Chapter 4 I Come Home Again

Three days later, on the north-east of the island, I saw something in the sea a long way away. Perhaps it was a boat! I walked into the water and went near it. It was a boat. The wind and water pushed it and turned it over in the water.

I ran back to the city. “Can you send 20 large ships and 2,000 men? ” I asked the king. “I want to bring the boat back to the beach.”

The king's ships came. They tied strings round the boat and pulled it nearer the island. Then I took it and turned it over the right way. It was fine.

“Now I can go back to my country, ” I cried.

“I do not want you to go, ” said the king.

But he gave me food and men. The men helped me, and after two or three days I was ready. I took six animals with me because I wanted to show them in my country. I wanted to take some little people too,but they were afraid.

I left the Island of Blefuscu on 1st May, 1702. On my third day at sea, I saw a ship. I called to her, but nobody answered. Then the ship came nearer and her men saw me. It was an English ship!

I was very happy to see it. I carried my things onto it — I put the six animals in my hat!

One man on the ship was an old friend, Peter Williams. He told the other men my name and everybody was very kind to me.

“Where are you travelling from? ” they asked.

I talked about my journeys,and they said:“These things can't be true. You're ill from your travels.”

So I brought out the little animals and showed the men on the ship. Everybody looked at them with wide eyes. “Your story is true! ”they laughed.

I will not tell the reader about that journey, because nothing really happened. One of my animals died, but I sold the other animals in England for a lot of money.