the beginning of trouble for Gulliver. The King was so puffed up by
the victory that he formed plans for capturing in the same way the
whole of the enemy's ships of every kind. And it was now his wish to
crush Blefuscu utterly, and to make it nothing but a province
depending on Lilliput. Thus, he thought, he himself would then be
monarch of the whole world.
In this scheme Gulliver refused to take any part, and he very plainly
said that he would give no help in making slaves of the Blefuscans.
This refusal angered the King very much, and more than once he
artfully brought the matter up at a State Council. Now, several of the
councilors, though they pretended to be Gulliver's friends so long as
he was in favor with the King, were really his secret enemies, and
nothing pleased these persons better than to see that the King was no
longer pleased with him. So they did all in their power to nurse and
increase the King's anger, and to make him believe that Gulliver was a
traitor.
About this time there came to Lilliput ambassadors from Blefuscu,
suing for peace. When a treaty had been made and signed (very greatly
to the advantage of Lilliput), the Blefuscan ambassadors asked to see
the Great Man Mountain, of whom they had heard so much, and they paid
Gulliver a formal call. After asking him to give them some proofs of
his strength, they invited him to visit their Emperor, which Gulliver
promised to do.
Accordingly, the next time that he met the King, he asked, as he was
bound to do by the paper he had signed, for permission to leave the
country for a time, in order to visit Blefuscu. The King did not
refuse, but his manner was so cold that Gulliver could not help
noticing it. Afterwards he learned from a friend that his enemies in
the council had told the King lying tales of his meetings with the
Blefuscan ambassadors, which had had the effect of still further
rousing his anger.
It happened too, most unfortunately, at this time, that Gulliver had
offended the Queen by a well-meant, but badly-managed, effort to do
her a service, and thus he lost also her friendship. But though he was
now out of favor at court, he was still an object of great interest to
every one.
V
GULLIVER'S ESCAPE FROM LILLIPUT AND RETURN TO ENGLAND
Gulliver had three hundred cooks to dress his food and these men, with
their families, lived in small huts which had been built for them near
his house.
He had made for himself a chair and a table. On to this table it was
his custom to lift twenty waiters, and these men then drew up by ropes
and pulleys all his food, and his wine in casks, which one hundred
other servants had in readiness on the ground. Gulliver would often
eat his meal with many hundreds of people looking on.
One day the King, who had not seen him eat since this table had been
built, sent a message that he and the Queen desired to be present that
day while Gulliver dined. They arrived just before his dinner hour,
and he at once lifted the King and Queen and the Princes, with their
attendants and guards, on to the table.
Their Majesties sat in their chairs of state all the time, watching
with deep interest the roasts of beef and mutton, and whole flocks of
geese and turkeys and fowls disappear into Gulliver's mouth. A roast
of beef of which he had to make more than two mouthfuls was seldom
seen, and he ate them bones and all. A goose or a turkey was but one
bite.
Certainly, on this occasion, Gulliver ate more than usual, thinking by
so doing to amuse and please the court.
But in this he erred, for it was turned against him. Flimnap, the Lord
High Treasurer, who had always been one of his enemies, pointed out to
the King the great daily expense of such meals, and told how this huge
man had already cost the country over a million and a half of _sprugs_
(the largest Lilliputian gold coin). Things, indeed, were beginning to
go very ill with Gulliver.
Now it happened about this time that one of the King's courtiers, to
whom Gulliver had been very kind, came to him by night very privately
in a closed chair, and asked to have a talk, without any one else
being present.
Gulliver gave to a servant whom he could trust orders that no one else
was to be admitted, and having put the courtier and his chair upon the
table, so that he might better hear all that was said, he sat down to
listen.
Gulliver was told that there had lately been several secret meetings
of the King's Privy Council, on his account. The Lord High Admiral
(who now hated him because of his success against the Blefuscan
fleet), Flimnap, the High Treasurer, and others of his enemies, had
drawn up against him charges of treason and other crimes. The courtier
had brought with him a copy of these charges, and Gulliver now read
them.
