p into the country. The Yahoos, a strange sort of
animal, described. The author meets two Houyhnhnms.

I continued at home with my wife and children about five months, in a
very happy condition, if I could have learned the lesson of knowing when
I was well. I left my poor wife big with child, and accepted an
advantageous offer made me to be captain of the Adventurer, a stout
merchantman of 350 tons: for I understood navigation well, and being
grown weary of a surgeon's employment at sea, which, however, I could
exercise upon occasion, I took a skilful young man of that calling, one
Robert Purefoy, into my ship. We set sail from Portsmouth upon the 7th
day of September, 1710; on the 14th we met with Captain Pocock, of
Bristol, at Teneriffe, who was going to the bay of Campechy to cut
logwood. On the 16th, he was parted from us by a storm; I heard since my
return, that his ship foundered, and none escaped but one cabin boy. He
was an honest man, and a good sailor, but a little too positive in his
own opinions, which was the cause of his destruction, as it has been with
several others; for if he had followed my advice, he might have been safe
at home with his family at this time, as well as myself.

I had several men who died in my ship of calentures, so that I was forced
to get recruits out of Barbadoes and the Leeward Islands, where I
touched, by the direction of the merchants who employed me; which I had
soon too much cause to repent: for I found afterwards, that most of them
had been buccaneers. I had fifty hands onboard; and my orders were, that
I should trade with the Indians in the South-Sea, and make what
discoveries I could. These rogues, whom I had picked up, debauched my
other men, and they all formed a conspiracy to seize the ship, and secure
me; which they did one morning, rushing into my cabin, and binding me
hand and foot, threatening to throw me overboard, if I offered to stir.
I told them, "I was their prisoner, and would submit." This they made me
swear to do, and then they unbound me, only fastening one of my legs with
a chain, near my bed, and placed a sentry at my door with his piece
charged, who was commanded to shoot me dead if I attempted my liberty.
They sent me own victuals and drink, and took the government of the ship
to themselves. Their design was to turn pirates and, plunder the
Spaniards, which they could not do till they got more men. But first
they resolved to sell the goods the