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LONDON:

CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPLN, BELLE SAUVAGE WORKS,

 

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ADVENTURES

BARON  
MUNCHAUSEN

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\VI’I‘H AN INTRODUCTION BY

T. TEIGNMOUTH SHORE, M.A.

[LL USTRA TED BY GUSTA VE DORE:

LONDON:

CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPIN,‘

LUDGATE HILL, E.C.

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

A Voyage to Russia, in which the Baron proves himself a Good Shot—He loses his Horse, and finds a Wolf
—Makes him draw his Sledge—Enjoys himself at St. Petersburg, where he meets a Distinguished
General

CHAPTER II.

Desperate Encounter between the Baron’s Nose and a Door-Post, with its Wonderful Effects—Fifty Brace of
Ducks and other Fowl killed with One Shot—Further Successes, and Triumphal Return Home—
Numerous Anecdotes of the Chase . I . . I

‘ CHAPTER III.
The Effects 'of Great Activity and Presence of Mind—A Favourite Hound described, which Pups while

. pursuing a Hare—The Hare also Litters while pursued by the Hound—Presented with a Famous Horse
by Count Przobossky, with which the Baron performs many Extraordinary Feats '

CHAPTER IV.

The Baron serves with the Russian Army—His Gallant Conduct when Commanding an Outpost—Pursuit of the
Enemy—He Waters his Horse—Looks for his Companions and misses his Horse’ 5 Tail— Seeks an
Entrance into the Besieged Town—Gallant Conduct of his Steed on Several Occasions

CHAPTER V.

The Baron captured and made a Prisoner of War, and soldvfor a Slave—Keeps the Sultan's Bees, which are
Attacked by Two Bears—Loss of One of his Bees—A Silver Hatchet, in an Attack with the Bears,
Rebounds and Flies up to the Moon ; brought back by an Ingenious Invention—Falls to the Earth on his
Return, and helps himself out of a Pit—Extricates himself from a Carriage which meets his in a Narrow
Lane in a manner never before Attempted or since Practised—The Great and Wonderful Effects of the
Frost upon his Servant’s French Horn

CHAPTER v1.

The Baron’s Voyage to Ceylon—Most Extraordinary Adventures, which are well worth the Reader’s Notice—
Frightful Storm—Strange Voyage through the Air, and Death of a Distinguished Monarch—Arrival at
Ceylon—Adventures with a. Lion and a Crocodile - -

M198668

 

 

 

 

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vfii CONTENTS

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PAGE
CHAPTER VII.
The Baron sails for North America, having previously seen a Royal Coachman in London—Alarming Accident
to the Ship—The Bill of a Sea-Gull saves the Life of a Boy—T he Baron Seriously Injured, soon Recovers , ‘,
—-Savage Attack by 3. Whale on the Vessel—A Leak in the Ship Fortunately Stopped by the Baron’s ;

" Presence of Body ”

88

"WW

CHAPTER VIII.
An Account of a Beautiful Bathe in the Mediterranean—Meets an Unexpected Companion, which turns out not
to be a Commercial Traveller—Arrives in the Regions of Heat and Darkness, from which he is Extricated
by Dancing a Hornpipe—Alarms his Deliverers, and Returns on Shore . . . . . . . 96

CHAPTER IX.

Travels in Turkey—Adventures on the River Nile—Sees an Extraordinary Phenomenon at Constantinople;
Fires at it, and Brings it Down, with a French Experimental Philosopher Suspended from it—The ~ 5‘,
Embassy to Grand Cairo—'A Visit to the Nile—Promoted to an Unexpected Situation, and Discharged in '
Six Weeks . . . ‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

CHAPTER X.

The Baron sets out on an Important Mission to Grand 'Cairo, and while “En Route” he Recruits his i
Retinue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 it}

____ ;

CHAPTER XI.

The Baron praises the Table of the Grand Turk—The Lord High Steward Entertains the Baron—The Baron
indites a Letter to the Empress-Queen Maria Theresa—The Runner proves Lazy, but is speedily Waked
Up—The Sultan makes an Order in the Baron’s Favour, of which the Baron avails himself, and is pur-,
sued by the whole Fleet—He Escapes only to be Robbed in Italy—Baron Tott’s Account of the Largest
Cannon in the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

 

     
      
   
 

CHAPTER XII.

Observations during the Siege of Gibraltar—A Visit to his Old Friend, General Elliot—Destruction of a
Spanish Man-of-War—The Old Woman on the African Coast—Extraordinary Collision with the Enemy’s
Cannon—Alarms the Count d’Artois, and sends him to Paris—Saves the Lives of Two English Spies with
the same Sling that killed Goliath—The Baron dresses himself as a Popish Priest, and puts an End to the
Siege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 39

     
      
   
 

CHAPTER XIII.

The Baron relates a Piece of Scandal concerning his Ancestry—Queen Elizabeth, and a Poet called Shakspeare
—Extraordinary Death of the Queen from Inanition——-Interesting Reminiscences of the Baron’s Father—-
The Industry of the Apothecaries, duringa Temporary Absence of the College of Physicians, saves the
Undertaking from Ruin—The Baron’s Adventure at Wapping—Search made by the Baron’s Friends for
him, and he eventually Turns Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 5 5

     
 
      

CONTENTS.

‘ CHAPTER XIV.

The Baron sails with Captain Phipps, Attacks Two Large Bears, and has a very Narrow Escape—Gains the
Confidence of the Animals, and then Destroys Thousands of them ; Loads the Ship with their Hams and
Skins; Makes Presents of the Former, and Obtains a General Invitation to all City Feasts—A Dispute
between the Captain and the Baron, in which, from Motives of Politeness, the Captain is suffered to Gain
his Point . . . . . .

» CHAPTER XV.

An Adventure in the East Indies with a Remarkable Pointer—Dispute regarding the Baron’s Health—Capture
of an Extraordinary Shark—How the Crew were supplied with Game during the entire Voyage .

4

CHAPTER. XVI.

A Second Visit (but an Accidental one) to the Moon—The Ship driven by a Whirlwind a Thousand Leagues
above the Surface of the Water, where a New Atmosphere meets the Travellers, and carries them into a

Capacious Harbour—A Description of the Inhabitants, and their Manner of Coming into the Lunarian
World—Animal Creation, Weapons, Wines, Vegetables, &c. . . . . .'

CHAPTER XVII.
The Baron slips through the World after Paying a Visit to Mount Etna—He finds himself in the South Sea

—Visits Vulcan in his Passage—Gets on Board a Dutchman, Arrives at the Island of Cheese, surrounded
by a. Sea. of Milk—Describes some very Extraordinary Objects .

.

170

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22:52.15“?

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LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.

” I beheld him hanging by his bridle to the weathercock of the steeple” .
“ They were strung like pearls ”

“ I guided myself towards my destination ” . . . . .. .
“ I beheld a noble stag with a fine full-grown cherry-tree between his antlers”
“ The bear blew up with a terrible explosion ”

“ The fellow was perfectly fight about the fur cloak’s madness "

“ They brought up to the bank the servant”

“ And at last made him mount the tea-table ”

“ He drank uncommonly, with an eagerness not to be satisfied ”

“ I lifted myself up by my pig-tail ” . .

“ I drove a big peg into the hole placed at the pole’s end”

‘7‘ The sun himself got chilblains "

“ Placing one under either arm”

“ A man and his wife were busy among its branches, gathering cucumbers ”

“ His head had got as far as the other beast’s throat ”

,“ The box was filled by a huge coachman ”
“ My situation was rather damp, for the water penetrated my not very stout clothing ”
“Seeing a naked man emerge from his body ”

“,A personage of a corpulence worthy of Falstaff”

“ I had the honour of seeing the seraglio ”

“ These ragamuffins felt no scruple in plundering me ”

“ I Went to examine the state of the garrison”

“ Some, standing in a circle, sang choruses of inexpressible beauty”

“I met, from time to time, with huge fishes ”

“ I fell upon a large haystack ” . . . . . . . . . .

“ I had scarcely finished my preparations when the whole herd came round me”

“ I saw them all lying dead in a circle round me” . . . . . .

“ It looked round and shining, like a glittering island”

“ He held me suspended over a sort of well ”v

“ The old one swooped down upon us ’,’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION.

HE authorship of this very remarkable work, and the object with which it was

written, are both subjects upon which it is difficult to speak with accuracy, and
which have been long and much disputed. There are few readers, however, of Baron
Munchausen who will not be glad to know something of the origin of a work so replete
with humour, and so ingeniously put together. Whether the Baron’s name should be
spelled with two it’s (Munchhausen) or with only one (Munchausen) is the first point of
discussion. . I have in this edition adopted the latter mode of spelling this distinguished
traveller’s name, because, although the accomplished M. Gautier has spelt it othErwise
in his edition, and Mr. F. .L. J. Thimm has also adopted the two It’s in his “Literature of
Germany Historically Developed,” I cannot find, in even the oldest Englis/z edition,
that there has been any variation from the familiar spelling—Munchausen. I am
fortunate enough to possess a portrait of the Baron, which bears date 1792, and which
must have appeared in one of the earliest editions of the book, and the name under it is
spelt with the single k—Munchausen. This, I think, sets at rest the question of the
correct spelling of the name, for, as I shall presently show, the Travels were, in their
connected form at all events, originally published in English.

I think that, upon a careful examination of the many claims of certain individuals
which have been put forward at intervals to the authorship of Munchausen, it will be fairly
concluded that a German named Raspé was the first to collect these amazing incidents
of travel, and give them to the public, as the adventures of Baron Munchausen. A writer
in Noies and Querzes (vol. xi., p. 485) states that in English authorities Munchausen is
ascribed to the poet Burger, “ who took down the adventures frOm the oral relation of
Munchausen, and published them with his own improvements in I 787, under the title of
‘ Wunderbare Abentheuer und Reisen des Herr Von Munchhausen.”’ The volume
published by Burger in Germany, in 1787, could not, however, have been the origin of the
English work, for I have in my possession a set of curious old copper-plate illustrations to
Munchausen, which bears the inscription, “ Published as the Act directs, by G. Kearsley,
Fleet Street, London, June 10, 1786.” Thus Burger’s book may possibly have been a.
translation of the English work, which was published a year earlier. According to M.
Duplessis’ opinion, Raspé first published his adventures in England in I 78 5. This Raspé
was a renegade fellow, who fled from the officers of justice when they sought to arrest
him _on the Continent, and at last found shelter in England. In the Gentleman’s

 

"warm“ 1m‘vwaucr

 

xiv INTRODUCTION.
[Vlagazzzze he is described as storekeeper at Dolcoath Mine, Cornwall. The idea of
writing such a volume was probably suggested to him by the publication by Mr
the Abyssinian traveller, of his travels at that time, and the great curiosity and
incredulity which the relation of his adventures excited. The old copy of the work to
which I have already referred has on the title—page, “ Humbly dedicated to Mr. Bruce,
the Abyssinian Traveller,” &c. &c. The original work was very small, containing only . g
chapters ii., iii., iv., v., and vi. of what is now generally considered a “ complete ” edition.
Additions were early and have been continually made to this work. Thus, an edition
of 1819 I find contains about four times as much as the original of 1786.
How far M. Raspé is entitled to much credit for originality is a question
altogether different from his claims to authorship. The probability is that, when in
Germany, he did hear some old baron —\perhaps named Munchausen—relate the
greater part of the marvellous adventures which he afterwards coloured, improved upon,
and committed to writing. Several of the incidents are to be found elsewhere related,
with little and sometimes without any alteration.* The “Conversations-Lexicon”
states that most of these stories related of Baron Munchausen are to be found, under the
title of “Mendacia Ridicula,” in vol. iii. of “Deliciae Academicae,” by J. P. Lange
(Heilbronn, 1665). The preface to an edition of 1819 candidly admits (in equivocal
English) that “some of the hints, and a few of the facts, are taken from Lucian’s ‘True
History’ (as he ironically calls it); particularly a short account of such things as were
discovered in the moon.” Southey found the original of two of Munchausen’s adventures
in a Portuguese magazine, called “Folheto de Ambas Lisboas.” There can be little
doubt, therefore, that “ Munchausen’s Travels ” is really a collection of curious incidents

and-adventures from various sources, and that the work owes its title to the fact of the

Bruce,

 

 

original edition being chiefly composed of tales with which a certain Baron Munchausen
used, in Germany, to amuse his guests. It may be interesting to refer to one adventure
related in this volume as a remarkable instance of a story which has “ gone the rounds”
of different countries, and cannot be claimed by Raspé as an original Munchausen. The

story of sound being for a time frozen in the post—horn is to be found, with little variation,

 

 

in French in Rabelais (liv. iv., cc. 55, 56). A writer in Noies and Queries is of opinion that
something like it is to be found in one of the late Greek authors; while Bishop Taylor uses
it in a sermon as an illustration. Once, in the south of Spain, a muleteer with whom I was
journeying related to me the following legend, which he informed me was of great antiquity,
as no one remembered the author of it; and it seems to me that this Spanish legend (which
I have never seen in print), may probably be the source of the remarkable stories about
frozen sounds. My muleteer told me that a certain don, having travelled to the cold
regions of Russia, vowed that if the Holy Virgin would bring him safely back to his
sunny fatherland, he would dedicate a bell to her, and hang it in his village church
steeple. He went to a celebrated bell-maker in Russia to procure the offering for the

 

4* [WM and Queries, v01. ii. , p. 5I9.