It was made a point against him that, when ordered to do so by the
King, he had refused to seize all the other Blefuscan ships. It was
also said that he would not join in utterly crushing the empire of
Blefuscu, nor give aid when it was proposed to put to death not only
all the Big endians who had fled for refuge to that country, but all
the Blefuscans themselves who were friends of the Big-endians. For
this he was said to be a traitor.
He was also accused of being over-friendly with the Blefuscan
ambassadors; and it was made a grave charge against him that though
his Majesty had not given him written leave to visit Blefuscu, he yet
was getting ready to go to that country, in order to give help to the
Emperor against Lilliput.
There had been many debates on these charges, said the courtier, and
the Lord High Admiral had made violent speeches, strongly advising
that the Great Man Mountain should be put to death. In this he was
joined by Flimnap, and by others, so that actually the greater part of
the council was in favor of instant death by the most painful means
that could be used.
The less unfriendly members of the council, however, while saying that
they had no doubt of Gulliver's guilt, were yet of the opinion that,
as his services to the kingdom of Lilliput had been great, the
punishment of death was too severe. They thought it would be enough if
his eyes were put out. This, they said, would not prevent him from
being still made useful.
Then began a most excited argument, the Admiral and those who sided
with him insisting that Gulliver should be killed at once.
At last the Secretary rose and said that he had a middle course to
suggest. This was, that Gulliver's eyes should be put out, and that
thereafter his food should be gradually so reduced in quantity that in
the course of two or three months he would die of starvation. By which
time, said the Secretary, his body would be wasted to an extent that
would make it easy for five or six hundred men, in a few days, to cut
off the flesh and take it away in cart-loads to be buried at a
distance. Thus there would be no danger of a pestilence breaking out
from the dead body lying near the city. The skeleton, he said, could
then be put in the National Museum.
It was finally decided that this sentence should be carried out, and
twenty of the King's surgeons were ordered to be present in three
days' time to see the operation of putting out Gulliver's eyes
properly done. Sharp-pointed arrows were to be shot into the balls of
his eyes.
The courtier now left the house, as privately as he had come, and
Gulliver was left to decide what he should do.
At first he thought of attacking the city, and destroying it. But by
doing this he must have destroyed, with the city, a great many
thousands of innocent people, which he could not make up his mind to
do.
At last he wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary, saying that as the
King had himself told him that he might visit Blefuscu, he had decided
to do so that morning.
Without waiting for an answer, he set out for the coast, where he
seized a large man-of-war which was at anchor there, tied a cable to
her bow, and then putting his clothes and his blanket on board, he
drew the ship after him to Blefuscu. There he was well received by the
Emperor. But as there happened to be no house big enough for him, he
was forced, during his stay, to sleep each night on the ground,
wrapped in his blanket.
Three days after his arrival, when walking along the seashore, he
noticed something in the water which looked not unlike a boat
floating bottom up. Gulliver waded and swam out, and found that he was
right. It was a boat. By the help of some of the Blefsucan ships, with
much difficulty he got it ashore. When the tide had fallen, two
thousand of the Emperor's dockyard men helped him to turn it over, and
Gulliver found that but little damage had been done.
He now set to work to make oars and mast and sail for the boat, and to
fit it out and provision it for a voyage.
While this work was going on, there came from Lilliput a message
demanding that Gulliver should be bound hand and foot and returned to
that country as a prisoner, there to be punished as a traitor. To this
message the Emperor replied that it was not possible to bind him; that
moreover the Great Man Mountain had found a vessel of size great
enough to carry him over the sea, and that it was his purpose to leave
the Empire of Blefuscu in the course of a few weeks.
Gulliver did not delay his work, and in less than a month he was ready
to sail.
He put on board the boat the carcasses of one hundred oxen and three
hundred sheep, with a quantity of bread and wine, and as much meat
ready cooked as four hundred cooks could prepare.
He also took with him a herd of six live black cows and two bulls, and
a flock of sheep, meaning to take them with him to England, if ever he
should get there. As food for these animals he took a quantity of hay
and corn.
Gulliver would have liked to take with him some of the people, but
this the Emperor would not permit.
Everything being ready, he sailed from Blefuscu on 24th September
1701, and the same night anchored on the lee side of an island which
seemed to be uninhabited. Leaving this island on the following
morning, he sailed to the eastward for two days. On the evening of the
second day he sighted a ship, on reaching which, to his great joy, he
found that she was an English vessel on her way home from Japan.
