[Illustration:  “WHEREUPON THE HUGE CREATURE TROD SHORT.”  P. 10.]

At length he ventured to take me up between his forefinger and thumb, and brought me within three yards of his eyes, that he might behold my shape more perfectly.  I guessed his meaning, and my good fortune gave me so much presence of mind that I resolved not to struggle in the least as he held me in the air, above sixty feet from the ground, although he grievously pinched my sides, for fear I should slip through his fingers.  All I ventured was to raise my eyes towards the sun, and place my hands together in a supplicating posture, and to speak some words in an humble melancholy tone, suitable to the condition I then was in.  For I apprehended every moment that he would dash me against the ground, as we usually do any little hateful animal which we have a mind to destroy.  But my good star would have it that he appeared pleased with my voice and gestures, and began to look upon me as a curiosity, much wondering to hear me pronounce articulate words, although he could not understand them.  In the meantime I was not able to forbear groaning and shedding tears, and turning my head towards my sides; letting him know, as well as I could, how cruelly I was hurt by the pressure of his thumb and finger.  He seemed to apprehend my meaning; for, lifting up the lappet of his coat, he put me gently into it, and immediately ran along with me to his master, who was a substantial farmer, and the same person I had first seen in the field.

The farmer, having (as I suppose by their talk) received such an account of me as his servant could give him, took a piece of a small straw, about the size of a walking-staff, and therewith lifted up the lappets of my coat, which it seems he thought to be some kind of covering that nature had given me.  He blew my hair aside, to take a better view of my face.  He called his hinds[43] about him, and asked them (as I afterwards learned) whether they had ever seen in the fields any little creature that resembled me.  He then placed me softly on the ground upon all fours, but I got immediately up, and walked slowly backwards and forwards to let those people see that I had no intent to run away.

They all sat down in a circle about me, the better to observe my motions.  I pulled off my hat, and made a low bow towards the farmer.  I fell on my knees, and lifted up my hands and eyes, and spoke several words as loud as I could:  I took a purse of gold out of my pocket, and humbly presented it to him.  He received it on the palm of his hand, then applied it close to his eye to see what it was, and afterwards turned it several times with the point of a pin (which he took out of his sleeve), but could make nothing of it.  Whereupon I made a sign that he should place his hand on the ground.  I then took the purse, and opening it, poured all the gold into his palm.  There were six Spanish pieces, of four pistoles[44] each, besides twenty or thirty smaller coins.  I saw him wet the tip of his little finger upon his tongue, and take up one of my largest pieces, and then another, but he seemed to be wholly ignorant what they were.  He made me a sign to put them again into my purse, and the purse again into my pocket, which, after offering it to him several times, I thought it best to do.