Youwarkee cannot bear a strong light--Wilkins makes her
spectacles, which help her--A description of them
Youwarkee and I having no other company than one another's, we talked
together almost from morn to night, in order to learn each other's
dialect But how compilable soever she was in all other respects, I could
not persuade her to go out with me to fetch water, or to the lake, in
the day-time. It being now the light season, I wanted her to be more
abroad; but she excused herself, telling me her people never came into
those luminous parts of the country during the false glare, as they
called it, but kept altogether at home, where their light was more
moderate and steadier; and that the place where I resided was not
frequented by them for half the year, and at other times only upon
parties of pleasure, it not being worth while to settle habitations
where they could not abide always. She said Normnbdsgrsutt was the
finest region in the world, where her king's court was, and a vast
kingdom. I asked her twice or thrice more to name the country to me,
but not all the art we could use, hers in dictating, and mine in
endeavouring to pronounce it, would render me conqueror of that
her monosyllable (for as such it sounded from her sweet lips); so I
relinquished the name to her, telling her whenever she had any more
occasion to mention the place, I desired it might be under the style of
Doorpt Swangeanti, which she promised; but wondered, as she could speak
the other so glibly, as she called it, I could not do so too.
I told her that the light of my native country was far stronger than any
I had seen since my arrival at Graundevolet (for that, I found by her,
was the name my dominions went by); and that we had a sun, or ball of
fire, which rolled over our heads every day, with such a light, and such
a heat, that it would sometimes almost scorch one, it was so hot, and
was of such brightness that the eye could not look at it without danger
of blindness. She was heartily glad, she said, she was not born in so
wretched a land; and she did not believe there was any other so good
as her own. I thought no benefit could arise from my combating these
innocent prejudices, so I let them alone.
She had often lamented to me the difference of our eyesight, and the
trouble it was to her that she could not at all times go about with me,
till it gave me a good deal of uneasiness to see her concern. At last I
told her, that though I believed it would be impossible to reduce my
sight to the standard of hers, yet I was persuaded I could bring hers to
bear the strongest light I had ever seen in this country. She was
mightily pleased with the thought of that, and said she wished I might,
for she was sensible of no grief like being obliged to stay at home when
I went abroad on my business, and was resolved to try my experiment if I
pleased, and in the meantime should heartily pray for the success. I hit
on the following invention.
I rummaged over all my old things, and by good luck found an old
crape hatband. This I tried myself, single, before my own eyes, in the
strongest light we had; but believing I had not yet obscured it enough,
I doubled it, and then thought it might do; but for fear it should not
I trebled it, and then it seemed too dark for eyes like mine to discover
objects through it, and so I judged it would suit hers; for I was
determined to produce something, if possible, that would do at first,
without repetition of trial, which I thought would only deject her more,
by making her look on the matter as impracticable. I now only wanted a
proper method for fixing it on her, and this I thought would be easily
effected, but had much more difficulty in it than I imagined. A first I
purposed to tie the crape over her eyes, but trying it myself, I found
it very rough and fretting: I then designed fixing it to an old crown of
a hat that held my fish-hooks and lines, and so let it hang down before
her face; but that also had its inconveniences, as it would slap
her eyes in windy weather, and would be not only useless, but very
troublesome in flight; so that I was scarce ever more puzzled before. At
last I thought of a method that answered exceedingly well, the hint
of which I took from somewhat I had seen with my master when I was at
school, which he called goggles, and which he used to tie round his
head to screen his eyes in riding. The thing I made upon that plan was
composed of old hat, pieces of rams-horn, and the above-mentioned crape.
When I had finished the whole apparatus, I tried it first upon myself,
and finding great reason to believe it would perfectly answer the
intention, I ran directly to Youwarkee. "Come," says I, "my dear, will
you go with me to the water-rill; for I must fetch some this morning?"
She shook her head, and, with tears in her eyes, wished she could.
"But," says she, "let me see how light it is abroad."--"No," says I, "my
love, you must not look out till you go."--"Indeed," says she, "if it
did not affect my eyes and head you should not ask me twice."--"Well,"
says I, "my Youwarkee, I am now come to take you with me; and that you
may not suffer by it, turn about, and let me apply the remedy I told
you of for your sight" She wanted much to see first what it was, but I
begged her to forbear till she tried whether it would be useful or not
She told me she would absolutely submit to my direction, so I adjusted
the thing to her head. "Now," says I, "you have it on, let us go out
and try it, and let me know the moment you find the light offensive, and
take particular notice how you are affected." Hereupon away we marched,
and I heard no complaint in all our walk to the lake.
"Now, my dear Youwarkee," says I, when we got there, "what do you think
of my contrivance? Can you see at all?"--"Yes, very well," says she.
"But, my dear Peter, you have taken the advantage of the twilight, I
know, to deceive me; and I had rather have stayed at home than have
subjected you to return in the night for the sake of my company." I then
assured her it was mid-day, and no later, which pleased her mightily;
and, to satisfy her, I untied the string behind, and just let her be
convinced it was so. When I had fixed the shade on her head again, she
put up her hands and felt the several materials of which it consisted;
and after expressing her admiration of it, "So, my dear Peter," says
she, "you have now encumbered yourself with a wife indeed, for since
I can come abroad in a glaring light with so much ease, you will never
henceforward be without my company."
Youwarkee being thus in spirits, we launched the boat, watered, took a
draught of fish, and returned; passing the night at home, in talking of
the spectacles (for that was the name I told her they must go by) and
of the fishing, for that exercise delighted her to a great degree. But,
above all, the spectacles were her chief theme; she handled them and
looked at them again and again, and asked several rational questions
about them; as, how they could have that effect on her eyes, enabling
her to see, and the like. She ventured out with them next day by
herself; and, as she threatened, was as good as her word, for she
scarcely afterwards let me go abroad by myself, but accompanied me
everywhere freely, and with delight.