The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-17
From "Gulliver's Travels

From 'Gulllvers Travels.
TINE empire of Blefuscu is an island
situated to the northeast of Lilli-
l. put. from which 1t is parted only
by a channel 500 yards wide l had not
yet seen it, and upon this notice of an
intended invasion l avoided appearing on
that side of the coast for fear of being
discovered by some of the enemy's ships,
who had received an intelligence of me;
al, intercourse between the two empires
having been strictly forbidden during the
war upon pain of death, and an em-
barge laid by our Emperor upon all ves-
sells whatsoever.
I communicated to his majesty pro-
ject | had formed, of seizing the enemy s
whole fleet, which, as our scouts assured
us, lay at anchor in the flarbor ready to
sail with the first fair wind. / consult
ed the most experienced seamen upon the
depth of the channel, which they had
often plumbed; who told me that in the
middle at high water it was 20 glumg-
tufts deep, which is about six feet of Eu-
ropean measure; and the rest of 1t 80
glumgluffs at most. l walked toward the
northeast coast over against Blefuscu,
and, lying down behind hillock, took out
my small pocket perspective glass and
viewed the enemy's fleet at anchor, con-
sisting of about SO men-of-war and a
great number of transports. l then came
back to my house and gave orders for
which / had a warranty for a great guam
tity of the strongest cable and bars of
iron. The cable was, about as thick as
paclthread and the bars of the length
and size of a knitting needle. l trebled
the cable to make it stronger, and for the
same reason l twisted three of the iron
bars together, bending the extremeties
into hook.
Having thus fixed so hooks to as many
cables, / went back TO the northeast
coast, and putting on my coat shoes and
stockings walked into the sea in my
leathern jerllin about an hour before high
water. | waded with what haste l could
and swan in the middle about 80 yards
till l felt ground. l arrived at the fleet in
less than half an hour. The enemy was
so frighted when they saw me that they
eaped out of their ships and swan to the
shore, where there could not be fewer than
$4,000 souls. l then took my taclSling and,
fastening hook to the hole of the prov
of each, / tied all the cords together at
the end. While | was thus employed the
enemy discharged several thousand ar
rows, many of which stuck in my nands
and face, and besides the excessive smart,
gave me much disturbance in my work.
MY greatest apprehension was for my
I'M fol 1nct
If | had not suddenly thought of an ex-
pedient. ! kept among other little me-
cessaries, pair of spectacles in private
pocket, which, as | observed before, had
escaped the Emperor's seaschers These
I took out and fastened as strongly as |
could upon my nose and thus armed,
went on boldly with my work, i'll spite
of the enemy's arrows, many of which
struck against the glasses of, my spec
tacles but without any other effect fur
ther than IA little to dscompose them.
! had now fastened all the hooks and,
taking the knot in my hand, began co
| pull; but not a ship would stir. for them
were all too fast held by their anchors,
SO that the bold part of my enterprise re-
mained. I therefore let so the cord, and
having the hooks fixed to the ships, res
+, olutely cut with my knife the cables that
| fastened the anchors, receiving about 20l
shots in my face and hands; then l took
up the lSnotted end of the cables. to which
] my hooks were tied and with great care
drew so of the enemy's largest men-of-
war after me.
| The Blcfuscudians, who mad not the
least imagination of what | intended, were
at first confounded with astonishment
They had seen me cut the cables and
Thought my design was only to let the
ships run adrift or fall foul on each other;
but when they perceived the whole fieet