he was ready
to sail.

He put on board the boat the carcasses of one hundred oxen and three
hundred sheep, with a quantity of bread and wine, and as much meat
ready cooked as four hundred cooks could prepare.

He also took with him a herd of six live black cows and two bulls, and
a flock of sheep, meaning to take them with him to England, if ever he
should get there. As food for these animals he took a quantity of hay
and corn.

Gulliver would have liked to take with him some of the people, but
this the Emperor would not permit.

Everything being ready, he sailed from Blefuscu on 24th September
1701, and the same night anchored on the lee side of an island which
seemed to be uninhabited. Leaving this island on the following
morning, he sailed to the eastward for two days. On the evening of the
second day he sighted a ship, on reaching which, to his great joy, he
found that she was an English vessel on her way home from Japan.

Putting his cattle and sheep in his coat-pockets, he went on board
with all his cargo of provisions. The captain received him very
kindly, and asked him from whence he had come, and how he happened to
be at sea in an open boat.

Gulliver told his tale in as few words as possible. The captain stared
with wonder, and would not believe his story. But Gulliver then took
from his pockets the black cattle and the sheep, which of course
clearly showed that he had been speaking truth. He also showed gold
coins which the Emperor of Blefuscu had given him, some of which he
presented to the captain.

The vessel did not arrive at the port of London till April, 1702, but
there was no loss of the live stock, excepting that the rats on board
carried off and ate one of the sheep. All the others were got safely
ashore, and were put to graze on a bowling-green at Greenwich, where
they throve very well.

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

ADAPTED BY AMY STEEDMAN

I

ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP

Far away on the other side of the world, in one of the great wealthy
cities of China, there once lived a poor tailor called Mustapha. He
had a wife whom he loved dearly and an only son whose name was
Aladdin.

But, sad to say, although the tailor was good and industrious, his son
was so idle and bad that his father and mother did not know what to do
with him. All day long he played in the streets with other idle boys,
and when he grew big enough to learn a trade he said he did not mean
to work at all. H