 

     

INTRODUCTION. xv

Virgin. Having selected the most beautiful one he could find, he asked the maker to
sound it, so that he might judge of the quality of its tone. The maker informed the don
flat they had been for three weeks ringing it, but that, owing to the intense cold, the
sound was frozen, and they could not get a note out of it. He, however, gave the don a
guarantee of its quality, and he returned to Spain, where, having arrived in safety, the
bell was hung up in the church steeple. Scarcely had the ceremony of hanging the bell
been accomplished, when, without any one striking it, the most wonderfully melodious
sounds were heard to issue from it; and they were poured out incessantly for three weeks.
Crowds of priests and people flocked to hear and see so wonderful a thing; the priests
attributed it to the special favour of the Virgin, “but," added my muleteer, with a
knowing wink, “really these were the sounds which resulted from the three weeks’
ringing in Russia, and had remained frozen until the bell was in the warm climate of
Spain, when they gradually thawed.” '

In a book of Italian jests* also appears a similar story about frozen sounds, in this
case the sounds being the human voice. This story is thus pleasantly abbreviated in
[Vales and Queries :—

“Another story appears to be the. original of the well-known incident of the un-
freezing of the horn in Baron Munchausen’s Travels. A merchant of Lucca had travelled
[to Poland in order to buy furs; but as there was at that time a war with Muscovy, from
which country the furs were procured, the Lucchese merchant was, directed to the
confines of the two countries. On reaching the Borysthenes, which divided Poland and
Muscovy, he found that the MuscoVite traders remained on their own side of the river,
from distrust on account of the state of hostilities. The Muscovites, desirous of being
heard across the river, announced the prices of their furs in a loud voice, but the cold
was so intense that their words were frozen in the air before they could reach the
opposite side; Hereupon the Poles lighted a fire in the middle of the river. which was
frozen into a solid mass; and in the course of an hour the words which had been frozen
up were melted, and fell gently upon the further bank, although the Muscovite traders
had already gone away. The prices demanded were, however, so high, that the
Lucchese merchant returned without making any purchase.”

In this edition there will be found many pleasant stories which I think are quite

new to English readers ; for these we are indebted to the charming French narrative of
M. Théophile Gautier.

T. TEIGNMOUTH SHORE, M.A.

‘* “Cortigiano,” originally written by Castiglione, in 1528 ; Edition 1803, vol. i., pp. 182—184.

 

 

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THE ADVENTURES

OF

BARON MUNCHAUSEN

CHAPTER I.

A VOYAGE TO RUSSIA, IN WHICH THE BARON PROVES HIMSELF A GOOD SHOT—HE LOSES HIS
HORSE, AND FINDS A‘WOLF—MAKES HIM DRAW HIS SLEDGE—ENJOYS HIMSELF AT ST.
PETERSBURG, WHERE HE MEETS A DISTINGUISHED GENERAL.

SET off on a Journey to Russm, 1n the mldst of wmter,

from a just notion that frost“ and snow must of course

mend the roads, which every traveller had described as un-

commonly bad through the northern parts of Germany, Poland,

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2 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

Courland, and Livonia. I went on horseback, as it is the most
convenient manner of travelling, provided, however, that rider
and horse are in good condition. In this way there is not
the likelihood of your having an affair of honour on account

of .a groundless 'quarrel with any worthy host, nor being com—

pelled to stop before every inn, at the mercy of the postilion

 

swindling you. I was but lightly clothed, and of this I felt the

‘inconvenience the more I advanced north—east. What must not

a poor old man have suffered in that severe weather and
climate, whom I saw on a bleak common in Poland, lying on
the mad, helpless, shivering, and hardly having wherewithal
to cover his nakedness! Ipitied thepoor soul. Though I

I

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. _ ' 5

felt the severity of the' air myself, I'threw my mantle over

him, and immediately I heard a voice from the heavens,
' blessing me for that piece of charity, saying—i

“ You will be rewarded, my son, for this.in time.”

I went on: night and darkness overtook me. No sight
or sound of a. village was to be met with. The country was
covered with snow, and I was unacquainted with the road.

Tired, I alighted, and fastened my horse to something like
[a pointed stump of a tree, which appeared above the snow; for
the sake of safety, I placed my pistols. under my arm, and laid
down on the snow, where I slept so soundly that 'I did not I
open my eyes till full daylight. It is not easy to conceive my
astonishment, to find myself in the midst of a village, lying in a
churchyard; nor was my horse to be seen, but, I heard him soon
after neigh somewhere above me. On looking upwards, I beheld
him hanging» by his bridle to the weathercock of the steeple.
Matters were now very plain to me; the Village had' been covered
» with snow over-night; a sudden change of weather had taken place;
.I had sunk down to the churchyard whilst asleep, gently, and in the
same proportion as the snow had melted away; and what in the.
dark I had taken to be a stump of a little tree appearing above
the snow, to which I had tied- my horse, proved to have been
the cross orweathercock of the steeple!

Without long consideration, I tookone of my pistols, shot
the bridle in two, brought ‘down 'the' horse, and proceeded on

‘my journey, [Here the Baron seems to have forgot his feelings;

 

 

   

 

 

 

6 ' BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

he should certainly have ordered his horse a feed of corn, after

fasting so long]
He carried me well.
Russia, I found travelling on horseback rathe

therefore I submitted, as I always do, to the custom

Advancing into the interior parts of

r unfashionable in

winter;
of the country, took a single horse sledge, and drove briskly

towards St. Petersburg. I do not exactly recollect whether it

 

n BBLILEL

 

 

was in Eastland or Jugemanland, but I remember that, in the
midst of a dreary forest, I spied a terrible wolf making after
me, with all the speed of ravenous winter hunger. ‘
He soon oyertook me. .There was no possibility of escape.
Mechanically I laid myself down flat in the sledge, and let
my horse run for our safety. What I wished, but hardly

 
   
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
 
 
    

BARON- MUNCHAUSEN. 7

hoped or expected, happened immediately after. The wolf did

not mind me in the least, but took a leap over me, and falling
furiously on the horse,‘began instantly to tear and devour the
hind part of the poor animal, which ran the faster for his pain
and terror. Thus unnoticed and safe myself, I lifted my head
slily up, and with horrorI beheld that the wolf had eaten’ his
' way into the horse’s body. It was not long before he had
fairly forced himself into it, when I took my advantage, and
fell upon him with the butt end of my whip. This unexpected
attack in his rear frightened him so much, that he leaped
forward with all his might: the horse’s carcasedropped on the
ground; but in his place the wolf. was in the harness, and I
on my part whipping him continually, we both. arrived, in full
career, safe at St. Petersburg, contrary to our respective expec-
tations, and very much to the astonishment of the spectators

I shall not tire you, gentlemen, with the politics, arts,
sciences, and history of this magnificent metropolis of Russia;
nor trouble you with the various intrigues! and pleasing
adventures I had in the politer circles of ‘ that country, where
the lady of the house always receives the visitor with a dram
and a salute. I shall confine myself rather to the greater and
nobler objects of your attention, horses and dogs, my favourites .
in the brute creation; also to foxes, wolves, and bears, with i
which, and game in general, Russia abounds more than any
other part of the world; and to 'such sports, manly exercises,

and feats of gallantry 'and activity, as ’show the gentleman

 

    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
   
  
  
  
   
  

8 ‘ BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

better than musty Greek or Latin, or all the perfume, finery,
and capers of French wits, or petitwmaitres.

It‘was some time before I could obtain a commlssmn 1n
the army, and for several months I was perfectly at liberty
to sport away my time and money in the most gentleman- -like
manner. ‘

I passed many a night in play and drinking. The coldness
of the climate and the customs of the nation make drinking
a matter of more social importance than it is' in our sober
Germany; and I have found in Russia some people of the
highest reputation most accomplished in this practice. But we
were all wretched fellows compared to an old general, with a
grizzled moustache and a bronzed skin, who dined with us at
the table d’hote.

In a battle with the Turks this brave fellow lost the top
of his skull, so that every time a stranger was introduced to
him he excused himself, with the ,greatest courtesy in the
world, for wearing his hat at table. He was in the habit of
consuming at dinner .several glasses of brandy, and as a
wind—up he would empty a flask of arrack, occasionally doubling
the dose, according to, circumstances. Nevertheless it was
impossible to discover in him any signs of intoxication. The
matter is puzzling, no doubt, and I was a long time before
I was able to understand it, until one day, by Chance, I
discovered the explanation of the mystery. The general was

in the habit of raising his hat from time to time. I had

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. . 9

often remarked it, but paid no attention to the fact; for it

was nothing surprising that "his head should feel warm and in
need of a little cool-air. I concluded, nevertheless, that every,

time he raised his hat he lifted the silver plate, which was

”In“

fi

fixed so as to serve instead of. the top of his head, and then
the fumes of the various liquors which he had drank passed
off in light vapours. Thus was the. mystery unravelled. . I
recounted the discovery to two of my friends, and offered to
prove itscorrectness.

I placed myself with my pipe behind the general, and

 

 

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IO BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

the moment he raised his hat, I lit,a piece of paper for my

.pipe. We then enjoyed a spectacle most n0vel and surprising,

I had changed int
which ascended from the general’s head, and the vapours

o a column of fire the column of smoke

which chanced to be caught in the old man’s hair looked
like a blue cloud, and he was almost as brilliant as was ever

head of a distinguished saint. This experiment did not remain

unknown to the general; and though he was a little angry,

he permitted us to repeat the practice which gave him so

distinguished an air.

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CHAPTER II.

DESPERATE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE BARON’S NOSE AND A DOOR-POST, WITH ITS WONDERFUL
EFFECTS—FIFTY BRACE OF DUCKS AND OTHER FOWL KILLED WITH ONE SHOT—FURTHER
SUCCESSES, AND TRIUMPHAL RETURN HOME—NUMEROUS ANECDOTES OF THE CHASE.

‘- 7'OU may easily imagine that I spent much of my time

out of town, with such gallant fellows as knew how
to make the most of an open forest country. The very
recollection of those amusements gives me fresh spirits, and
creates a warm wish for a repetition of them. One morning
I saw through the windows of my bed-room that a large pond,
~not far off, _was covered with wild ducks. In an instant I
took my gun from the corner, ran down-stairs, and out of
the house in such a hurry, that .1 imprudently struck my
face against the door-post. Fire flew out of my eyes, but it
did not prevent my intention; I soon came within shot, when,
levelling my piece, I observed, to my sorrow, that even the
flint had sprung from the cock, by the violence of the shock

I had just received. There was no time to be lost. I

presently remembered the effect it had on my eyes, therefore

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. i

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12

opened the'pan, levelled my piece against the wild fowls, and
my fist against one of my eyes. [The Baron’s eyes have
retained fire ever since, and appear particularly illuminated I
when he. relates this anecdote] A hearty blow drew sparks : '

again; the shot went off, and I killed fifty brace of ducks,

.. 3~"’W

twenty widgeons, and three couple of teals.

Presence of mind is the soul of manly exercises. If soldiers

and sailors owe to it many of their lucky escapes, hunters and

sportsmen are not less beholden to it for many of their successes.
Thus, for example, I remember one, day I saw on the lake, to the.

shore of which one of my wanderings had brought me, some

a m a» w’-~.w‘—- on

dozens of wild ducks, too scattered, however, for me to hope that
I. alone with my gun could reach any number of them. As l
a climax of misfortune, I had my last charge in my gun. I I;
remembered, however, that I had in my game-bag a piece of I I
fat, the remains of the provisions of which I had a' supply i
when starting. I fastened a morsel of the fat to my bag ,5
string, which I cut in two, and the four threads of which I joined . ‘
end to end. Afterwards I;lay amongst the rushes on the
bank. I threw my bait, and soon I had thesatisfaction to see - I
the first duck approach it eagerly and swallow it. The others ‘
flocked together in rear of the first, and so—the oiliness of the
fat assisting—my bait quickly passed through the entire length
of the duck; the second swallowed it, then the third, and so on
the rest. At the end of a few minutes, my morsel of fat had

traversed the dUCkS WithOUt separating the string; they were i ii

 

 

 

 

“They were strungv like pearls.”—Page 12.

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN . 15

strung like pearls. I joyfully brought the whole lot to the
bank, and slung them from, my shoulders by the thread which
was passed through their bodies, and returned home.

