firft favages I fhould meet, and purchase my life from them, by fome bracelets, glafs rings, and other toys, which failors ufually provide themfelves with in thofe voyages, and whereof I had fome about me. The land was divided by long rows of trees, not regularly planted, but naturally growing; there was great plenty of grafs, and feveral fields of oats. I walked very circumfpectly for fear of being furprised, or fuddenly fhot with an arrow from behind, or on either fide. I fell into a beaten road, where I faw many tracks of human feet, and fome of cows, but most of horfes. At laft I beheld feveral animals in a field, and one or two of the fame kind fitting in trees. Their fhape was very fingular and deformed, which a little difcompofed me, fo that I lay down behind a thicket to obferve them better. Some of them, coming forward near the place where I lay, gave me an opportunity of diftinctly marking their form. Their heads and breasts were covered with a thick hair, fome frizled, and others lank; they had beards like goats, and a long ridge of hair down their backs, and the fore-parts of their legs and feet; but the rest of their bodies were bare, fo that I might fee their fkins, which were of a brown buff-colour. They had no tails, nor any hair at all on their buttocks, except about the anus; which, I prefume, Nature had placed there to defend them, as they fat on the ground; for this pofture they ufed, as well as lying down, and often ftood on their hind-feet. They climbed high trees as nimbly as a fquirrel; for they had ftrong extended claws before and behind, terminating in fharp points, and hooked. They would: often spring, and bound, and leap with prodigious agility. The females were not fo large as the males; they had long lank hair on their heads, but none on their faces, nor any thing more than a fort of down on the rest of their bodies, except about the anus and pudenda. Their dugs hung between their

P. 3.

fore.

Part IV. fore feet, and often reached almoft to the ground as they walked. The hair of both fexes was of feveral colours, brown, red, black, and yellow. Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my travels fo difagreeable an animal, or one against which I naturally conceived fo ftrong an antipathy. So that thinking I had feen enough, full of contempt and averfion, I got up, and purfued the beaten road, hoping it might direct me to the cabbin of fome Indian. I had not got far, when I met one of these creatures full in my way, and coming up directly to me. The ugly monfter, when he saw me, diftorted feveral ways every feature of his visage, and ftared as at an object he had never feen before; then approaching nearer, lifted up his fore paw, whether out of curiofity or mischief, I could not tell: but I drew my hanger, and gave him a good blow with the flat fide of it; for I durft not strike 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 leaft 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 dif charge their excrements on my head: however, I efcaped pretty well by sticking close to the ftem of the tree, but was almoft ftifled with the filth, which fell about me on every fide.

In the midft 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 purfue the road, wondering what it was that could put them into this fright. But, looking on my left hand, I faw a horse walking foftly in the field: which, my perfecutors

perfecutors having fooner difcovered, was the cause of their flight. The horfe ftarted 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 purfued my journey, but he placed himself directly in the way, yet looking with a very mild afpect, never offering the least violence. We stood 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 whiftle of Jockies, when they are going to handle a ftrange horfe. But this animal feemed to receive my civilities with difdain, 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 almost began to think he was speaking to himself in fome language of his own.

While he and I were thus employed, another horfe came up; who applying himself to the first in a very formal manner, they gently ftruck each. other's right hoof before, neighing feveral times by turns, and varying the found, which feemed to be almost articulate. They went fome paces off, as if i were to confer together, walking fide by fide, backward and forward, like perfons 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 myfelf, that if the inhabitants of this country were endued with a proportionable 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 house or village, or meet with any of the natives, leaving the two horfes to difcourfe together as they pleafed. But the firft, who was a dapple-grey, obferving

ferving me to steal off, neighed after me in fo expreffive a tone, that I fancied myfelf 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 eafily believe, I did not much like my prefent fituation.

The two horfes came up clofe to me, looking with great earnestnefs upon my face and hands. The grey fteed rubbed my hat all round with his right fore hoof, and difcompofed it fo much, that I was forced to adjust it better, by taking it off and fettling it again; whereat both he and his companion (who was brown-bay,) appeared 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 fqeezed 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 geftures, not unlike thofe of a philofopher, when he would attempt to folve fome new and difficult phænomenon.

Upon the whole, the behaviour of these animals was fo orderly and rational, fo acute and judicious, that I at laft concluded they were two magicians, who had thus metamorphofed themfelves 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 so very different in habit, feature, and complexion, from thofe who might probably live in-fo remote a climate. Upon the ftrength of this reafoning, I ventured to addrefs them in the following manner: Gentlemen, if you be conjurers, as I have good caufe to believe, you

can

can understand any language; therefore I make bold to let your worfhips know, that I am a poor diftreff d Englishman, driven by his misfortunes upon your coaft, and I intreat one of you to let me ride upon his back, as if he were a real horfe, to fome 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 ftood 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 diftinguish the word Yahoo, which was repeated by each of them feveral times; and although it was impoffible for me to conjecture what it meant, yet, while the two horfes were busy in converfation, I endeavoured to practise this word upon my tongue; and as foon as they were filent, I boldly pronounced Yahoo in a loud voice, imitating at the fame time, as near as I could, the neighing of a horfe; at which they were both vifibly furprised, 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 every time, though very far from any degree of perfection. Then the bay tried me with a fecond word much harder to be pronounced; but, reducing it to the English orthography, may be fpelt 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 fome farther difcourfe, which I then conjectured might relate to me, the two friends took