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's hands. I told his majesty, "that I was come according to
my promise, and with the license of the emperor my master, to have the
honour 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; wherein, however, it soon appeared I was deceived.

I shall not trouble the reader with the particular account of my
reception at this court, which was suitable to the generosity of so great
a prince; nor of the difficulties I was in for want of a house and bed,
being forced to lie on the ground, wrapped up in my coverlet.

CHAPTER VIII.

The author, by a lucky accident, finds means to leave Blefuscu; and,
after some difficulties, returns safe to his native country.

Three days after my arrival, walking out of curiosity to the north-east
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, wailing 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 towards 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 his 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 before