When, however, I had made good way upon my road, and so
large a quantity of ducks proved a great inconvenience, I began
to regret that I had so heavy a prize. But in the meantime

an event occurred which, at the moment, caused me some anxiety.

x- »
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The ducks were again lively; little by little they recovered their

first shock, and began to flap their wings, and raise me into the
air with them. This Was indeed embarrassing. WI, hoWever, turned
‘ this to my advantage; for,davailing myself of the tails of my
coat for oars, I guided myself towards my, destination. When I
arrived at the top of my house, the question was how to come

I down without injuring myself. I twisted, one after another, the

 

 

 

16 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

necks of my ducks, and so descended through the flue of the
chimney, and, to the great astonishment of my cook, fell into

the stove, where, fortunately, there was no fire.
I had another adventure, not

In

unlike the former one, with a lot

of partridges. I had come out to

.try a new gun, and I had just
exhausted my supply of small shot,

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when, unexpectedly, I saw rise at

my feet a flock of partridges. The

desire to see some of them gracing
my table in the evening inspired
me with an idea. I reached the
place where the flock had settled
down; I quickly charged my gun,
and, in the place of shot, slipped

my ramrod in, allowing the end to

protrude beyond the muzzle of the

gun. I went towards the par-

tridges. I fired the moment they

took their flight; my ramrod went

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through seven of the birds, who

suddenly found themselves, as it

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were, spitted. How true is the proverb, “Heaven helps those
who help themselves!”

It so happened,-on another occasion, that in a fine forest in

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. ’ . 19

Russia I came across a splendid black fox, Whose skin was of
too great ‘value to allow a shot to spoilv’it. The fox stood'close
to a tree. In a moment I extracted the ball with Which my gun was

charged, and in its place put a good spike-nail, I. then fired,

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and hit him socleverly that I nailed his brush fast to the tree.
I immediately went up to him, gave him a cross cut over the
face with my hunting—knife, tOOk my Whip in. hand, and flogged
him vigorously until he actually leaped out of his skin.

Chance and good luck often correct our mistakes: of this

 

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20 BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 3 _

I had a singular instance soon after, when, in the depth of a
forest, I saw a wild pig and sow running close behind each
other. My ball had missed them, yet only, the foremost pig
ran away, and the sow stood motionless, as if fixed to the ground.
On examining into the matter, I found the latter one to be
an old sow, blind with age, which had taken hold of her pig’s
tail, in order to be led along by filial duty. My ball having

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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passed between the two, had cut his leading string, which the

old sow continued to hold in her mouth; and as her former
guide did not draw her on any longer, she had stopped, of
course. I therefore laid hold of the remaining end of the
pig’s tail, and led the old beast home without any further
trouble on my part, and without any reluctance or apprehen—

sion on the part of the helpless old animal.

 

 

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 2 I

Terrible as these wild sows are, yet more fierce and.
dangerous are the boars, one , of which I had once the mis-
fortune to meet in a forest, unprepared for attack or defence.
I retired behind an oak tree, just when the furious animal
levelled a side blow at me, with such force, that his tusks pierced
through the tree, by whichmeans he could neither repeat- the
blow nor retire. Ho, ho! thought I, I shall soon have you
now; and immediately I laid hold of a stone, wherewith'i I

hammered, and bent his tusks in such a manner that he could

not retreat by any means, and must wait my return from the

\ next Village, whither'I went for ropes and a cart to secure him
properly, and to carry him off safe and alive, in which I perfectly
succeeded. ‘

You have heard, I dare say, of the hunter’s and Sportsman’s
saint and protector, St. Hubert, and of the noble stag, which
appeared to him in the forest, “with the holy cross between‘his
antlers. I have paid my homage to that saint every year in good
fellowship, and seen this stag a~th0usand times, either painted
in churches or embroidered in the stars of his knights; so that,
upon the honour and conscience of a good sportsman, I hardly
know whether there may not have been formerly, or whether
there are not such crossed stags even at this present day. But
let me’rather tell what I have seen myself. Having dine day
spent all my shot, I found myself unexpectedly in presence‘of a
stately stag, looking at me as unconcernedly as if he had known

of my empty pouches. I charged’immediately with powder, and

 

 

 

 

 

22' ‘ BARON MUNCHAUSEN.‘

upon it a good handful of cherry-stones, for I had sucked the

fruit as far as the hurry would permit. Thus I let fly at him,

and hit him just on the middle of the forehead, between his .

antlers. It stunned him, he staggered, yet he made off. A
year or two after, being with a party in the same forest, I beheld
a noble stag with a fine full-grown cherry-tree, above ten feet
high, between his antlers. I immediately recollected' my former
adventure, looked upon him as my property, and brought him to
the ground by one shot, which at once gave me the haunch and
cherry sauce; for the tree was covered with the richest fruit, the
like I had never tasted before. Who knows but some passionate
holy sportsman, or sporting abbot, or bishop, may have shot,
planted, and fixed the cross between the antlers of St. Hubert’s
stag, in a manner similar to this? They always have been, and
still are, famous for plantations of crosses and antlers; and in a
case of distress or dilemma, which too often happens to keen
sportsmen, one is apt to grasp at anything for safety, and to try
any expedient, rather than miss the favourable opportunity. I
have many times found myself in that trying situation.

What do you say to this, for example? Daylight and
powder were spent one day in a Polish forest. When I was
going home, a terrible bear made up to me in great speed, with
open mouth, ready to fall upon me. All my pockets were
searched in an instant for powder and ball, but in vain—I found
nothing but two spare flints; one I flung with all my might

into the monster’s open jaws, down his throat. It gave him

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 25

pain, and made him turn completely round, so that I could level
the second at him also, which, indeed, I did with wonderful

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26 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.
came safe off that time, yet I should not wish to try it again, l
. . ~ I
or venture against bears with no other ammun1t1on. l
There is a kind of fatality in it. The fiercest and most l
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it, a huge bear charged upon me with a roar. I was utterly

helpless. I could only run to a tree, so as to prepare for my

defence. Unfortunately, in climbing, I let my knife fall, and I
had nothing to screw in my flint with but my fingers, which

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. ' 29

were not sufficient. The bear took up his position at the foot
of the tree, and every moment I expected to be devOured. As I
have related on a previous occasiOn, Iihad succeeded in setting
fire to my priming with the fire from/my eyes, but that expe—
dient did not seem very desirable to me; it had occasioned me
a soreness of‘ the eyes, from which I had not again entirely
recovered. In despair I contemplated my knife stuck right in the
snow. At length, I got an idea as happy as singular. You
- knowtfrom experience that the good hunter, like the philosopher,
has always something in readiness. As for me, my game-
bag is a regular arsenal, which furnishes me with resources in
every crisis. I rummaged,.and discovered first a ball of cord,
afterwards a piece of bent iron, and then a box full of wax.
The wax was hardened by the cold, so I placed it in my bosom
to soften it. Then I' attached to the COrd the piece of iron,
which I smeared over with plenty of the wax and let it fall
' immediately to the ground. The piece of iron, smeared with the
wax, fastened itself to the handle of the knife Accordingly as
the wax grew harder, becoming chilled by the air, it acted as]
a cement. Having managed so, I manoeuvred With care to
recover the knife. While I was busily engaged. re—fitting my
.flint, Master Martin set about ascending the tree, but I met
him with such a discharge as. relieved him for ever of any

desire of climbing trees.

. Upon another occasion I had a somewhat similar adventure.

A frightful wolf rushed upon me so suddenly, and so close,

 

 

 

    
   
   
   
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

3o . BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

that I. could do nothing but follow mechanical instinct, and
thrust my fist into his open mouth. For safety’s sake I pushed
oh and on, till my arm was fairly in up to the shoulder. How
should 'I disengage myself? I was not much pleased with my >'

awkward situation—with a wolf I face to, face, our ogling was not :5

‘Q'

 

of the most pleasant kind. If I withdrew my arm, then the
animal would fly the more furiously upon me; that I saw in ..
his flaming eyes. ' So in a moment I laid hold of his entrails,
turned him inside out like a glove, and flung him to the
ground, where I left him.

The same expedient Would not have ansWered with a mad

 

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 33

dog, which soon after came running against me in a narrow

street at St. Petersburg.

Run who can, I thought; and to do this the better, I

threw. off my fur cloak, and“ was safe within doors in an in-
stant. ‘ I sent my servant for the cloak, and he put it in the
wardrobe with my other clothes. The day after I was amazed
and frightened by Jack’s bawling, “ For God’s sake, sir, your
fur cloak is mad!” I hastened up to him, and found almost
all my. clothes tossed about and torn to pieces. ‘ The fellow
was perfectly right in 'his apprehensions about the fur cloak’s
madness. I saw him myself just then falling upon a fine full-

dress suit, which he shook and tossed in an unmerciful manner.

“Ir—w muff;-

 

 

4 l’
//.//
\.

CHAPTER 111.

THE EFFECTS' OF GREAT ACTIVITY AND PRESENCE OF MIND—A FAVOURITE HOUND DESCRIBED,
WHICH PUPS WHILE PURSUING A HARE—\THE HARE ALSO LITTERS WHILE PURSUED BY THE
HOUND-PRESENTED WITH A FAMOUS HORSE BY COUNT PRZOBOSSKY, WITH WHICH THE
BARON PERFORMS MANY EXTRAORDINARY FEATS.

5 LL these narrow and lucky escapes, gentlemen, were

chances turned to advantage by presence of mind and

vigorous exertions; which, taken together, as everybody knows,

 

make the fortunate sportsman, sailor, and soldier; but he would

 

be a very blamable and imprudent sportsman, admiral, or
general, who should always depend upon chance and his stars,
without troubling himself about those arts which are their par-
ticular pursuits, and without providing the very best implements,
which ensure success. I was not blamable either way; for I

have always been as remarkable for the excellency of my horses,

 

dogs, guns, and swords, as for the proper manner, of using and

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 35

managing them; so that upon the whole I may hope to be
remembered in the forest, upon the turf, and in the field. I
shall not enter here into any detail of my stables, kennel, or

armoury. I cannot, however, help mentioning to you my two

dogs, which were most distinguished in their devotion to me.

 

One was a setter. He was intelligent, prudent, indefatigable
in his services. Day and night he was useful. At night I
could attach a lantern to his tail, and in this manner we
sported night after night, perhaps even better than in day—time.
Soon after my marriage my wife expressed a desire to join

a art in huntin . I went on in advance to tr and raise
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36 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

some game, and I had not to wait long before I saw my dog
find out some hundreds of partridges. I waited for my wife,
who was toicome after me with my lieutenant and a servant,
I waited a long while, but no one came. Finally, rather dis-
turbed, I retraced my path; when,
10! half way along my road, I
heard the most wretched groan-
ing. It seemed to be close by;‘
and, meanwhile, I could not
discover any signs of a living
-creature. I dismounted, and

placed my ear to the ground, and

 

I soon found that the groans
came from beneath the earth. I
recognised the voices of my wife, my lieutenant, and the servant.
I remembered, on the moment, that they were not far off
from the spot where I had opened a shaft for a coal mine;
and I had no doubt, alas! that my wife and her companions
had been swallowed up in it. From the nearest village I
obtained the assistance of the miners, who, with the most
stupendous exertions, succeeded in rescuing the unfortunates.
from the pit, which was not less than ninety feet in depth.
They brought up to the bank the servant and'his horse, then
the lieutenant and his horse; finally, my wife and her little
Barbary horse. The most extraordinary part‘of the affair is, that

notwithstanding this frightful accident, no one—either horse or

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 39

I

person—was wounded, With the exception of some insignificant
bruises; but they Were awfully frightened.

On the following morning I had to leave about a matter
of business, and I was detained by it for some days. Im—

mediately on my return, I inquired for my dog Diana, whom I '

had quite forgotten on the day when we were excited with our
adventure. No information could be obtained from my servants,

who were in despair of ever seeing her again. A brilliant idea,

however, struck me; she is still remaining in guard over the

partridge.

I started off at once, full of hope and joy, and, arrived there,

 

 

 

  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

4O BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

what did I see? My bitch, motionless, in the selfsame place
where I had left her fifteen days before. “DOWn ! ” I cried. She
dropped her point at once, and put up the partridges, of which
I killed twenty—five at a single shot. But the poor creature was
so lean and famished, that she had scarce strength enough to
come up to me. Indeed, I should never have got her home,
had I not taken her up before me on my horse; you can

imagine, however,' the delight with which I resigned myself to '

 

this inconvenience. A few days of rest and care made her as
fresh and lively as ever; but some weeks elapsed before I
found myself in, a position to solve an enigma that, without
her aid, wOuld, doubtless, have remained for ever incompre—.
hensible to me,

For two days I had been mad after hunting a certain hare.
My bitch was for ever bringing it back tome, but I never
could succeed in shooting it. I have seen,too many wonderful
things to be a believer in witchcraft; but I confess that I felt
at my wits’ end with that abominable hare. At last I got so

close to it, that I could touch it with the muzzle of my gun;

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 41

it turned head over heels, and what do you think 1 found?
My hare had four 'feet on the belly, and four others on the
back. When the under pair was tired, it turned over, like an agile

swimmer who strokes and floats alternately, and started off with '

renewed vigour on its four fresh feet.