Putting his cattle and sheep in his coat-pockets, he went on board
with all his cargo of provisions. The captain received him very
kindly, and asked him from whence he had come, and how he happened to
be at sea in an open boat.
Gulliver told his tale in as few words as possible. The captain stared
with wonder, and would not believe his story. But Gulliver then took
from his pockets the black cattle and the sheep, which of course
clearly showed that he had been speaking truth. He also showed gold
coins which the Emperor of Blefuscu had given him, some of which he
presented to the captain.
The vessel did not arrive at the port of London till April, 1702, but
there was no loss of the live stock, excepting that the rats on board
carried off and ate one of the sheep. All the others were got safely
ashore, and were put to graze on a bowling-green at Greenwich, where
they throve very well.
THE ARABIAN NIGHTS
ADAPTED BY AMY STEEDMAN
I
ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP
Far away on the other side of the world, in one of the great wealthy
cities of China, there once lived a poor tailor called Mustapha. He
had a wife whom he loved dearly and an only son whose name was
Aladdin.
But, sad to say, although the tailor was good and industrious, his son
was so idle and bad that his father and mother did not know what to do
with him. All day long he played in the streets with other idle boys,
and when he grew big enough to learn a trade he said he did not mean
to work at all. His poor father was very much troubled, and ordered
Aladdin to come to the workshop to learn to be a tailor, but Aladdin
only laughed, and ran away so swiftly that neither his father nor
mother could catch him.
"Alas!" said Mustapha sadly, "I can do nothing with this idle boy."
And he grew so sad about it, that at last he fell ill and died.
Then the poor widow was obliged to sell the little workshop, and try
to make enough money for herself and Aladdin by spinning.
Now it happened that one day when Aladdin was playing as usual with
the idle street boys, a tall, dark, old man stood watching him, and
when the game was finished he made a sign to Aladdin to come to him.
"What is thy name, my boy?" asked this old man, who, though he
appeared so kind, was really an African Magician.
"My name is Aladdin," answered the boy, wondering who this stranger
could be.
"And what is thy father's name?" asked the Magician.
"My father was Mustapha the tailor, but he has been dead a long time
now," answered Aladdin.
"Alas!" cried the wicked old Magician, pretending to weep, "he was my
brother, and thou must be my nephew. I am thy long-lost uncle!" and he
threw his arms round Aladdin's neck and embraced him.
"Tell thy dear mother that I will come and see her this very day," he
cried, "and give her this small present." And he placed in Aladdin's
hands five gold pieces.
Aladdin ran home in great haste to tell his mother the story of the
long-lost uncle.
"It must be a mistake," she said, "thou hast no uncle."
But when she saw the gold she began to think that this stranger must
be a relation, and so she prepared a grand supper to welcome him when
he came.
They had not long to wait before the African Magician appeared,
bringing with him all sorts of fruits and delicious sweets for desert.
"Tell me about my poor brother," he said, as he embraced Aladdin and
his mother. "Show me exactly where he used to sit."
Then the widow pointed to a seat on the sofa, and the Magician knelt
down and began to kiss the place and weep over it.
The poor widow was quite touched, and began to believe that this
really must be her husband's brother, especially when he began to show
the kindest interest in Aladdin.
"What is thy trade?" he asked the boy.
"Alas!" said the widow, "he will do nothing but play in the streets."
Aladdin hung his head with shame as his uncle gravely shook his head.
"He must begin work at once," he said. "How would it please thee to
have a shop of thy own? I could buy one for thee, and stock it with
silks and rich stuffs."
Aladdin danced with joy at the very idea, and next day set out with
his supposed uncle, who bought him a splendid suit of clothes, and
took him all over the city to show him the sights.
The day after, the Magician again took Aladdin out with him, but this
time they went outside the city, through beautiful gardens, into the
open country. They walked so far that Aladdin began to grow weary, but
the Magician gave him a cake and some delicious fruit and told him
such wonderful tales that he scarcely noticed how far they had gone.
At last they came to a deep valley between two mountains, and there
the Magician paused.
