and
heaving anchor, the wind being favourable, I steered the same course that
I had done the day before, wherein I was directed by my pocket compass.
My intention was to reach, if possible, one of those islands which I had
reason to believe lay to the north-east of Van Diemen's Land. I
discovered nothing all that day; but upon the next, about three in the
afternoon, when I had by my computation made twenty-four leagues from
Blefuscu, I descried a sail steering to the south-east; my course was due
east. I hailed her, but could get no answer; yet I found I gained upon
her, for the wind slackened. I made all the sail I could, and in half an
hour she spied me, then hung out her ancient, and discharged a gun. It
is not easy to express the joy I was in, upon the unexpected hope of once
more seeing my beloved country, and the dear pledges I left in it. The
ship slackened her sails, and I came up with her between five and six in
the evening, September 26th; but my heart leaped within me to see her
English colours. I put my cows and sheep into my coat-pockets, and got
on board with all my little cargo of provisions. The vessel was an
English merchantman, returning from Japan by the North and South seas;
the captain, Mr. John Biddel, of Deptford, a very civil man, and an
excellent sailor.

We were now in the latitude of 30 degrees south; there were about fifty
men in the ship; and here I met an old comrade of mine, one Peter
Williams, who gave me a good character to the captain. This gentleman
treated me with kindness, and desired I would let him know what place I
came from last, and whither I was bound; which I did in a few words, but
he thought I was raving, and that the dangers I underwent had disturbed
my head; whereupon I took my black cattle and sheep out of my pocket,
which, after great astonishment, clearly convinced him of my veracity. I
then showed him the gold given me by the emperor of Blefuscu, together
with his majesty's picture at full length, and some other rarities of
that country. I gave him two purses of two hundreds _sprugs_ each, and
promised, when we arrived in England, to make him a present of a cow and
a sheep big with young.

I shall not trouble the reader with a particular account of this voyage,
which was very prosperous for the most part. We arrived in the Downs on
the 13th of April, 1702. I had only one misfortune, that the rats on
board carried away one of my sheep; I found her bones in