I have never since seen any'similar hare, and, assuredly, I
should never have taken that one with any other dog than
Diana. She was so marvellously superior to all others of her
kind, that I Should assert, withOut fear of being accused of
exaggeration, that she was peerless, had ’not a greyhound dis—
Puted with her the honour of the first place. This greyhound

was not so remarkable for her looks as for her incredible swift—.

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42 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

ness of foot. Had you, gentlemen, seen her, you would, I
am sure, have admired her, and not been at all astonished at
me for being so fond of her, and taking so much pleasure in
hunting with her. This greyhound ran. so fast and so long
in my service, that she wore her feet down above her ankles,
so that in her old age I was able to turn her to good use as
a terrier.

Coursing one day a hare, which appeared to me uncommonly

 

big, I pitied my poor bitch, being big with pups, yet she
would course as fast as ever. I could follow her on horseback
only at a great distance. At once I heard a cry as it were a

pack of hounds, but so weak and faint that I hardly knew

what to make of it. Coming up to them I saw the most wonder-
ful sight conceivable! The hare had littered in running; the
same had happened to my bitch in coursing—~and there were

Just as many leverets as pups. By instinct the former ran, the

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 45

latter coursed: and thus I found myself in possession at once
0f six hares, and as many dogs, at the end of a course which
had only began with one.

,I remember this, my wonderful bitch, with the same pleasure
and tenderness as I do a superb Lithuanian horse, which no money
could have bought. He became mine by an accident, which
gave me an opportunity of showing my horsemanship to a great
advantage. I was at Count Przobossky’s noble country seat in
Lithuania, and remained with the ladies at tea in the drawing-
,room, while the gentlemen went down in the yard, to see a
young horse of blood, which had just arrived from the stud.
We suddenly heard a noise of distress; I hastened down—stairs,
and found the horse so unruly, that nobody durst approach or
mount him. The most resolute horsemen stood dismayed and
aghast; despondency was expressed in every countenance, when,
in one leap, I was on his back, took him by surprise, and
worked him quite into gentleness and obedience, with the best
display of horsemanship I was master of. Fully to show this to
the ladies, and save them unnecessary trouble, I forced him to_
leap in at one of the open windows of the tea-room, walk
round several times, pace, trot, and gallop; and at last made
him mount the tea—table, there to repeat his lessons in a
pretty style of miniature, which was exceedingly pleasing to
the ladies, for he performed them amazingly well, and did not
break either cup or saucer. It placed me so high in their

opinion, and so well in that of the noble lord, that, with his

 

 

 

    
  
   

46 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

usual politeness, he begged 1 would accept of this young horse,
'and ride him full career to conquest and honour, in the cam—

paign against the Turks, which was soon to be opened, under

the command of Count Munich.

 

 

   
   

 
 

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CHAPTER IV.

THE BARON SERVES WITH 'THE RUSSIAN ARMY—HIS GALLANT CONDUCT WHEN COMMANDING AN
OUTPOST—-PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY—HE WATERS HIS HORSE—LOOKS FOR HIS COMPANIONS
AND MISSES HIS HORSE’S TAIL—SEEKS AN ENTRANCE INTO THE BESIEGED TOWN—GALLANT

CONDUCT OF HIS STEED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

I COULD not indeed have received a more agreeable present,

or one more uSeful, at the opening of that campaign, in
which I made my apprenticeship as a soldier. A horse so gentle,
so spirited, and so fierce—at once a lamb and a Bucephalus—
put me always in mind of the soldier’s and gentleman’s duty;
of young Alexander, and the astonishingthings he performed
in the field. i ’

The chief reason for our taking the field was to retrieve the
character of the Russian arms, which had been blemished a little
by the Czar Peter’s last campaign on the Pruth; and this we fully
accomplished by several very fatiguing and glorious campaigns

under the command of that great general I mentioned before.

L. uaWw-ca.wmfi

 

 

 

 

48 BARoN MUNCHAUSEN.

Modesty forbids individuals to/arrogate to themselves great
successes or victories, the glory of which is generally engrossed
by the commander, however great a dolt he may be, nay, even
by kings and queens, who have never smelt gunpowder except at a
review of their troops; never seen a field of battle, or an enemy
in battle array. ,

Therefore I do not claim any particular share of glory in
our many engagements with the enemy. We all did our duty,
which, in the patriot’s, soldier’s, and gentleman’s language, is a
very comprehensive word, of great honour, meaning, and import,
and of which the generality of idle quidnuncs and coffee-house
politicians can hardly form any but a very mean and contemptible
idea. However, having had the command of a body of hussars,
I went upon several expeditions, with discretionary powers; and
the success I then met with is, I think, fairly and only to be

placed to my account, and to that of the brave fellows whom I

led on to conquest and to victory. We had very hot work

once in the van of the army, when we drove the Turks
into Oczakow. - My spirited Lithuanian had almost brought me
intoa scrape. I had an advanced fore-post, and saw the enemy
coming against me in a cloud of dust, which left me rather
uncertain about their actual numbers and real intentions. To
wrap myself up in a similar cloud would have been an ordinary
stratagem, and'would not have much advanced my knowledge,

or answered the end for which I had been sent out; therefore

I, spread out my musketeers on both wings, and bade them make

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I ‘ 49

what dust they could, while I myself led on straight upon the
enemy, to have a nearer sight of them: in this I was\gratified,
for they stood and fought, till the time when my musketeers
struck a panic into their ranks. This was the moment to fall

upon them with spirit; we broke them entirely, made a terrible

 

 

 

 

havoc amongst them, and drove them not only back to a
walled town in their rear, but even, through it, contrary to our
most sanguine expectation.

The swiftness of' my Lithuanian enabled me to be foremost
in the pursuit; and seeing the enemy fairly flying through the
opposite gate, I thought it would be prudent to stop in the

market-place, and order the men to rendezvous. I stopped,

 

 

 

 

 

50 ‘ BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

gentlemen; but judge of my astonishment, when in this market-

. place I saw not one of my hussars about me! Are they

scouring the other streets? or what is become, of them? They
could not be far off, and must, at all events, soon join me.
In that expectation I walked my panting Lithuanian to a spring
in this market-place, and let him drink. He drank uncom-
monly, with an eagerness not to be satisfied, but natural enough;

for when I looked round for my men, what do you think I

saw? All the hind—quarters of my horse were gone—cut clean

off! The water ran out behind as fast as it ran in before,
without the animal keeping a drop of it!
How had this come to pass? I could not account for it

at all, till at last one of my hussars came up, and while con-

gratulating me on my safety—Fin language chiefly remarkable for

its strength—gave me the following narrative. When I flung
myself recklessly into the midst of the fugitives, they suddenly
let fall the portcullis of the gate, which cut! the hind-quarters
of my! horse clean off. The‘second portion of the body had
at first remained in the midst of the enemy, where it caused
terrible carnage: then, being unable to enter the town, it
had gone off to a neighbouring meadow, where he told me I
should, doubtless, find it. I turned bridle without delay; and
my. horse’s fore-quarters carried me, at a gallop, towards the
meadow. To my great delight I there found the other half
performing a series of the most ingenious curvets, and gaily

disporting himself with the other horses that were grazing there.

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. . 53

Feeling certain, therefore, that the two portions of my horse
were aliVe, I sent for our farrier. Without the loss oft a moment
he sewed them up with sprigs and young shoots of laurels that were
7 at hand; the wound healed; and what could not have happened

but to so glorious a horse, the sprigs took root‘ in his body,

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grew up, and formed a bower; over me; so thatl afterwards I
could go upon many other expeditions in shade of my own- and
my horse’s laurels.

I must just tell you of a trifling inconvenience that befell me

in consequence of this brilliant action. I had sabred the enemy

so long, so vigorously, and so mercilessly, that myarm refused

l

 

 

54 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

to give up the movement, even after the Turks had long
disappeared. I was so afraid of wounding myself, and above

all of wounding my men when they came near me, that I was

forced to carry my arm in .a sling for a week, just as though I

had been wounded.

 

When a man rides such a horse as my Lithuanian, you can
easily conceive, gentlemen, that he would be capable of performing
another achievement, which appears, at first sight, to border i
on the fabulous. We were besieging a town, whose name I
have forgotten, and it was of great importance that our general

should know what was going on in the place. It seemed

 

impossible to effect an entrance; for one would have to get

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. V 55

past the outposts, the mainguard, and the outworks; there was
not a man who would venture on such .an enterprise. A little
too vain of my valour, perhaps, and carried away by my zeal, I
went and stood close to one of our great guns. When it was

fired, I jumped on to the ball with- the design of penetrating

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by this means into the town; but, when I had got half—way, I
‘began to reflect.

“Hum,” thought I, “going may be all very well; but how
am I to get back? What will happen to you when you have
got into the place? You will be treated as a spy, and be
hung on the first tree. That will not be an end worthy of

Munchausen ! ”

 

5o BARON MUNCHAUSEN. ii

Having made this reflection, which was succeeded by many

others of the same nature, I perceived a ball, fired from the

 

fortress against our camp, passing'at a short distance from me; i
I jumped on to it, and'came back into the midst of my friends, ii
without having accomplished my purpose, it is true, but, at 1
least, safe and sound.

However quick and active I might be at vaulting, my brave

 

steed was not less so. No hedges, or ditches, or anything
else could stop him: he went always straight ahead. One
day a hare that I was chasing darted across the high road: at
the same moment, a carriage with two beautiful ladies in it
came by, and separated me from my quarry. My horse passed
so rapidly and so lightly through the carriage, of which the
V windows happened to be down, that I had scarcely time to take
off my hat, and beg the ladies to excuse my most unwarrantable
intrusion.
On another occasion I wished to_ jump across a lake. When
'I was in the middle of it, I found it was much larger than I
had imagined at first. So I at once turned back in the middle
of my leap, and returned to the bank I had just left, to take a
stronger spring. The second time, however, I again took off
badly, and fell in up to my neck. I should, beyond any doubt,
have come to an untimely end, had I not, by the force of my

own unaided arm, lifted myself up by my pig—tail, together with
my horse, whom I gripped tightlywith my knees.

 

 

 

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CHAPTER V.

THE BARON CAPTURED AND MADE A PRISONER OF WAR, AND SOLD FOR A SLAVE—KEEPS THE

I SULTAN’S BEES, WHICH ARE ATTACKED BY TWO BEARS—LOSS OF ONE OF HIS BEES—A SILVER
HATCHET, IN AN ATTACK WITH _THE BEARS, REBOUNDS AND FLIES UP TO THE MOON;
BROUGHT BACK BY AN INGENIOUS INVENTION—FALLS TO THE EARTH ON HIS RETURN, AND
HELPS HIMSELF OUT OF A PIT—EXTRICATES HIMSELF FROM A CARRIAGE WHICHV MEETS
HIS IN A NARROW LANE IN A MANNER NEVER BEFORE ATTEMPTED OR SINCE PRACTISED—
THE GREAI‘ AND WONDERFUL EFFECTS OF THE FROST UPON HIS SERVANT’S FRENCH HORN.

OTWITHSTANDING all my courage, notwithstanding

the speed, the cleverness, the readiness of my horse, I
was not always successful. I had the misfortune to be overpowered
by numbers, to be made prisoner of war; and, what is worse,
but always usual among the Turks, to be sold for a slave. In
that state of humiliation, my daily task was not very hard and
laborious, but rather singular and irksome. It was to drive
the Sultan’s bees every morning to their pasture-grounds, to
attend them all the day long, and against night to drive them,
back to their hives. One evening I missed a bee, and soon
observed. that two bears had fallen upon her to tear her 'to
pieces for the honey she carried. I had nothing like an offensive
weapon in my hands but the silver hatchet, which is the. badge

of the Sultan’s gardeners and farmers. I threw it at the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.. _ .h _..a...~....——-4~i..-

60 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

robbers, with an intention to frighten them away, and set the
poor' bee at liberty; but, by an unlucky turn of my arm, it
flew upwards, and continued rising till it reached the moon. How

should I recover it? how ’fetch it down again? I recollected

 

that Turkey beans grow very quick, and run up to an astonish-
ing height. -I planted one immediately; it grew, and actually
fastened itself ' to one of the moon’s horns. I had no more to

do now but to climb up by it into the moon, where I safely

 

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arrived, and had a troublesome piece of

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business before 'I could find my silver
hatchet, in a place where everything has
the brightness of silver; at last, how—
ever, I found it in a heap of chaff and
chopped straw. I was now returning:
but, alas! the heat of the sun had dried
up my bean; it was totally useless for
my descent: so I fell to work, and
twisted me a rope of that chopped straw
as long and as well as I‘could make
it. This I fastened to one of the moon’s
horns, and slid down to the end of it.