"Stop!" he cried, "this is the very place I am in search of. Gather
some sticks that we may make a fire."
Aladdin quickly did as he was bid, and had soon gathered together a
great heap of dry sticks. The Magician then set fire to them, and the
heap blazed up merrily. With great care the old man now sprinkled some
curious-looking powder on the flames, and muttered strange words. In
an instant the earth beneath their feet trembled, and they heard a
rumbling like distant thunder. Then the ground opened in front of
them, and showed a great square slab of stone with a ring in it.
By this time Aladdin was so frightened that he turned to run home as
fast as he could, but the Magician caught him, and gave him such a
blow that he fell to the earth.
"Why dost thou strike me, uncle?" sobbed Aladdin.
"Do as I bid thee," said the Magician, "and then thou shalt be well
treated. Dost thou see that stone? Beneath it is a treasure which I
will share with thee. Only obey me, and it will soon be ours."
As soon as Aladdin heard of a treasure, he jumped up and forgot all
his fears. He seized the ring as the Magician directed, and easily
pulled up the stone.
"Now," said the old man, "look in and thou wilt see stone steps
leading downwards. Thou shalt descend those steps until thou comest to
three great halls. Pass through them, but take care to wrap thy coat
well round thee that thou mayest touch nothing, for if thou dost, thou
wilt die instantly. When thou hast passed through the halls thou wilt
come into a garden of fruit-trees. Go through it until thou seest a
niche with a lighted lamp in it. Put the light out, pour forth the
oil, and bring the lamp to me."
So saying the Magician placed a magic ring upon Aladdin's finger to
guard him, and bade the boy begin his search.
Aladdin did exactly as he was told and found everything just as the
Magician had said. He went through the halls and the garden until he
came to the lamp, and when he had poured out the oil and placed the
lamp carefully inside his coat he began to look about him.
He had never seen such a lovely garden before, even in his dreams. The
fruits that hung upon the trees were of every color of the rainbow.
Some were clear and shining like crystal, some sparkled with a crimson
light and others were green, blue, violet, and orange, while the
leaves that shaded them were silver and gold. Aladdin did not guess
that these fruits were precious stones, diamonds, rubies, emeralds,
and sapphires, but they looked so pretty that he filled all his
pockets with them as he passed back through the garden.
The Magician was eagerly peering down the stone steps when Aladdin
began to climb up.
"Give me the lamp," he cried, stretching his hand for it.
"Wait until I get out," answered Aladdin, "and then I will give it
thee."
"Hand it up to me at once," screamed the old man angrily.
"Not till I am safely out," repeated Aladdin.
Then the Magician stamped with rage, and rushing to the fire threw on
it some more of the curious powder, uttered the same strange words as
before, and instantly the stone slipped back into its place, the earth
closed over it, and Aladdin was left in darkness.
This showed indeed that the wicked old man was not Aladdin's uncle. By
his magic arts in Africa he had found out all about the lamp, which
was a wonderful treasure, as you will see. But he knew that he could
not get it himself, that another hand must fetch it to him. This was
the reason why he had fixed upon Aladdin to help him, and had meant,
as soon as the lamp was safely in his hand, to kill the boy.
As his plan had failed he went back to Africa, and was not seen again
for a long, long time.
But there was poor Aladdin shut up underground, with no way of
getting out! He tried to find his way back to the great halls and the
beautiful garden of shining fruits, but the walls had closed up, and
there was no escape that way either. For two days the poor boy sat
crying and moaning in his despair, and just as he had made up his mind
that he must die, he clasped his hands together, and in doing so
rubbed the ring which the Magician had put upon his finger.
In an instant a huge figure rose out of the earth and stood before
him.
"What is thy will, my master?" it said. "I am the Slave of the Ring,
and must obey him who wears the ring."
"Whoever or whatever you are," cried Aladdin, "take me out of this
dreadful place."
Scarcely had he said these words when the earth opened, and the next
moment Aladdin found himself lying at his mother's door. He was so
weak for want of food, and his joy at seeing his mother was so great,
that he fainted away, but when he came to himself he promised to tell
her all that had happened.
"But first give me something to eat," he cried, "for I am dying of
hunger."
