The Author Sets Out as Captain of a Ship. His Men Conspire Against Him, Confine Him to His Cabin, and Abandon Him on an Unknown Coast. He Travels Inland and Encounters the Yahoos and Two Houyhnhnms.
I remained at home with my wife and children for about five months in a state of perfect happiness. Had I been a wiser man, I would have stayed there; however, I could not resist the temptation of an advantageous offer to serve as captain of the Adventurer, a sturdy merchant ship. Leaving my wife, who was then pregnant, I set sail from Portsmouth on August 7, 1710. My expertise in navigation had grown over the years, and as I had become somewhat weary of working as a ship’s surgeon, I hired a young man named Robert Purefoy to take over those duties.
Early in the voyage, several of my crew members died of tropical fevers. Consequently, I was forced to recruit new hands in the West Indies. This proved to be a disastrous mistake, for I later discovered that most of these men had been pirates. These criminals soon corrupted the rest of my crew. One morning, they rushed into my cabin and staged a violent mutiny. They bound me hand and foot, threatening to throw me overboard if I resisted. Eventually, they chained one of my legs to the bed and placed a guard at my door with a loaded musket. For several weeks, I remained a prisoner, while they took command of the ship with the intention of turning to piracy.
On May 9, 1711, a sailor named James Welch entered my cabin and informed me that their new captain had ordered me to be set ashore. Despite my protests, they forced me into a long-boat. They allowed me to wear my best suit of clothes and carry a small bundle of linen, but they left me no weapons except my sword. After rowing for about a league, they abandoned me on a desolate beach. "We know no more of this place than you do," they shouted before pushing off, leaving me to my fate.
In this desperate condition, I walked inland, hoping to find a native village where I might trade some small trinkets for my safety. The landscape was pleasant, divided by rows of ancient trees and covered in thick grass and fields of oats. I moved cautiously, fearing an ambush from savages. Suddenly, I caught sight of several animals in a nearby field, with others perched in the trees. Their appearance was both singular and deformed. Curious and somewhat disturbed, I hid behind a thicket to observe them more closely.
They were truly repulsive creatures. Their heads and breasts were covered in thick, matted hair, and they had long, goat-like beards. Sharp, hooked claws adorned their hands and feet, which they used to climb trees with the agility of squirrels. They often stood on their hind legs, revealing skin of a muddy, brown color. I have traveled extensively, yet I have never encountered an animal for which I felt such an immediate and profound hatred.
Hoping to find a human inhabitant, I returned to the road. I had not gone far when one of these monsters blocked my path. The creature stared at me, distorting its face in a hideous manner, and reached out a paw. Unsure of its intentions, I drew my sword and struck it with the flat side of the blade. The beast let out a piercing roar, which summoned a herd of at least forty others. They surrounded me, howling and making odious faces. I retreated to a large tree and kept them at bay by waving my sword. Some of the "cursed brood" climbed the branches above me and began to shower me with filth, nearly stifling me with their stench.
Suddenly, the entire herd fled in terror. Looking to my left, I saw the cause of their flight: a horse was walking calmly through the field. When he drew near, he started slightly but soon recovered, looking me full in the face with an expression of genuine wonder. He examined my hands and feet, walking around me several times. When I tried to stroke his neck, using the gentle whistling sounds common among jockeys, he pulled back with a look of disdain. He shook his head and raised his right hoof to push my hand away, then neighed in a cadence so deliberate that I almost believed he was speaking to himself.
A second horse soon joined him. They greeted each other formally by gently striking their right hoofs together. They neighed in turns, varying their tones so much that their sounds seemed almost articulate. They walked side by side, glancing back at me frequently as if they were engaged in a serious consultation. I was astonished by such rational behavior in "brute" beasts. I concluded that if the humans of this land possessed a similar level of intelligence, they must be the wisest people on earth.
Thinking they might be magicians who had transformed themselves into horses, I addressed them: "Gentlemen, if you are indeed conjurers, I entreat you to show me a nearby village where I might find relief." I even offered them a knife and a bracelet as a gift. The two creatures remained silent, listening with great attention. They frequently repeated a word that sounded like Yahoo. While they were talking, I practiced the word under my breath, and when they were silent, I boldly pronounced "Yahoo" aloud, imitating a neighing tone.
They were visibly amazed by my capacity for speech. The gray horse then tried me with a second, much harder word: Houyhnhnm. Although I struggled at first, I eventually managed to pronounce it, much to their surprise. After further deliberation, the gray horse signaled for me to walk ahead of him. Whenever I slowed down, he would utter a sharp sound to encourage me. Though I was exhausted and anxious about where this adventure might lead, I felt it was prudent to comply and follow my new guide.