Here I held myself fast with the left

 

hand: and, with the hatchet in my right,
I cut the long, now useless end of the
upper part, which, when tied to the
lower end, brought me a good deal

lower. This‘repeated splicing and tying

 

of the rope did not improve its quality,
or bring me down to the Sultan’s farms.
I was four or five miles from the earth,
at least, when it broke. I fell to the
I ground with such amazing violence, that
I found myself stunned, and in a hole

about nine fathoms deep, made by the

 

 

 

 

mar-.121;

 

62 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

weight of my body falling from so great a height. I recovered,
but knew not how to get out again; however, necessity is a

good counsellor. I dug a sort of flight of stairs with my

 

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finger nails [the Baron’s nails were then of forty years’ growth],

and easily accomplished it.

Taught by this experience, I invented a better plan for

getting rid of the bears who wanted to get at my bees and

 

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 67

hives. I took and daubed the pole of a cart with honey—which
done, I' hid myself hard by, to see .what would happen. A bear
of gigantic size, attracted by the smell of the honey, came.
and set to work to lick the end of. the pole so greedily, that he
ended by letting it slide whole into his throat, and so into his
stomach. When he was well spitted, I ran up and drove a big
peg into the hole placed at the pole’s end; and so, cutting off
the iepicure’s retreat, I left him where he was till next morning.
I thought the Sultan, who chanced to walk that way, would have
died of laughing when he saw the trick I had played the bear.
Peace was soon after concluded between the Turks and
the Russians, and I was sent back to St. Petersburg, with
several other prisoners of war. Soon after I took my leave of
Russia, at the time of that singular revolution, when the emperor
in his cradle, his mother, the Duke of Brunswick, her father,
Iiield Marshal Munich, and many others, were sent to Siberia.
The winter was then so uncommonly severe all over Europe, that
the sun himself got chilblains, the effect of which may still be
seen on his facefl At my return to this, place, I felt on the
road greater inconveniences than those I had experienced on my

setting out.

I travelled post, and finding myself in a narrow lane, bid

the postilion give a signal with his horn, that other travellers
might not meet us in the narrow passage. He blew with all
his might, but his endeavours were in vain: he could not make

the horn sound, which was unaccountable, ,and rather unfor—

 

 

 

 

 

68 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

tunate, for soon after we found ourselves in the presence of

another coach coming the other way. There was no proceeding :

 

however, I got out of my carriage, and being pretty strong,
placed it, wheels and all, upon my head: I then jumped over a
hedge about nine feet high (which, considering the weight of the
coach, was rather difficult) into a field, and came out again by‘
another jump into the road beyond the other carriage: I then
went back for ~the horses, and placing one under either arm,
by the same means brought them to my coach, put to, and
proceeded to an inn at the end of our stage. I. should have
told you that the horse under my arm was very spirited, and
not above four years old: in making my second spring over the

hedge, he expressed great dislike to that violent kind of motion

.by kicking and snorting; however, I confined his hind-legs by

putting them into my coat pocket. ¢
After we arrived at the inn, my postilion and I refreshed
ourselves: he hung his horn on a peg near the kitchen fire; I

sat on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. ' 71

Suddenly we heard a Tereng! tereng! teng! teng! We'looked
round, and now found the reason why the postilion had not been

able to sound his horn: his tunes were frozen up in the horn,

l
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and came out now by thawing, plain enough, and much to the

credit of the driver; so that the honest fellow entertained us for

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some time with a variety of tunes, without putting his mouth to

the horn—“The King of Prussia’s March;” “Over the Hill and

 

     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  

72 ' BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

over the Dale,” with many other favourite tunes. At length the

 

thawing entertainment concluded, as I shall this short account

of my Russian travels.

Most travellers, when they narrate their adventures, are in

 

the habit of saying that they have seen a great deal more than U ~ j
they really have. Hence, it'is not to be wondered at that readers
and, listeners should be at timesdisposed to incredulity. But if,
in the company that I have the honour of addressing, any one
should be tempted to doubt the truth of the statements I make,
I should be deeply pained by. this want of confidence; and I
should intimate to him that the best thing he could do would
be to take his leave before I begin to relate my adventures by

sea, for they are far more wonderful, though not less authentic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER VI.

THE BARON’S VOYAGE TO CEYLON—MOST EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES, WHICH ARE WELL WORTH
THE READER‘S NOTICE—FRIGHTFUL STORM—STRANGE VOYAGE THROUGH THE AIR, AND DEATH

OF A msmcmsmn MONARCH—ARRIVAL AT CEYLON—ADVENTURES WITH A LION AND A
CROCODILE.
HE first time I ever went abroad, a short while before
that journey to Russia of which I have related to you
the most remarkable episodes, I went on a sea voyage.
It was at that age when, as my uncle the major used
frequently to say, I looked as if I had been robbing the geese,

and when no one could rightly say whether the white down

,wherewith my chin was strewn would turn into bristles or

beard, that sea voyages became the dream of my life—the one

object for which my heart yearned.

My father had passed the greater part of his youth in

__;i -1, g _,,, h, a... ._,
“A s ~ ,, “ W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

74

travelling, and he used to wile away the long winter evenings
by giving us a true and particular account of his adventures,
So nature may be made responsible for my taste no less than

my father’s example. In a word, I used to seize every oppor—

  

 
 
    

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tunity that I thought likely to afford me the means of satis—
fying my insatiable wish to see the world; but all my efforts
were in‘vain.

Did I chance to make a slight breach in the fortress of

my father’s determination, my mother and my aunt only resisted

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 75

more obstinately than ever, and on some occasions I found I had
lost the advantages I had had so much difficulty in gaining.
At last it pleased fortune that one of my relatives, by the
mother’s side, came to pay us a visit. I soon became his
favourite; he often told me I was a pretty, merry boy, and
that he-was willing to do all he .could to help me in the
accomplishment of my wish. His eloquence was more persuasive
than mine; and, after an exchange of statements and answers,
of objections and refutations, it was decided, to my extreme
joy, that I was to accompany him to Ceylon, of which island
his uncle had been governor for some years.

We set sail from Amsterdam, charged with an important
mission from the States of Holland. Our voyage was not
distinguished by any remarkable circumstance, except a dreadful
storm, to which I am obliged to devote a few sentences, on
account of the singular consequences that resulted from it. It
burst upon us just when we had cast anchor off an island, to
get wood and water. It raged with such fury'that it tore from
their roots a number of enormous trees, and raised them into
the air. Though some of them weighed several hundred tons,

yet the prodigious elevation to which they were hauled caused

them to appear no bigger than the little feathers one sees at

times floating in the air.
However, as soon as the storm abated, each tree fell back
exactly into its own place, and at once took root again, so that

there remained not the slightest trace of the ruin caused by the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

76 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

elements; the largest tree of them all was the one exception.
At the moment when it was torn out of the ground by the
Violence of the wind, a man and his wife were busy among its
branches, gathering cucumbers; for in that part of the world
this excellent fruit grows upon trees. The worthy pair performed
their journey through the air with exemplary patience; but their

weight caused the tree to alter its direction; and fall flat upon

4‘)

 

kaa

the ground. Now, you must know that the most gracious sultan
of the island had abandoned his dwelling, as most of the in-
habitants had done, for fear 'of being overwhelmed in the ruins
of his palace. When the hurricane was abating, he was coming
home through his garden. At that very instant of time, down
fell the tree, and, as good luck would have it, killed him then
and there.

“As good luck would have it,” do you say? Yes; I do

say, “as good luck would have it‘;” for, gentlemen, the sultan was,

 

 

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BARON MUNgHAUSEN. 79

saving your presence, an odious despot, and all the islanders,
even his own favourites, were the most wretched Creatures under
heaven. Vast piles of provisions lay rotting in his barns and
storehouses, whilst his people, from whom he had extorted them,

were literally dying of hunger.

His island had nothing tofear from foreigners; notwith-
standing, he laid his hands on all the young people, in order
to make heroes of them as per regulation, and from time to
time he sold his collection to the neighbour that made him
the highest bid for it, that he might be able to add fresh
millions of shells to the millions his father had left him. We

were told that he had learnt this unheard-of proceeding during

a journey he had made to the North. Patriots as we were,

we made no effort to refute the assertiOn, though, to be sure,

 

xai" l

80 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

with those islanders, a journey to the North may just as well
mean a journey to the Canaries as to Greenland; but we had
many reasons for not insisting upon the point.

In grateful recognition of the august services that these

 

cucumber-gatherers had rendered to their country, they were

placed on the throne left vacant by the sultan’s death.. True,

 

 

 

 

 

these worthy people had, during their aerial journey, seen the
sun so close, that the dazzling brilliancy of that luminary had
been tolerably successful in putting out their eyesight, and their

wits as well, to some extent; but they only reigned the better

 

 

for that, so that no one ever ate cucumbers Without saying.

“ Heaven preserve our sultan 1”

Having re-fitted our vessel, which had suffered a good deal

in the gale, and taken leave of the new sovereigns, we‘set

 

_,;.r..,t,:,.,~_., W. ~ .. .. .- M!

     

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 81

sail with a favourable wind, and at the end of six weeks arrived
at Ceylon.

When we had been there about a fortnight, the governor’s
eldest son asked me to go hunting with him—an offer which I

accepted with all my heart. My friend was tall and strong, and

used to the heat of the climate; whilst 1, without any great

exertion, was so overcome, that when we reached the forest, I
was behind him.

I was thinking about sitting down to rest on the banks of
a stream that I had been for some time attentively considering,
when all-of a sudden I heard a loud noise behind me. I looked
round, and you may imagine I felt as though rooted to the spot
_with terror, when I Saw a huge lion coming towards me, and

giVing me to understand that he was extremely anxious to break-

 

82 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

fast on my poor body, without asking my leave. My gun was
loaded with small shot. I had neither time nor presence of mind
for long reflection. I resolved to fire

at him, in the hopes of frightening

 

him at least, if I did not wound
him. But while I was taking aim,

the beast, guessing my intentions

 

no doubt, became furious, and sprang
at me; I had no time to. think;
but by a sort of instinct, I turned
and fled. I still shudder when I l
recall what I beheld: there, ”a few i
steps in front of me, lay a monstrous
crocodile, already opening his jaws
in a threatening manner, to swallow
me.

Picture to yourselves, gentlemen,
the horror of my situation: behind
me was the lion, before me was the
crocodile; on the left a rapid stream, ' . .‘i

on the right'a precipice, infested, as

 

I afterwards learned, by poisonous

 

 

snakes.

;,-..t-.a..:., ..

Dizzy, stupefied—Hercules himself would have been no less
so under similar circumstances—I fell to the ground. I expected

every moment to feel the pressure of the infuriated lion’s teeth, or

 

   

 

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all

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 85

the squeeze of the crocodile’s jaws. But after a few seconds 'had '
elapsed, I heard a loud and unusual report, without feeling any
pain. I raised my head gently, and saw, to my infinite delight,
that the lion, carried away by the force with which he had sprung
at me, had fallen into the crocodile’s jaws. His head had got as
far as the other beast’s throat, and he was making useless efforts
to free himself. I at once jumped up, drew my cutlass, and with a
single blow cut off his head, while his body rolled at my feet:
then, with the butt—end of my musket, I forced his head as far
as I could down the throat of the crocodile, who was choked
miserably in a moment. '

A few minutes after I had gained this brilliant victory

over those two formidable enemies, my comrade arrived, uneasy

at my absence. He congratulated me warmly, and we measured
the crocodile. He was forty feet seven inches in length.

As soon as we had related this wonderful adventure to the
governor, he sent a wagon and men to fetch the two animals. I
had a number of tobacco-pouches made out of the lion’s skin, by
a local furrier. A part of them I distributed to my acquaintances
in Ceylon; the remainder I offered, with my humblest respects, to
the burgomasters of Amsterdam. They positively wished to make
me a present of a thousand ducats in return—a compliment which
I had the greatest difficulty in the world in declining.

The skin of the crocodile was stuffed in the usual manner,
and is, at the present day, the most splendid ornament of the

museum of Amsterdam, the keeper of which tells my story to all

 

. _.:V_ .._.V. .. j, “m“, .-.., I~J<'V-“~u

86 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

strangers. I ought, however, to say that he adds to it several
details of his own invention, which do grievous harm to the

truth and authenticity of the narrative. For instance, he says

 

" mm»; m "mum «at n

 

 

a man.

 

 

that the lion traversed the entire length of the body of the

crocodile, and that, as he was going out at the end opposite to r ‘-

 

that he came in at, “ the most illustrious Baron ”—such is the title

 

   

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 87

he gives me—cut off his head, and, in so doing, cut off also three
feet of the crocodile's tail. “The crocodile,” the humorous dog
goes on to say, “ felt so deeply humiliated at this mutilation, that
he turned round, snatched the cutlass out of the Baron’s hand,
and swallowed it with such violence, that it went right through
his heart, so that he died in a moment.”

I need not say, gentlemen, how pained I am at the im-
pudence of this scoundrel. We live in such a sceptical age
that those who do not know me might, in consequence of these
vulgar falsehoods, be brought to question the truth of my real

adventures—a thing that wounds a man of honour to the quick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER v,II.'