"Alas!" said his mother, "I have nothing in the house except a little
cotton, which I will go out and sell."
"Stop a moment," cried Aladdin, "rather let us sell this old lamp
which I have brought back with me."
Now the lamp looked so old and dirty that Aladdin's mother began to
rub it, wishing to brighten it a little that it might fetch a higher
price.
But no sooner had she given it the first rub than a huge dark figure
slowly rose from the floor like a wreath of smoke until it reached the
ceiling, towering above them.
"What is thy will?" it asked. "I am the Slave of the Lamp, and must do
the bidding of him who holds the Lamp."
The moment the figure began to rise from the ground Aladdin's mother
was so terrified that she fainted away, but Aladdin managed to snatch
the lamp from her, although he could scarcely hold it in his own
shaking hand.
"Fetch me something to eat," he said in a trembling voice, for the
terrible Genie was glaring down upon him.
The Slave of the Lamp disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but in an
instant he was back again, bringing with him a most delicious
breakfast, served upon plates and dishes of pure gold.
By this time Aladdin's mother had recovered, but she was almost too
frightened to eat, and begged Aladdin to sell the lamp at once, for
she was sure it had something to do with evil spirits. But Aladdin
only laughed at her fears, and said he meant to make use of the magic
lamp and wonderful ring, now that he knew their worth.
As soon as they again wanted money they sold the golden plates and
dishes, and when these were all gone Aladdin ordered the Genie to
bring more, and so they lived in comfort for several years.
Now Aladdin had heard a great deal about the beauty of the Sultan's
daughter, and he began to long so greatly to see her that he could not
rest. He thought of a great many plans, but they all seemed
impossible, for the Princess never went out without a veil, which
covered her entirely. At last, however, he managed to enter the palace
and hide himself behind a door, peeping through a chink when the
Princess passed to go to her bath.
The moment Aladdin's eyes rested upon the beautiful Princess he loved
her with all his heart, for she was as fair as the dawn of a summer
morning.
"Mother," he cried when he reached home, "I have seen the Princess,
and I have made up my mind to marry her. Thou shalt go at once to the
Sultan, and beg him to give me his daughter."
Aladdin's mother stared at her son, and then began to laugh at such a
wild idea. She was almost afraid that Aladdin must be mad, but he gave
her no peace until she did as he wished.
So the next day she very unwillingly set out for the palace, carrying
the magic fruit wrapped up in a napkin, to present to the Sultan.
There were many other people offering their petitions that day, and
the poor woman was so frightened that she dared not go forward, and so
no one paid any attention to her as she stood there patiently holding
her bundle. For a whole week she had gone every day to the palace,
before the Sultan noticed her.
"Who is that poor woman who comes every day carrying a white bundle?"
he asked.
Then the Grand Vizier ordered that she should be brought forward, and
she came bowing herself to the ground.
She was almost too terrified to speak, but when the Sultan spoke so
kindly to her she took courage, and told him of Aladdin's love for the
Princess, and of his bold request, "He sends you this gift," she
continued, and opening the bundle she presented the magic fruit.
A cry of wonder went up from all those who stood around, for never had
they beheld such exquisite jewels before. They shone and sparkled with
a thousand lights and colors, and dazzled the eyes that gazed upon
them.
The Sultan was astounded, and spoke to the Grand Vizier apart.
"Surely it is fit that I should give my daughter to one who can
present such a wondrous gift?" he said....
Now when three months were ended, Aladdin's mother again presented
herself before the Sultan, and reminded him of his promise, that the
Princess should wed her son.
"I ever abide by my royal word," said the Sultan; "but he who marries
my daughter must first send me forty golden basins filled to the brim
with precious stones. These basins must be carried by forty black
slaves, each led by a white slave dressed as befits the servants of
the Sultan."
Aladdin's mother returned home in great distress when she heard this,
and told Aladdin what the Sultan had said.
"Alas, my son!" she cried, "thy hopes are ended."
"Not so, mother," answered Aladdin. "The Sultan shall not have long to
wait for his answer."
Then he rubbed the magic lamp, and when the Genie appeared, he bade
him provide the forty golden basins filled with jewels, and all the
slaves which the Sultan had demanded.