of it; for I durft not ftrike with the edge, fearing the inhabitants might be provoked against me, if they should come to know, that I had killed or maimed any of their cattle. When the beaft felt the fmart, he drew back, and roared fo loud, that a herd of at least forty came flocking about me from the next field, howling, and making odious faces; but I ran to the body of a tree, and leaning my back against it kept them off by waving my hanger. Several of this curfed brood getting hold of the branches behind leapt up into the tree, from whence they began to discharge their excrements on my head: however, I escaped pretty well by fticking clofe to the stem of the tree, but was almoft ftifled with the filth, which fell about me on every fide.

IN the midst of this diftrefs, I obferved them all to run away on a fudden as faft as they could, at which I ventured to leave the tree, and pursue the road, wondering what it was that could put them into this fright. But looking on my left hand I faw a horfe walking foftly in the field; which my perfecutors having fooner difcovered, was the cause of their flight. The horse started a little, when he came near me, but foon recovering himself looked full in my face with manifeft tokens of wonder: he viewed my hands and feet, walking round me feveral times. I would have pursued my journey, but he placed himself directly in the way, yet looking with a very mild afpect, never offering the leaft violence. We ftood gazing at each other for fome time; at last I took the boldness to reach my hand towards his neck with a defign to ftroak it, using the common ftyle and whistle of jockies, when they are going to handle a ftrange horfe. But this animal feemed to receive my civilities with disdain, fhook his head, and bent his brows, foftly raifing up his right fore-foot to remove my hand. Then he neighed three or four times, but in fo different a cadence, that I almoft began to think he was fpeaking to himself in fome language of his own.

WHILE he and I were thus employed, another horse came up; who applying himself to the firft in a very for. mal manner, they gently ftruck each other's right hoof before, neighing feveral times by turns, and varying the found, which feemed to be almoft articulate. They

went

went fome paces off, as if it were to confer together, walking fide by fide, backward and forward, like persons deliberating upon fome affair of weight, but often turning their eyes towards me, as it were to watch that I might not efcape. I was amazed to fee fuch actions and behaviour in brute beafts; and concluded with myself, that if the inhabitants of this country were endued with a proportional degree of reafon, they must needs be the wifeft people upon earth. This thought gave me fo much comfort, that I refolved to go forward, until I could difcover fome houfe or village, or meet with any of the natives, leaving the two horfes to difcourfe toge ther as they pleased. But the firft, who was a dapple grey, obferving me to fteal off, neighed after me in fo expreffive a tone, that I fancied myself to understand what he meant; whereupon I turned back, and came near him to expect his farther commands, but concealing my fear as much as I could; for I began to be in fome pain, how this adventure might terminate; and the reader will easily believe, I did not much like my prefent fituation.

THE two horfes came up clofe to me, looking with great earneftnefs upon my face and hands. The grey feed rubbed my hat all round with his right fore-hoof, and difcompofed it fo much, that I was forced to adjuft it better by taking it off, and settling it again; whereat both he and his companion (who was a brown bay) ap peared to be much furprised; the latter felt the lappet of my coat, and finding it to hang loofe about me, they both looked with new figns of wonder. He ftroaked my right hand, feeming to admire the foftness and colour; but he squeezed it fo hard between his hoof and his paftern, that I was forced to roar; after which they both touched me with all poffible tenderness. They were under great perplexity about my fhoes and ftockings, which they felt very often, neighing to each other, and ufing various gestures not unlike thofe of a philofo. pher, when he would attempt to folve fome new and difficult phænomenon.

UPON the whole, the behaviour of these animals was fo orderly and rational, so acute and judicious, that I at laft concluded they muft needs be magicians, who had

thus

thus metamorphofed themselves upon fome defign, and feeing a stranger in the way refolved to divert themselves with him; or perhaps were really amazed at the fight of a man fo very different in habit, feature, and complexion, from those who might probably live in fo remote a climate. Upon the ftrength of this reasoning I ventured to addrefs them in the following manner : Gentlemen, if you be conjurers, as I have good cause to believe, you can understand any language; therefore I make bold to let your worships know that I am a poor diftreffed English-man driven by his misfortunes upon your coaft, and I entreat one of you to let me ride upon his back, as if he were a real horse, to some house or village, where I can be relieved. In return of which favour I will make you a prefent of this knife and bracelet (taking them out of my pocket). The two creatures flood filent while I fpoke, feeming to liften with great attention; and when I had ended, they neighed frequently towards each other, as if they were engaged in ferious converfation. I plainly obferved, that their language expreffed the paffions very well, and the words might with little pains be refolved into an alphabet more eafily than the Chinese.

