PANTAGRUEL STARTS ON HIS TRAVELS, AND LANDS AT THE ISLAND OF PICTURES.
[Illustration: Initial A.]
A few days after this, Pantagruel said good-by to Gargantua, leaving
the old Giant on his knees praying for his son. He took with him
Ponocrates, Panurge, Epistemon, Gymnaste, Eusthenes, Rhizotome, and
Carpalim going with him of course; fine old Friar John, who was fond
of saying that he could not sleep o' nights unless he was in search of
some adventure; besides a famous traveler named Xenomanes, who boasted
that he knew every land and every sea that the earth, if it had a
tongue, could name. When he reached the sea-coast once more, Pantagruel
picked out the twelve largest vessels in Thalasse, and gathered
together all the pilots, mates, boatswains, sailors, workmen, soldiers,
artillery, ammunition, provisions, and clothes he needed for a long
voyage.
The Flag-ship carried at its prow the strange figure of a gigantic
Bottle. Half of this bottle was of polished silver, the other half of
gold enamelled with crimson. From this every child in Thalasse--who
was a born sailor, and could read strange legends around the prows of
ships--ran about the streets in glee, shouting that the Prince's colors
would be white and red in the lands to which he was going.
[Illustration: PANTAGRUEL PICKS HIS SHIPS.]
With James Brayer, the best pilot in the world, the fleet sailed gaily
away, with all its flags flying. It had all the way, except for a few
days near the Island of the Macreons, a fine, brisk wind, which each
day carried it farther toward India, the mysterious land in which
Pantagruel was going to seek a wife. On the fifth day, James Brayer
caught sight of an island, fair to see on account of the high, white
light-houses and towers, which rose so close together that the whole
coast shone like solid silver under the sun. On steering for the
nearest port, it was found that the new land was known as Medamothi, or
the Island of Pictures.
[Illustration: PANTAGRUEL SETS SAIL.]
"Island of Pictures!" exclaimed Pantagruel; "then we must have some of
them!"
While every ship's crew was hard at work taking in fresh water,
Pantagruel, with his friends, all in high good-humor at the prospect of
once more stepping on dry land, went on shore. They saw a great crowd
of people hurrying here and there, treading on each other's heels, and
filling all the streets and by-ways leading to a great Square.
[Illustration: LANDING AT THE ISLE OF PICTURES.]
"What brings all you good people here?" asked Pantagruel of a cripple,
who was getting along as fast as he could hobble.
"Our great Fair, mighty Giant. Our Fair is held here every year."
"Have you anything there worth the trouble of walking to see?"
"Oh, yes! Your Highness. Many wonderful things are brought here by the
great merchants of Asia and Africa; yes, and from all parts of the
world, too."
"We are in time, then, to see these wonderful things," said the Giant.
Once at the Fair, Pantagruel and his friends were delighted with
the number and variety of the finest tapestry pictures ever brought
together. There was nothing on the earth--whether men, country, cities,
palaces, farm-houses, mountains, ravines, valleys, lakes, trees,
flowers, birds, rivers, beasts, fishes--that was not to be found worked
in tapestry by skilful hands at that most wonderful of Fairs. Everybody
bought a picture,--Friar John, Epistemon, Eusthenes, Carpalim,
Panurge,--everybody, even Gymnaste, who had never before in all his
days seen tapestry. And it was here, while Pantagruel was standing,
deep in thought, before a bit of tapestry Epistemon had bought, that
Xenomanes came up and tried in every way to catch his eye. All those
around were too busy in making good bargains for themselves with the
merchants to help him; so, after half a dozen efforts, he shook his
white head gravely, and walked away.
It was Gymnaste who bought the largest and finest tapestry of all,
representing the "Life and Feats of Achilles," in seventy-eight pieces,
eight yards long and six yards wide, all made of Phrygian silk,
embossed with gold and silver.
"Is that fit for a rough fellow like thee, Gymnaste?" asked Panurge,
with his nose turned up in scorn.
"Thou knowest better than that, Panurge! It is a present from our noble
lord to his royal father, which I have bought on his order."
"Humph!" said Panurge, while his nose turned up still higher in a
bright red end, and stayed that way until dinner-time, when it turned
down a bit, but got redder than ever before the meal was over.
Before leaving the Island of Pictures, Pantagruel bought three fine
young unicorns, which were the tamest of all creatures, and a splendid
reindeer which, with great care, had been brought all the way from
frozen Scythia. There never has been a reindeer like this reindeer from
Scythia! It could change its color at any time, not because it wanted,
or knew it was doing so, but only because it could not help changing
whenever a new color came near it. For instance, when Panurge, in his
gray kersey coat, would draw near to stroke it, its hair would turn
gray too. Near Pantagruel, dressed grandly out in his great scarlet
mantle, the reindeer would blaze out red. When James Brayer, in his
long, white gown, happened to come near the beast, there, in a few
seconds, was the reindeer from Scythia turning white before everybody's
eyes! Pantagruel was very proud to be the owner of such treasures;
and, after he had once got the tapestry for his father, the wonderful
reindeer, and the three unicorns, as playful as young kittens, safely
on board, he gave the order for the fleet to sail from the Island of
Pictures.
[Illustration: PANTAGRUEL BUYS SOME STRANGE ANIMALS.]
Pantagruel had been so taken up with these strange animals that it
was not until he was on his way to the port that he remembered that
Xenomanes had tried to catch his eye. At once turning to him, he said
kindly:--
"Your pardon, great traveller; what did you wish to say to me?"
"Only this, my lord, that seeing so many tapestry pictures, I was
reminded of that strange Land of Satin which I once visited. I know
Your Highness to be a great lover of travels, and always glad to learn
new things. It was for this reason I ventured to disturb you."
"Why!" said Pantagruel, at once interested, "were there as many
wonderful things in your Land of Satin as there are in this Land of
Pictures?"
"What I tell you, my lord, is strange but true. In the Satin Land,
the trees and herbage never lose their leaves or flowers, and are all
damask and flowered velvet. As for the beasts and birds, they all
looked to me like what we saw in those pictures. I saw many beasts,
birds on trees, of the same color, size, and shape of those in our
country. There was one difference, however, between them. Those in
Satin Land ate nothing, and never sang or bit like ours."
"And the people of that land, Xenomanes, what of them?"
"This I cannot tell Your Highness."
"Ho! and why?"
"Never a word could I ever get from those people. There I saw many
philosophers, travellers, and students, with whom I would gladly have
spent half an hour in learned converse. They all seemed to be full of
business, running about hither and yon, and yet had little to do."
"And what do those busy, silent people live on?"
"I don't know how they contrive to _live_, Your Highness, for once I
tried a bunch of their fine ripe cherries. They had no manner of taste,
and, although I was hungry enough that day, I could neither chew nor
swallow them, but my mouth seemed filled with what I could have sworn
was tufted silk."
[Illustration: THE LAND OF SATIN.]
"Strange!" said Pantagruel. "I wish I had looked closer at those
pictures. The next time you want to speak to me, good Xenomanes, shout!
I may hear you then."