THE BARON SAILS FOR NORTH AMERICA, HAVING PREVIOUSLY SEEN A ROYAL COACHMAN IN
LONDON—ALARMING ACCIDENT To THE SHIP—THE BILL OF A SEA-GULL SAVES THE LIFE
OF A BOY—THE BARON SERIOUSLY INJURED, SOON RECOVERS—SAVAGE ATTACK BY A
WHALE ON THE VESSEL—A LEAK IN THE SHIP FORTUNATELY STOPPED BY THE BARON’S
“PRESENCE OF BODY.”

N the year 1776, Iembarked at Portsmouth in a first—rate
English man-of—war, of 100 guns, and 1,400 men, for North
America. I might in this place relate to you various adventures:
that befell me in England, but I reserve them for another
occasion.‘ There is one, however, I cannot omit. I had OHCC
the pleasure of seeing the king go with great pomp t0 the

house of parliament, in his state coach. The box was filled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x§ ‘

 

“Seeing a naked man emerge from his body.”——Page 99.

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 91

by a huge coachman, in whose beard the arms of England were
very artistically cut, while with his whip he most
ingeniously described in the air the following device.

Nothing worth relating happened till we arrived within
300 leagues of the river St. Lawrence, when the ship struck with

amazing force against (as we Supposed) a rock; however, upon

heaving the lead, we could find no bottom, even with 300
fathoms. What made this circumstance the more wonderful,
and, indeed, beyond all comprehension, was, that the violence
of the shock was such that we lost our rudder, broke our bow— .
sprit in the middle, and split all our masts from top to bottom,
two of which went by the board; a poor fellow, who was aloft,'

furling the main-sheet, was flung at least three leagues from

the ship; but he fortunately saved his life, by laying hold of

 

 

 

 

 

 

92 ’ BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

the bill of a large sea-gull, who brought him back, and lodged
him on the very spot from whence he was thrown. Another

proof of the'violence of the .shock was the force with which

 

the people between decks were driven against floors above them;
my head, particularly, was pressed into my stomach, where it
continued some months before it recovered
its natural situation. Whilst we were all
in a state of astonishment at the general
and unaccountable confusion in which we
were involved, the whole was suddenly
explained, by the appearance of a large
whale, who had been basking asleep, within
sixteen feet of the surface of the water.
This animal was so much displeased with
the disturbance which our ship had given

him—for in our passage we had with our

 

rudder scratched his nose—that he beat
in all the gallery and part of the quarter-deck with his
tail, and almost the same, instant took the main-sheet anchor,

which was suspended, as it usually is from the head, between

 

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“ My situation was rather damp, {or the water penetrated my not very stout clothing ”—Page 95.

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. - 95

his teeth, and ran away, with the ship, at least sixty leagues, at

the rate of twelve leagues an hour, when fortunately the cable
broke, and we ’lost both the whale and the anchor. However,
upon our return to Europe, some months after, we found the
same whale within a few leagues of the same spot, floating dead
upon the water; it measured above half a mile in length. As
we could take but a small quantity of such a monstrous
'animal on board, we got our boats out, and with difficulty
cut off his head, where, to our great joy, we found the anchor,
and above forty fathoms of the cable concealed on the left side
of his mouth, just under his‘tongue. This was the only extra«
ordinary circumstance that happened on this voyage. One part of
our distress, however, I had like to have forgot: while the whale
was running away with the ship she sprung a—leak, and the water
poured in so fast that allour pumps could not have kept us from
sinking in half an hour's time. It was, however, my good fortune
to discover it first. I found it to be a large hole about a foot
in diameter. You will naturally suppose this circumstance gives
me infinite pleasure, when I inform you that this noble vessel
'was preserved, with all its crew, by a most fortunate thought;
in short, I thrust myself into it, and completely filled it with
my body, without taking off my clothes; nor will you be surprised
when I inform you I am descended from Dutch parents. My
situation, while I sat there, was rather (lamp, for the water
penetrated my not very stout clothing; but the carpenter’s art

soon relieved me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER VIII.

AN ACCOUNT OF A BEAUTIFUL BATHE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN—MEETS AN UNEXPECTED COM—
PANION, WHICH TURNS OUT NOT TO BE A COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER—ARRIVES IN THE
REGIONS OF HEAT AND DARKNESS, FROM WHICH HE IS EXTRICATED BY DANCING A

HORNPIPE—ALARMS HIS DELIVERERS, AND RETURNS ON SHORE.

VVAS-once in great danger of being lost in a most

 

singular manner in the Mediterranean. I was. bathing
in that pleasant sea near Marseilles, one summer’s afternoon,
when I discovered a very large fish, with his jaws quite extended,
approaching me with the greatest velocity; there was no time
to be lost, nor could I possibly avoid him. I immediately
reduced myself to as small a size as possible, by closing my feet
and placing my hands also near my sides, in which position I
passed directly between his jaws, and into his stomach, where
I remained some time in total darkness, and comfortably warm,

as you may imagine. At last it occurred to me, that by giving

 

 

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‘BARON M UNCH‘AUSEN. 99

him pain he would be glad to get rid of me. As I had

plenty of room, I played my pranks, such as tumbling, hop,
step, and jump, &c., but nothing seemed to disturb him so
much as the quick motion of my feet in attempting to dance
a hornpipe. Soon after I began he put me out, by sudden
fits and starts. At last he roared hOrridly, and Stood up almost
perpendicular in the water, with his head and shoulders exposed,
in consequence of which he was discovered by the people
on board an Italian trader, then sailing by, who harpooned
him in a few minutes. As soon as he was brought on board,
I heard the crew consulting how they should cut him up, so
as to preserve the greatest quantity of oil. As I understood
Italian, I was in most dreadful apprehensions lest their weapons
employed in this business should destroy me also; therefore
I_ stood as near the centre as possible, for there was room
enough for a dozen men in this creature’s stomach, and I
naturally imagined they would begin with the extremities;
however, my fears were soon dispersed, for they began by
opening the bottom of the belly.» As soon as I perceived a
glimmering of light I called out lustily to' be released from a
situation in which Iwas now almost suffocated. It is impossible
for me to do justice to the degree and kind of astonishment which
sat ,upon every countenance at hearing a human voice issue from
a fish, but more so at seeing a naked man emerge from his body;
in short, gentlemen, I told them the whole story, as I have told
you. They almost split their sides with laughing.

 

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IOO BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

After taking some refreshment, and jumping into the sea to

cleanse myself, I swam to my, clothes, which lay Where I had

left them on the shore. As near, as I Can calculate, I was

three quarters of an hour confined in the stomach of this

monster.

 

 

 

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CHAPTER IX.

TRAVELS IN TURKEY-*ADVENTURES ON THE RIVER NILE—SEES AN EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENON
AT CONSTANTINOPLE,’ FIRES AT IT, AND BRINGS IT DOWN, WITH‘A FRENCH EXPERIMENTAL
PHILOSOPHER SUSPENDED FROM IT—THE EMBASSY TO GRAND CAIRO—A VISIT TO THE NILE—

PROMOTED TO AN UNEXPECI‘ED SITUATION, AND DISCHARGED IN SIX WEEKS.

‘ N 7HEN I was in the service of the Turks, I frequently

amused myself in a pleasure-barge on the Sea of Mar-

mora, which commands a view of the whole city of Constantinople,
including the Grand Seignior’s seraglio. One morning, as I was
admiring the beauty and serenity of the sky, I observed a
globular substance in the air, which appeared to be about the
size of a billiard-ball, with somewhat suspended from it. Iim-
mediately took up my largest and longest fowling—piece, without

which I never travel or make even an excursion, if I can

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IOZ BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

help it. I charged with a ball and fired at the globe, but to no

purpose, the object being at too greata distance. I then put in

 

 

a double quantity of powder, and five or siX balls. This second
attempt succeeded; all the balls took effect, and tore one side

open, and brought it down. Judge my surprise when a most

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 103

elegant gilt car, with a man in it, and part of a sheep which

seemed to have been roasted, fell within twa yards of me.
When my astonishment had in some degree subsided, I ordered

my people to row close to this strange aerial traveller.

The man, who appeared to me to be a Frenchman, and
who, in fact, was one, carried in his waistcoat pocket a couple
of handsome watches with chains, " and lockets containing minia-

tures of great lords and ladies. From each of his button-holes

 

 

 

104 ' BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

there 'hung a gold medal, worth'at least 100 ducats, and on
each of his fingers there glittered a valuable ring, 'set with
diamonds. His pockets were so crammed with bags of money,
that they weighed down his coat-tails till they trailed along the
ground.

“Truly,” I reflected, “ this man must have done some great
service to the human race, or, else, in this niggardly age, these
great personages would not have loaded him with so many
presents.”

The suddenness of his fall had stunned him so severely,
that he could not speak for some time. At last he recovered,
and gave me the following narrative:—

“My head was not strong enough for this sort of travelling,
nor am I sufficiently acquainted with science to master its
peculiarities. My idea was to use it as a means whereby I
might humiliate the rope-dancers and tumblers of every-day life,
and raise myself to a height above their heads.

“ About seven or eight days since—I cannot tell which,
for I have lost my reckoning, having‘been most of the time
where the sun never sets—I ascended from the Land’s End,
in Cornwall, in the island of Great Britain, in the car from
which I have been just taken, suspended from a very large
balloon, and took a sheep with me to fling down from' the
upper air, for the diversion of the lookers on. Unfortunately,
the wind changed within ten minutes after my ascent, and, instead

of driving towards 'Exete-r, where I intended to land,‘I was

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. ‘ 1051

driven towards the sea, over which I suppOseI have continued

ever since, but much too high to make observations.

“The calls of hunger were so pressing, that I congratulated

myself upon not having done as I had intended with my sheep.
I was obliged, on the third day, to kill the poor creature; and
being at that time infinitely above the moon, and, for upwards

of sixteen hours after, so very near the sun that it scorched my

 

 

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106 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

eyebrows, I placed the carcase, taking care to skin it first, in
that part of the car where the sun had sufficient power, or, in
other words, where the balloon did not shade it from the sun,
by which method it was well roasted in about two hours.
This has been my food ever since. The cause,” added he, “ of
my long flight was owing to the failure of a string which
was fixed to a valve in the balloon, intended to let out the
inflammable air; and if it had not been fired at and rent in
the manner before-mentioned, I might, like Mahomet, have been
suspended between heaven and earth till doomsday.”

He generously presented my steersman with his car. The

remains of the sheep he cast into the sea. As for the balloon, it

had been so damaged by my shot, that the fall into the water

broke it all to pieces.

 

 

CHAPTER X.

THE BARON SETS OUT ON AN IMPORTANT MISSION TO GRAND CAIRO, AND WHILE “EN ROUTE” HE
RECRUITS HIS RETINUE..

SINCE we have time, gentlemen, to crack another bottle '

Of wine, I will tell you of a very strange adventure

that befell me a few months before my return to Europe.
The,Grand Seignior, to whom I was introduced by the
Imperial, Russian, and French ambassadors, employed me to
negotiate a matter of great importance at Grand Cairo, and
which was of such a nature that it must ever remain a secret.
I set forth in great state, attended by a numerous retinue,'
but before I got to my journey’s end I had the good fortune

to increase my followers by some very interesting specimens

 

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I08 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

of humanity. I had travelled but a few miles from Constan-
tinople when I saw a slim, lean man running straight across
the country with great swiftness, though he had fastened to
each of his feet a mass of lead weighing at least fifty pounds.
Iwas so astonished that I called to him and said—

“Where are you going to so quick, my friend? and why
do you load yourself with such a weight as that?”

“I left Vienna, sir, half an hour ago,” he replied. “I was
servant there to a great lord who has just dismissed me. As I
had no longer any use for my speed, I lessen it by help of
this weight, for when you go' slowly you go surely, “as my
master used to say.” i 2 ~

The fellow pleased me so well that I asked him if he
would enter my service. He agreed at once. We started
again, passed through many cities, and traverSed ~many landsi

One day, as I was riding along, I saw a man, not far
from the road, stretched motionless upon the ground. He
seemed to be asleep, but he was not, for he kept one ear

close to the ground, as though he wished to listen to the

conversation of the inhabitants of the subterranean world.

“What are you listening to, my friend?” I shouted.

“I am listening to the grass growing, to wile away the
time,” he replied. ,

“And can you hear it grow?”

“Oh, 'yes, it’s easy enough to hear a trifle like that."

“Enter my service, then, my man; perhaps it may be

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 109

serviceable to me some day to have a delicate ear among my

attendants.”

He got up and followed me.

Not far from that I saw on a hill a man with a gun,

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who kept putting his piece to his shoulder, and shooting
into the sky.

“Good sport to you! good sport to you!” I cried. “ But
what are you shooting at? I can see nothing but the sky.”

“Oh!” he answered, “I am trying this fowling-piece I
have just received from Kuchenreicher of Ratisbon. I have
just shot a sparrow that had perched on the spire of Strasburg
Cathedral.”

 

 

 

 

 

I IO BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

Those who know my passion 'for the noble pleasures of
the chase will not be surprised to hear that I leaped on the
neck of this wonderful marksman. Of course I spared no

pains to secure him as one of my attendants.