I could frequently distinguish the word yahoo, which was repeated by each of them several times; and although it was impoffible for me to conjecture what it meant, yet while the two horfes were bufy in converfa tion, I endeavoured to practise this word upon my tongue; and as foon as they were filent, I boldly pro nounced yaboo in a loud voice, imitating at the fame time as near as I could the neighing of a horfe; at which they were both visibly surprised, and the grey repeated the fame word twice, as if he meant to teach me the right accent, wherein I spoke after him as well as I could, and found myself perceivably to improve eve ry time, though very far from any degree of perfection. Then the bay tried me with a second word much harder to be pronounced; but reducing it to the English orthography, may be spelt thus, Houyhnhnm. I did not fucceed in this fo well as the former; but after two or three farther trials I had better fortune; and they both appeared amazed at my capacity,

AFTER

AFTER fome farther discourse, which I then conjectured might relate to me, the two friends took their leaves with the fame compliment of ftriking each other's hoof; and the grey made me figns that I should walk before him; wherein I thought it prudent to comply, till I could find a better director. When I offered to flacken my pace, he would cry hhuun, hhuun; I guessed his meaning, and gave him to understand, as well as I could, that I was weary, and not able to walk fafter; upon which he would stand a while to let me rest.

CHA P. II.

The author conducted by a Houyhnhnm to his house. The house defcribed. The author's reception. The food of the Houyhnhnms. The author in diftrefs for want of meat, is at laft relieved. His manner of feeding in this country.

H

AVING travelled about three miles,we came to a long kind of building made of timber ftuck in the ground, and wattled a-crofs; the roof was low, and covered with ftraw. I now began to be a little comforted; and took out fome toys, which travellers ufually carry for presents to the favage Indians of America and other parts, in hopes the people of the house would be thereby encouraged to receive me kindly. The horfe made me a fign to go in firft; it was a large room with a smooth clay floor, and a rack and manger, extending the whole length on one fide. There were three nags, and two mares not eating, but fome of them fitting down upon their hams, which I very much wondered at; but wondered more to fee the reft employed in domestic bufiness, these seemed but ordinary cattle; however this confirmed my firft opinion, that a people, who could fo far civilize brute animals, muft needs excel in wisdom all the nations of the world. The grey came in just after, and thereby prevented any ill treatment, which the others might have given me. He neighed to them feveral times in a ftyle of authority, and received answers.

BEYOND this room there were three others reaching the length of the house, to which you paffed through three doors,

doors, oppofite to each other, in the manner of a vifta ; we went through the fecond room towards the third : here the grey walked in first, beckoning me to attend : I waited in the fecond room, and got ready my presents for the mafter and mistress of the houfe: they were two knives, three bracelets of false pearl, a small looking-glass, and a bead necklace. The horse neighed three or four times, and I waited to hear fome answers in a human' voice, but I heard no other returns than in the fame dialect, only one or two a little fhriller than his. I began to think, that this house must belong to fome person of great note among them, because there appeared fo much ceremony before I could gain admittance. But, that a man of quality fhould be ferved all by horfes, was beyond my comprehenfion. I feared my brain was disturbed by my fufferings and misfortunes: 1 roufed myself, and looked about me in the room where I was left alone; this was furnished like the firft, only after a more elegant manner. I rubbed my eyes often, but the fame objects fill occurred. I pinched my arms and fides to awake myfelf, hoping I might be in a dream. I then abfolutely concluded, that all these appearances could be nothing elfe but necromancy and magic. But I had no time to pursue these reflections; for the grey horfe came to the door, and made me a fign to follow him into the third room, where I faw a very comely mare, together with a colt and fole, fitting on their haunches upon matts of ftraw not unartfully made, and perfectly neat and clean.

THE mare foon after my entrance rose from her matt, and coming up close, after having nicely obferved my hands and face, gave me a moft contemptuous look; then turning to the horse, I heard the word yahoo often repeated betwixt them; the meaning of which word I could not then comprehend, although it were the firft I had learned to pronounce; but I was foon better informed to my everlasting mortification: for the horse beckoning to me with his head, and repeating the word hhuun, hhuun, as he did upon the road, which I understood was to attend him, led me out into a kind of court, where was another building at fome diftance from the house. Here we entered, and I saw three of thofe deteftable creatures, which I first met after my landing, feeding upon roots VOL. II. U

and