e I think of it)
the old man, who to me appeared quite decrepit, clasped his legs
nimbly about my neck, when I perceived his skin to resemble that
of a cow. He sat astride upon my shoulders, and held my throat so
tight, that I thought he would have strangled me, the
apprehension of which make me swoon and fall down.

Notwithstanding my fainting, the ill-natured old fellow kept fast
about my neck, but opened his legs a little to give me time to
recover my breath. When I had done so, he thrust one of his feet
against my stomach, and struck me so rudely on the side with the
other, that he forced me to rise up against my will. Having
arisen, he made me walk under the trees, and forced me now and
then to stop, to gather and eat fruit such as we found. He never
left me all day, and when I lay down to rest at night, laid
himself down with me, holding always fast about my neck. Every
morning he pushed me to make me awake, and afterwards obliged me
to get up and walk, and pressed me with his feet. You may judge
then, gentlemen, what trouble I was in, to be loaded with such a
burden of which I could not get rid.

One day I found in my way several dry calebashes that had fallen
from a tree. I took a large one, and after cleaning it, pressed
into it some juice of grapes, which abounded in the island;
having filled the calebash, I put it by in a convenient place,
and going thither again some days after, I tasted it, and found
the wine so good, that it soon made me forget my sorrow, gave me
new vigour, and so exhilarated my spirits, that I began to sing
and dance as I walked along.

The old man, perceiving the effect which this liquor had upon me,
and that I carried him with more ease than before, made me a sign
to give him some of it. I handed him the calebash, and the liquor
pleasing his palate, he drank it all off. There being a
considerable quantity of it, he became drunk immediately, and the
fumes getting up into his head, he began to sing after his
manner, and to dance with his breech upon my shoulders. His
jolting made him vomit, and he loosened his legs from about me by
degrees. Finding that he did not press me as before, I threw him
upon the ground, where he lay without motion; I then took up a
great stone, and crushed his head to pieces.

I was extremely glad to be thus freed for ever from this
troublesome fellow. I now walked towards the beach, where I met
the crew of a ship that had cast anchor, to take in water. T