 

We continued our journey, and at length reached Mount
Lebanon. There we found, in front of a wide forest of cedars,
a short squat fellow with a rope~ in his hand, which was tied
round the whole wood.

' “What are you dragging along there?” I asked.

“I came out to cut some building timber, and found I
had left my hatchet behind me, so I am trying to get out of the
scrape as well as I can.”

So saying, he threw down the entirevforest at a single pull,
as though it had been a handful of reeds. You can easily
guess what I did. I had rather have sacrificed my post as

ambassador, than have failed to secure this forester.

 

 

 

 

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At the instant when we set foot on Egyptian soil, there

rose so formidable a tempest that for a moment I feared that

I, my carriages, my people, and my horses would be overthrown,

and blown away. On the left of the road was a row of seven

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mills, whose sails were turning round as quick as the wheel of
the most active spinster. A little further on there came towards
us a personage of a corpulence worthy of Falstaff, who kept his

fore-finger continually upon his right nostril. As soon as he

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USEN.
114 BARON MUNCHA

his hat with a salute, :such as a soldier makes to his command-

ing officer. The wind fell as by magic, and the seven mills

 

remained motionless. Much surprised at this, which did not

appear natural, I said to the man-—

“Halloo! you sir, is the devil inside of you, or are your

the devil in person?”

“I beg your pardon, your excellency,” he replied; “I was
blowing a capful of wind for my master, the miller; and for
fear of turning his mills too quickly, I stopped one nostril.”

“Here’s a man you must not lose,” I thought. “He will
be wonderfully useful to you when you get home, if ever
you should be short of breath to tell your adventures with.”

_We soon struck a bargain. He ‘left his mills and fol-
lowed me.

It was time we reached Cairo. As soon as I had accom-

plished my mission satisfactorily, I determined to dismiss my

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I 15

retinue, which, with the exception of my recent acquisitions, was
of no further use to me; and I resolved to return as a private
individual, with no other attendants besides them. The weather
being splendid, and the Nile more charming than I can express,

I took it into my head to hire a boat and descend to

Alexandria. Everything went on prosperously till the middle
of the third day.

You have all heard, I presume, of the annual overflowing
of the Nile. On the third day ‘of my voyage the river
began to rise most amazingly, and on the next it spread over
the whole country for many leagues on each side. On the
fifth, at sunset, my barge became entangled with what I at first

took for reeds, but next morning I found myself surrounded

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AUSEN.
I 16 BARON MUNCH

Ose fruit was perfectly ripe and in the

by almond trees, wh
h' a line, my people

highest perfection. Upon plumbing wit

found we were at least sixty feet from the ground, and unable

At about eight or nine o’clock, as

to advance . or retreat.
the

near as I could judge by the altitude of the sun,

 

wind rose suddenly, and canted our barge on one side; here

she 'filled, and I saw no more of her for some time. For-
tunately we all saved ourselves (six men and two boys) by
clinging to the tree, the boughs of which were equal to our
weight,. though not to that of the barge. In this situation we
continued Six weeks and three days, living exclusively upon

the almonds; I need not inform you that We had plenty of

was» A.

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I I7

water. On the forty-second day of our distress the water fell
as rapidly as it had risen, and on the forty—sixth we were able

to venture down upon terra-firma. Our barge was the first

 
   
 

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pleasing object we saw,‘ about two hundred yards from the
spot where she sunk. After drying everything that was useful
by the heat of the sun, and loading ourselves with necessaries

from the stores on board, we set out to recover our lost

 

ground, and found by the nearest calculation that we had been
carried over garden walls and a variety of enclosures, above

I50 miles. In four days, after a very tiresome journey on

 

vur.‘_,\ .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:zfi‘fldmmj‘g-fl-w‘ww. .v. .

 

 

 

' 'maz*—Jfllwumv~u_ -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

I 18 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

foot, with thin shoes, we reached the river, which was
now confined to its banks, and related our adventures to a
bey, who kindly accommodated all our wants, and sent us
forward in a barge of his own. In six days more we arrived
at Alexandria, where we took shipping for ConstantinOple. I
was received kindly by the Grand Seignior, and had the honour
of seeing the seraglio, to which his highness introduced me
himself, and offered to present me with as many wives as I

thought proper to select for myself and my friends.

    

“I had the honour of seeing the seraglio.”—Page ”8.

 

 

 

 

ill-Fri. I »: .
1 kn? itelfavr’xvll 1:145. :Idléll. 34.13

 

_ CHAPTER XI.

THE BARON PRAISES THE TABLE OF THE GRAND TURK—THE LORD HIGH STEWARD ENTERTAINS
THE BARON—THE BARON INDITES A LETTER TO THE EMPRESS-QUEEN MARIA THERESA—
THE RUNNER PROVES LAZY, BUT IS SPEEDILY WAKED UP—THE SULTAN MAKES AN ORDER
IN THE BARON’S FAVOUR, OF WHICH‘THE BARON AVAILS HIMSELF, AND IS PURSUED BY
THE WHOLE FLEET—HE ESCAPES ONLY TO BE ROBBED IN ITALY—BARON TOTT’S ACCOUNT
OF THE LARGEST CANNON IN THE WORLD. ~

“I AM going to bed,” said the Baron, when he had finished
the story of his journey to Egypt. That, however, his

audience would by no means allow: so he was obliged to sit
down again and tell them some more stories about his wonderful
servants. He went on as follows :——~

After my return from Egypt, I did just as I pleased at the
court of the Grand Turk. His Highness could not exist with-
out me, and sent daily to ask me to dine and sup with him.
I must tell you, gentlemen, that of all the sovereigns in the
world, the Sultan of Turkey is the one who keeps the best
table—at least, as far as eating goes; for in the matter of

drink, you know that Mahomet does not allow the faithful to

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEN.
122 BARON MUNCHAU

drink wine. No one, therefore, who dines with a Turk must

look forward to his glass; but though the deed cannot be done

openly, yet for all that it takes place pretty Often in secret: and

notwithstanding the precepts of the Koran, more than one Turk
knows how to crack a bottle as well as a German archbishop.

This was the case with His Highness the Sultan.

The Lord High Steward invariably dined with us. He
was also a mufti, and said grace at the beginning and end of
the repast. In his presence, of course, wine was never alluded
to, But when dinner was over, there was sure to be a bottle
of right good liquor waiting for His Highness in his private
apartments. One day he bade me follow him thither. When
we had secured ourselves against interruption there, he drew a

bottle from a press, and said——

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 123

“Munchausen, I know that you Christians are judges of
good wine. Here is a bottle of Tokay, the only one I possess,
and I am sure that never in your life can you have tasted

better.”

 

So saying, His Highness filled his own glass and mine.

, We touched glasses and we drank.

“Well, what do you think of that? That is something out

of the common, is it not?”

“The wine is not bad,” I answered; “but if your Highness

will allow me to make the remark, I must say that I have drunk

 

 

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your feelings ;

BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

124
better at Vienna, at the table of the august Emperor Charles VI.

I wish you could have tasted that I”

“My dear Munchausen,” he replied, “I do not wish to hurt
but I believe it to be impossible to find better
Tokay than this. 'This single bottle was given me by an Hun—

garian nobleman, who set the greatest store by it.”

“ Humbug, your Majesty! humbugl There is Tokay and

Tokay! Besides, generosity is not a virtue for which the ‘Hun—
garian nobility are distinguished. What will you wager that
I do not procure you, within an hour, a bottle of Tokay out of
the imperial cellar at Vienna, which you will find quite another
sort of thing to this ?”

“ Munchausen, I think you have taken leave of your senses.”

“ No, Sire, I have not. Within an hour I will bring you a

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 125

bottle of Tokay from the cellar of the Empress of Austria, of
quite another brand than that sour stuff.”

“Munchausen, Munchausen, you want to make game of me,
and that is what I cannot suffer. I have always found you a
reasonable and truth-speaking person; but verily I am tempted
to believe that you are drawing the long bow.”

“Well, let your Highness deign to accept my challenge. If
I do not fulfil my engagement—and you know that I am a

sworn foe to bragging—your Highness shall have full leave

>ak‘

_.a WA mum

to cut my head off; and my head is no pumpkin! There are
my stakes. What are yours P”

“Agreed! I accept the challenge,” said the Sultan. “If,
when the clock strikes four, the bottle is not here, I will have

your head cut off without mercy: for I am not in the habit of

allowing myself to be tricked, even by my best friends.‘ On

the other hand, if you make good your promise, you are at
liberty to take out of my treasury as much gold and silver,
with as many pearls and precious stones, as the strongest man

can carry.” v

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

126 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

“The conditions are decided,” I answered.
I called for a pen and ink, and I wrote to the Empress-

Queen Maria Theresa the following letter :—

“Your Majesty has doubtless, by virtue of her rights as
heiress of the empire, inherited the wine-cellar of her illustrious
father. Might I venture to entreat her to give the bearer a
bottle of that Tokay which I have drunk so often with her late
father? It must be the best, however, for there’s a wager in
the case. I seize this opportunity of assuring your Majesty

of the profound respect with which I have the honour to

be &c. &c.
’ ’ “ BARON DE MUNCHAUSEN.”

As it was already five minutes past three, I gave the note,
without sealing it, to my man, who took off his weights and

started at once for Vienna.

 

This done, we drank, the Sultan and I, the rest of our

bottle, while waiting for the one from Maria Theresa. A quarter

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. . 127

past three struck, then half-past, then a quarter to four, and the
[man did not return. I confess that I began to feel extremely
uncomfortable, and the more so as I observed His Highness
casting his eyes from time to time towards the rope attached
to the bell by which he summoned his executioner. He gave
me leave, however, to go down into the garden to breathe a
mouthful of air; but I was escorted by two mutes, who never let

me out of their sight. The hand of the clock pointed to five

minutes to four. I was in a state of mental agony—the occa-

sion warranted it. I sent at once to fetch my listener and my
marksman. They came directly: my listener laid himself down,
to hear whether my runner was coming or no. Fancy my
despair when he told me that the rogue was lying fast asleep at
a great distance, and snoring with all his might. My brave
marksman had no sooner heard that than he sprang upon a
lofty terrace, and, standing on tip-toe to see better, exclaimed,
“I can see him, the lazy scoundrell He is lying under an oak

near Belgrade, with the bottle by his side. I’ll touch him up.”

 

 

  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
  
  
 
 
 
   

 

 

 

128

So saying, he put his

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

gun to his shoulder, and sent the charge

full into the foliage of the tree. Acorns, branches, leaves, de-

 

scended like hail upon the sleeper, who,
fearing lest he had slept .too long, set off
to run again with such swiftness, that he
arrived at the Sultan’s cabinet with the
bottle of Tokay, and an autograph letter
from Maria Theresa, at half a minute to
four o’clock.

The noble epicure seized the bottle,
and began to taste it at once with signs
of inexpressible rapture.

- “ Munchausen,” he said, “you will

not be offended with me if I keep this

bottle all to myself. You have more credit at Vienna than I have,

and

escritoir, which he locked, and put

the

Then he rang for his treasurer.

What a delicious sound that bell

had I

So saying, he placed it in his

are therefore better able to get a second.”

key in his trousers’ pocket.

“I must pay what I have lost,"

 

he went on to say. “ Listen, trea-

surer, you will allow my friend Munchausen to take out of

my

treasury as much silver and gold, with as many pearls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I29

and precious stones, as the strongest man can carry. Be—
gone!”

The treasurer bowed himself to the earth before his master,
who shook me cordially by the hand, and dismissed us both.

I need not tell you that I did not lose a moment in
seeing that the order the Sultan had given in my favour was

obeyed. I had my strong man brought, who came with his big

hempen rope, and, we went together to the treasury. I assure
you that when we came out there was not much left behind.
I hurried straight to the harbour, where I chartered the biggest

vessel I could find, and got her under way at once, in order

to put my treasure in a place of [safety before anything dis-

agreeable took place.
What I feared was not slow in coming to pass; ’The

treasurer, leaving open the door of the treasury—it was scarcely

 

 

 

   
 
 
 
    
       
     
   
    
   

 

 
 

 

    

 

 

I30 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

worth while to shut it—had gOne with all Speed to the Grand
Turk, and told him what advantage I had taken of his lib’erality.
His Highness had received the news With mute astonishment,
and repented him bitterly Of his rashness. He gave'orders to
the‘Lord High Admiral to pursue me with the entire fleet,
and to make me understand "that'he had not intended the bet

tobe understood in that sense. I had but two miles’ start,

 

and‘when‘I saw'the’ whole Turkish fleet of ‘war bearing down

upon me with all sails 'set, I confess that my head, which had
begun'to {Eel more secure upon my shoulders, COmmenced shaking
more violently than ever. ‘ But my blower was there.

