Chapter 5

           TheempireofBlefuscuisanislandsituatedtothenorth-eastofLilliput,fromwhichitispartedonlybyachannelofeighthundredyardswide.Ihadnotyetseenit,anduponthisnoticeofanintendedinvasion,Iavoidedappearingonthatsideofthecoast,forfearofbeingdiscovered,bysomeoftheenemy’sships,whohadreceivednointelligenceofme;allintercoursebetweenthetwoempireshavingbeenstrictlyforbiddenduringthewar,uponpainofdeath,andanembargolaidbyouremperoruponallvesselswhatsoever.IcommunicatedtohismajestyaprojectIhadformedofseizingtheenemy’swholefleet;which,asourscoutsassuredus,layatanchorintheharbour,readytosailwiththefirstfairwind.Iconsultedthemostexperiencedseamenuponthedepthofthechannel,whichtheyhadoftenplumbed;whotoldme,thatinthemiddle,athigh-water,itwasseventyglumgluffsdeep,whichisaboutsixfeetofEuropeanmeasure;andtherestofitfiftyglumgluffsatmost.Iwalkedtowardsthenorth-eastcoast,overagainstBlefuscu,where,lyingdownbehindahillock,Itookoutmysmallperspectiveglass,andviewedtheenemy’sfleetatanchor,consistingofaboutfiftymenofwar,andagreatnumberoftransports:Ithencamebacktomyhouse,andgaveorders(forwhichIhadawarrant)foragreatquantityofthestrongestcableandbarsofiron.Thecablewasaboutasthickaspackthreadandthebarsofthelengthandsizeofaknitting-needle.Itrebledthecabletomakeitstronger,andforthesamereasonItwistedthreeoftheironbarstogether,bendingtheextremitiesintoahook.Havingthusfixedfiftyhookstoasmanycables,Iwentbacktothenorth-eastcoast,andputtingoffmycoat,shoes,andstockings,walkedintothesea,inmyleathernjerkin,abouthalfanhourbeforehighwater.IwadedwithwhathasteIcould,andswaminthemiddleaboutthirtyyards,tillIfeltground.Iarrivedatthefleetinlessthanhalfanhour.