The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-08


has been perpetuated as an English
classic. "Gulliver's Travels achieved
the fact of adding two new words &c
the English anguage-lilliputtan, taker
from the first voyage, and yahoo, takef
from the fourth. In order to enjoy the
voyage to Lilliput 1t Is not necessary tc
have knowledge of the politics of the
time when the work was first published
--of the intrigues of Bolingbroke or the
vengeance sought by his Wing enemies
though a study of the history of those
times adds greatly TO the interest of the
story. But it is as story itself, as an
original and clever conception, that the
voyage to Lilliput lives and will live.
One of the remarkable things about the
voyage TO Lilliput is the accuracy with
which Swift worked out the mathemati-
cal details of the relations between Gull
liver's size and the size of the people
and the country which he Visited-every-
thing is drawn TO scale" Swift publish
ed "Gulliver's Travels when he had re-
turned to Ireland from London after an
unsuccessful attempt at obtaining power
and office. The work met with instant
favor and for time frightened the pros
poets of the mad parson.
T EMuEL CULVER, though bound
apprentice TO a surgeon in Lon
- don ndd great INNS - N-te
sea and a great desire to see foreign
lands and strange peoples. He laid out
all the spare money his father sent MIN
in buying books on navigation anu
mathematics and such other matters as
he thought might be useful In inpaTt-
ing knowledge to a man VINO Wes.2
travel and follow the sea. As soon =
hs had finished his apprenticeship Pc
sought and received an appointment Is
surgeon in the ship Swallow, captain
Abraham Pannell master, and from that
time on looked upon the sea as ms
home. He married. however, as even
sailormen will sometimes, and settled
down for short spell in London as
surgeon. But it was not long before ne
was at sea again. His voyages were
fortunate and without any especially re-
markable incident until he shipped in
the Antelope Captain William Pritchard
master, which ship was bound on a
voyage to the South Sea.
They set sail from Bristol on May T.
1889. and all went well until they were
caught in a violent storm to the north
west of Van Dieman's Island. The ship
was driven upon rock and all on board
nerished except Lemuel, who, by his
strength as a swimmer and by the help
of broken spars which were tossed MS
way. was at length cast upon an I'M
known shore where he was destined TO
undergo such adventures as have made
his name memorable ever since.
He was nearly a mile from the strange
shore when, by letting down his legs, ne
found that he could touch bottom, and SO
,5aassd n Exhausted ,s.g;'fio Effort So, sa9'
rendered still more drowsy by about nan
a pint of brandy which he had drunk 1os'
before the ship went to pieces, duliiVei
Law down upon the beach ana Went "
=Iaen IT was then about O'CLOCK IN the
evening. He slept soundly. and just be-
fore daylight awakened with a. sensation
as of something crawling up his legs. He
tried to rise, but found that he couid no.
stir. He had gone to sleep lying nat OF
his back. and now found that in tha'
nosition he had been bound down by IN
Vulnerable little threads, which. slight as
thev were in the singular, were IN the
aggregate strong enough to hold MIN
tight, fastened to the earth. He heard
confused noise about him, but In the pc
eition In which he lay could see nothing
but the sky.
Then the sun began to grow hot and the
light offended his eyes. Something ahVt
moving over his left leg came up across
his breast and advanced to his cnln
when, bending down his eyes, he saw
that it was a human being not six inches
high. with a bow and arrow in his hand
ana a culver slung at his back AT th'
same time he felt about forty more (as
he conjectured) following their leader
Naturally CULVER was in the utmost as
topishment and roared so loudly tina
they all ran back in alright. Some o.
them-as he was informed afterward-
were hurt by the falls they got in leap
lng from his sides on to the ground.
However, they soon recovered then
courage and returned, the leader address
ing him In a stern manner. but in an I'M
known tongue. Struggling to free him.
self, CULVER was so fortunate as to re-
lease his left hand, which, like the rest
OF him, had been bound with many small
cords. which were fastened TO pegs in the
ground. With his free hand he loosenec
the pegs which held down his hair or
the left side, and was just able to TURF
his head so that he could see what was
going on about him on one side.
The little creatures, seeing this, ran of
with many loud cries and at once he felt
q shower Of arrows striking him in the
face and hands, which pricked him like
the discharge of a myriad of. needles
Groaning with rage and pain, he agar
struggled to break loose, but his efforts
were answered by another shower of ar
rows. He had, at the first discharge
covered his eyes with his left hand so a:
to save them, and having a stout Goa
none of the tiny missiles which were di
rected at his body reached his flesh. HI
considered it the best policy to lie still
for a while, for with his left hand free
he knew he could easily reach around
mil out the pegs which held him dowr
and be a match for the biggest army such
little creatures could bring against him
His forbearance was rewarded, for wher
the people saw that he made no more eff
Forts to free himself, no more arrows were
discharged, and soon he heard, near his
right ear, knoching DIS VI Col Pehtoie III
work.
This continued for an hour or more, and
when 1t ceased he turned his head that
way. as well as the strings would per-
NIT to see erected close to him a scat
fold capable of holding four of the
Inhabitants. A great lord, apparently. at
tended by his page and two others Of in
<erior rank now assembled the scaffolding