and swimming, arrived at the royal port of Blefuscu, where the people had long expected me:  they lent me two guides to direct me to the capital city, which is of the same name.  I held them in my hands till I came within two hundred yards of the gate, and desired them to signify my arrival to one of the secretaries, and let him know I there waited his majesty’s command.  I had an answer in about an hour, that his majesty, attended by the royal family, and great officers of the court, was coming out to receive me.  I advanced a hundred yards.  The emperor and his train alighted from their horses; the empress and ladies from their coaches; and I did not perceive they were in any fright or concern.  I lay on the ground to kiss his majesty’s and the empress’ hand.  I told his majesty that I was come, according to my promise, and with the license of the emperor my master, to have the honor of seeing so mighty a monarch, and to offer him any service in my power, consistent with my duty to my own prince; not mentioning a word of my disgrace, because I had hitherto no regular information of it, and might suppose myself wholly ignorant of any such design; neither could I reasonably conceive that the emperor would discover the secret while I was out of his power.

Three days after my arrival, walking out of curiosity to the northeast coast of the island, I observed, about half a league off in the sea, somewhat that looked like a boat overturned.  I pulled off my shoes and stockings, and, wading two or three hundred yards, I found the object to approach nearer by force of the tide; and then plainly saw it to be a real boat, which I supposed might by some tempest have been driven from a ship:  whereupon I returned immediately toward the city, and desired his imperial majesty to lend me twenty of the tallest vessels he had left, after the loss of his fleet, and three thousand seamen under the command of the vice-admiral.

This fleet sailed round, while I went back the shortest way to the coast, where I first discovered the boat.  I found the tide had driven it still nearer.  The seamen were all provided with cordage, which I had beforehand twisted to a sufficient strength.  When the ships came up, I stripped myself, and waded till I came within an hundred yards of the boat, after which I was forced to swim till I got up to it.  The seamen threw me the end of the cord, which I fastened to a hole in the fore part of the boat, and the other end to a man-of-war, but I found all my labor to little purpose; for, being out of my depth, I was not able to work.  In this necessity, I was forced to swim behind, and push the boat forward, as often as I could, with one of my hands; and the tide favoring me, I advanced so far that I could just hold up my chin and feel the ground.  I rested two or three minutes, and then gave the boat another shove, and so on, till the sea was no higher than my armpits, and now, the most laborious part being over, I took out my other