold given me by the emperor of Blefuscu, together with his majesty's picture at full length, and some other rarities of that country.
I gave him two purses of two hundreds _sprugs_ each, and promised, when we arrived in England, to make him a present of a cow and a sheep big with young. I shall not trouble the reader with a particular account of this voyage, which was very prosperous for the most part.
We arrived in the Downs on the 13th of April, 1702.
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