that
my companions, by their frowning and knitting their brows at me, wanted
me to sing blasphemy against my King and Maker.

"Well," said I to myself, "I may now bid farewell to life, these cursed
witches will convey me to the pantry or cellar of some nobleman, and
there leave me, to pay with my neck for their robberies; or they will
abandon me stark naked, to freeze to death upon the sea-brink of old
Shire Caer, {3} or some other cold, distant place;" but on reflecting
that all the old hags whom I had once known had long been dead and
buried, and perceiving that these people took pleasure in holding or
waving me over hollow ravines, I conjectured that they were not witches
but beings who are called fairies. We made no stop until I found myself
by the side of a huge castle, the most beautiful I had ever seen, with a
large pool or moat surrounding it: then they began to consult what they
should do with me; "shall we go direct to the castle with him?" said one.
"No, let us hang him or cast him into the lake, he is not worth being
shown to our great prince," said another. "Did he say his prayers before
he went to sleep?" said a third. At the mention of prayers, I uttered a
confused groan to heaven for pardon and assistance; and as soon as I
recollected myself, I saw a light at a vast distance bursting forth, Oh,
how glorious! As it drew nigh, my companions were darkening and
vanishing, and quickly there came floating towards us a form of light
over the castle, whereupon the fairies abandoned their hold of me, but as
they departed they turned upon me a hellish scowl, and unless the angel
had supported me, I should have been dashed into pieces small enough for
a pasty, by the time I reached the ground.

"What is your business here?" said the angel. "In verity my lord," I
replied, "I do not know what place _here_ is, nor what is my business,
nor what I am myself, nor what has become of my other part; I had four
limbs and a head, and whether I have left them at home, or whether the
fairies, who have certainly not acted fairly with me, have cast me into
some abyss, (for I remember to have passed over several horrid ravines,)
I cannot tell, sir, though you should cause me to be hung." "Fairly
indeed," said he, "they would have acted with you, if I had not come just
in time to save you from the clutches of these children of hell."

"Since you have such a particular desire to see the course of the _little
world_," said he