ngerous voyage. He arrives at New Holland, hoping to
settle there. Is wounded with an arrow by one of the natives. Is seized
and carried by force into a Portuguese ship. The great civilities of the
captain. The author arrives at England.

I began this desperate voyage on February 15, 1714-15, at nine o'clock in
the morning. The wind was very favourable; however, I made use at first
only of my paddles; but considering I should soon be weary, and that the
wind might chop about, I ventured to set up my little sail; and thus,
with the help of the tide, I went at the rate of a league and a half an
hour, as near as I could guess. My master and his friends continued on
the shore till I was almost out of sight; and I often heard the sorrel
nag (who always loved me) crying out, "_Hnuy illa nyha_, _majah Yahoo_;"
"Take care of thyself, gentle _Yahoo_."

My design was, if possible, to discover some small island uninhabited,
yet sufficient, by my labour, to furnish me with the necessaries of life,
which I would have thought a greater happiness, than to be first minister
in the politest court of Europe; so horrible was the idea I conceived of
returning to live in the society, and under the government of _Yahoos_.
For in such a solitude as I desired, I could at least enjoy my own
thoughts, and reflect with delight on the virtues of those inimitable
_Houyhnhnms_, without an opportunity of degenerating into the vices and
corruptions of my own species.

The reader may remember what I related, when my crew conspired against
me, and confined me to my cabin; how I continued there several weeks
without knowing what course we took; and when I was put ashore in the
long-boat, how the sailors told me, with oaths, whether true or false,
"that they knew not in what part of the world we were." However, I did
then believe us to be about 10 degrees southward of the Cape of Good
Hope, or about 45 degrees southern latitude, as I gathered from some
general words I overheard among them, being I supposed to the south-east
in their intended voyage to Madagascar. And although this were little
better than conjecture, yet I resolved to steer my course eastward,
hoping to reach the south-west coast of New Holland, and perhaps some
such island as I desired lying westward of it. The wind was full west,
and by six in the evening I computed I had gone eastward at least
eighteen leagues; when I spied a very small island about half a league
off, which