‘,‘Do ’not be uneasy, your Excellency,” said he. He laid
himself down in the stern, in such a positiOn that he could
bring one ,nostril to bear upon'the' Turkish “fleet, and the other

on "our sails. ‘Then he began to blow; and blow he did with

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘ it fifl.,m%‘vl:¢l.9tfi$4l 3331“,.Tfl,

 

 

 

 

“These ra amuffins felt no scru 1e in Iunderino 1ne.”——P(Z(re I" .
g P P o a a

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. ‘ 133

such violence, that he sent the Turkish fleet home to port with.
loss of masts, ropes, and rigging, while at the same time my

vessel arrived in a few hours off the Italian coast.

I did not, however, derive any very great advantage from my
treasure. For—though Herr Jagemann, the librarian of the Grand
Duke of Sake-Weimar, affirms the contrary—begging has come to‘

such a pass in Italy, and the police is so badly regulated, that I

had to distribute in alms the greater portion of my property.

The rest I was robbed of by some highwaymen in the territory
of Loretto, not far from Rome. These ragarnuffins felt no scruple
in plundering me thus; for the thousandth part of what they

stole from me would suffice to buy at Rome a plenary indulgence

 

 

 

  
 
     
   
   
     
    
   

 

 

 

>3”

 

 

 

“A“...Vfl‘,‘ .

134. BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

 

 

w’w—iw‘u-m— a,

for all the band and their descendants from generation to

 

 

. A- A. _—..___ A.

generation.

   

 

But now, gentlemen, good night!
When the Baron had related the preceding adventure,

 

‘

:fi—rfi, i) ‘

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retired, leaving the COmpany in high good humour. Before he

 

left he promised, on an early occasion, to tell them some of his

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I35

father’s adventures, with other anecdotes of the most surprising
character.

Every one had something to say about the Baron’s stories.
One of the company, who had been with him in Turkey, remarked
that there was a huge cannon near Constantinople, of which
Baron Tott makes mention in his memoirs. As near as I can
recollect, what he says is as follows :—The Turks had placed

below the castle, and near the city, on the banks of the famous

river Simois, an enormous piece of ordnance cast in brass, which
would carry a marble ball of at least 1,100. pounds weight.
“I was very anxious,” says Baron Tott, “to fire it, in order
to judge of its effect. The whole army, however, trembled
at the idea of so audacious an act, for they asserted it would
overthrow not only the castle, but the city also. At length their

fears in part subsided, and I was permitted to discharge it. It

required not less than ggo'pounds’ weight of powder to load
the. piece; the ball weighed, as before mentioned, eleven hundred-

Weight. When the- engineer brought the priming, the crowd

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
  
 
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

136 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

'L

who were about me retreated to a respectful distance; nay, IL
was with the utmost difficulty I persuaded the Pacha, who came
on purpose, that there was no cause for alarm; even the engineer,
who was to discharge it by my direction, was considerably
alarmed. I took my stand on some stonework behind the
cannon, gave the signal, and felt a shock like that of an earth-
quake! At the distance of 300 fathoms, the ball burst into
three pieces; the fragments crossed the strait, rebounded on
the opposite mountain, and left the surface of the water all in
a foam through the whole breadth of the channel.”

This, gentlemen, is, as near as I can recollect, Baron Tott’s
account of the largest cannon in the world. Now, when I was
there, not long since, with Baron Munchausen, the anecdote of
Tott’s firing this tremendous piece was mentioned as a wonderful
instance of bravery and coolness.

My friend Munchausen, who could not endure the thoughts
of being outdone by a Frenchman, took the cannon on his
shoulders, and having balanced it well, leaped into the" sea, and

swam across the strait. In an evil hour he took it into his head

 

to throw the gun back into its proper position below the castle.
I say in an evil hour, for it slipped out of his hand at the moment
that he was poising it to throw, so that it fell into the strait,
where it is lying still, and where, in all probability, it will lie
for ever.

This it was that made the rupture between the Baron and the

Grand Turk complete. The affair of the treasure had been long

  

 

 

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a (a:*-..

 
 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 137

forgotten, for the Sultan had revenue enough to fill his coffers
again before long, and it was by direct invitation of His Majesty
that the Baron was at that time in Turkey. He would be there
still, in all probability, had not the loss of that famous piece of
ordnance put the Sultan into such an ill-temper, that he ordered
the Baron’s head to be cut off without hope of reprieve.

But a certain Sultana, who had conceived a great friendship

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for my friend, gave him timely notice of this sanguinary resolve:
nay, more, she took such effectual means for his concealment,
that the executioner, though he searched for him everywhere,
could not find him. The following night we made our escape
on board a ship that was setting sail for Venice, and by great
good luck escaped this dreadful danger.

The Baron does not like telling this story, because, for

 

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

    

I38

  

once, he failed in the enterprise he had undertaken to accomplish,

   

and was very near losing his head into the bargain. However,

   

as there is nothing in the adventure to impeach his honour, I

   

always tell it for him when his back 'is turned.

Now, gentlemen, you know Baron Munchausen thoroughly,

    
 

and I hope you can have no further dOubts about his truth—

   

fulness.

 

 

 

 

 

  
 
  
   
  
 
  
  
   
 
  
   
 

CHAPTER XII.

OBSERVATIONS DURING THE SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR—A VISIT TO HIS OLD FRIEND, GENERAL ELLIOT—-
DESTRUCTION OF A SPANISH MAN—OF-WAR—THE OLD WOMAN ON THE AFRICAN COAST\—EXTRA-
ORDINARY COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY‘S CANNON—ALARMS THE COUNT D’ARTOIS, AND SENDS
HIM TO PARIS—SAVED THE LIVES OF TWO ENGLISH SPIES WITH THE SAME SLING THAT
KILLED GOLIATH—THE BARON DRESSES HIMSELF AS A POPISII PRIEST, AND PUTS AN END TO
THE SIEGE.

T will be easily imagined that the Baron’s friends were
continually importuning him to continue the story of his
strange adventures, which they found as instructive as it was
romantic. These solicitations, however, were preferred for a
long while in vain. It was one of the Baron’s praiseworthy
customs to do nothing but what suited his humour; and one
still more praiseworthy, never to allow himself, on any pretext
whatever, to be diverted from this fixed principle of action. At
last, the much—desired evening came. A loud laugh from the
Baron informed his friends that he was in a humour to divert

them.

 

 

 

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I40 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

“Conticuere omnes intentique ora tenebant,” or, to speak

in English, “They all were silent, and lent an attentive ear.”
Like a second fEneas, Munchausen, raising himself on the well-
stuffed sofa, began as follows 2——

During the late siege of Gibraltar, I went on board of a
provision—fleet under Lord Rodney’s command, to see my old

friend General Elliot, who has, by his distinguished defence of

that place, acquired laurels that can never fade. After the usual
joy \which generally attends the meeting of old friends had
subsided, I went to examine the state of the garrison, and
View the operations of the enemy, for which purpose the general
accompanied me. I had brought a most excellent refracting
telescope with me from London, purchased of Dollond, by the
help of which I found the enemy were going to discharge a

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I43

thirty—six pounder at the spot where we stood. I told the
general what they were about; he looked through the glass
also, and found my conjectures right.

I immediately, by his permission, ordered a forty-eight

pounder to be brought from a neighbouring battery, which I

placed with so much exactness (for in all that concerns artillery,

I can say without boasting that I have not yet found my
superior) that I was sure of my mark.

I continued watching the enemy till I saw the match placed
' at the touch—hole of their piece; at that yery instant I gave the
signal for our gun to be fired also.

About midway between the two pieces of cannon, the balls
struck each other with amazing force, and the effect was astonish-

ing! The enemy’s ball recoiled with- such violence, that it

 

       
  
    
  
    

 

 

 

 

I44. BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

not only crushed the head of the gunner who had discharged
it, but also decapitated sixteen others, whose heads 'it sent

flying towards the African coast. Before it reached Barbary, it

 

  

carried away the masts of three vessels that were anchored in
the harbour, one behind the other, then it penetrated 200

miles into the interior, fell through the roof of a peasant’s hut, and

  

having deprived a poor old woman, who was lying on her back

therein, of the only tooth she had left, finally came to a stand-

 
 

still in her throat. Her husband happened to return home at

 

 

 

 

     

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I45

this moment, and finding all attempts to extract the ball unavailing,
the brilliant idea struck him of driving it with a mallet into
her stomach, so that it might gradually be absorbed into her
system, in the usual process of digestion. Our ball did excellent
service, for it not only repelled the other in the manner just
described, but, proceeding as Ivintended it should, it'dismounted

the very piece of cannon that had just been employed against us,

 

and flung it against the hull of a ship, where it fell with so
much force as to break its way through the bottom. The ship
immediately filled and sunk, with above 1,000 Spanish sailors

on board, besides a considerable number of soldiers.

This, to be sure, was a most extraordinary exploit. I will
not, however, take the whole merit to myself; my inventive

genius started the idea in the first instance, but chance assisted

 
 
   
   
 
  
 

  
   

 

   
   
     

I46 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

me a little, for I afterwards found that the man who charged
our forty-eight pounder had put in, by mistake, a double
quantity of powder, else we could never have succeeded so much

beyond all expectation—especially in repelling the enemy’s ball.

 

 

 

 

izsosrzzn

  
  
 

 

  

General Elliot would have given me a commission for this

singular piece of service, but I declined everything except his

 
 

thanks, which I received the same evening at a crowded table of

 
   

officers, and in presence of his whole staff.

   
              

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I47

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
    
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
     

As I am very partial to the English, who are indeed a brave

,. people, I determined not to take my leave
i of the garrison till I had rendered them
another piece of service, and in about three

weeks an opportunity presented itself. I

dressed myself in the habit of a Roman

  
 
  

Catholic priest, and at about one o’clock

in the morning stole out of the garrison,

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the tent in which the Prince d’Artois was,

  
     
     
   
 
  

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f; with the commander-in-chief, and several

 

other officers, in deep council, concerting
d a plan to storm the fortress next morning.
" My disguise protected me so well, that no
V one thought of turning me out. I was
able, therefore, to hear all they said without any trouble. The

council being ended, they went to bed, and I soon perceived that

   

the whole army, even down to the sentinels, was plunged in the

 

most profound slumber. Then I began my work: I dismounted

 

 

 

u. me .. .M............4-._~_..‘

m. <. nulmwmwuw

 

 

 

I48 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

all their cannon (above 300 pieces), from forty-eight to twenty—

four pounders, and I threw them three leagues into the sea.

Having no assistance, I found this the hardest taskI ever
undertook, except swimming to the opposite shore with the famous

Turkish piece of ordnance, described by Baron de Tott in his

memoirs. I then piled all the carriages together in the centre of
the camp, which, to prevent the noise of the wheels being heard,
I carried in pairs under my arms; and a noble appearance they
made, as high at least as the rock of Gibraltar. I then lighted
a match, by striking a flint-stone, situated twenty feet from the

ground (in an old wall 'built by the Moors when they invaded

 

 

.u‘."

' I \ wfiJJ‘u-znb

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I49

Spain), with the breech of an iron eight-and—forty pounder,
and so set fire to the whole pile. I forgot to inform you that
I threw all their ammunition wagons upon the top.

Before I applied the lighted match, I had laid the com-
bustibles at the bottom so judiciously that the whole was in a

blaze in a moment. To prevent suspicion, I was one of the

 

first to give the alarm. The whole camp was, ,as you may
imagine, panic-stricken; the general conclusion was that their
sentinels had been bribed, and that seven or eight regiments
of the garrison had made a sortie, and so succeeded in destroying
the artillery.

Mr. Drinkwater, in his account of this famous siege, mentions

the enemy sustaining a great loss by a fire which happened in

 

 

150 BARON MUNCHAU'SEN.

 

their camp, but never knew the cause ;—-how should he? as I

never divulged it to a living creature (though I alone saved

 

Gibraltar by this night’s business), not even to General Elliot."
The Count d’Artois and all his attendants ran away in their

fright, and never stopped on the road till they reached Paris. Q

 

 

 

This disaster had such an effect upon them that they were

incapable of taking the least refreshment for three months

 

after, and lived‘ upon the air, after the fashion of the chameleons.

About two months after I had done the besieged this

 

service, one morning, as I sat at breakfast with General Elliot,

a shell (for I had not time to destroy their mortars as well as . {

 

 

' W»? win-rim.- v”——— w L.” ”a“; “V“ -‘ -- ~'~‘«~-,-.«.-»

 

fit,

 

  

BARON MUNCI—IAUSEN. 151

their cannon) entered the apartment we were sitting in, and
lodged on our table. The General, as most men would do,
quitted the room directly; but I took up the shell before it
burst, and carried it to the top of the rock. There, looking
over the enemy’s camp, on an eminence near the sea-coast, I
observed a considerable number of people, but could not, with
my naked eye, discover how they were employed. I had recourse

to my telescope, when I found that two of our officers, one a

 

general, the other a colonel, with whom I had spent the pre-
ceding evening, and who went out into the enemy’s camp about
midnight, as spies, were taken, and they were actually going to
be executed on a gibbet. \The distance was too great to throw
the shell with my hand successfully, but most fortunately recol-
lecting that I had the very sling in my pocket which assisted
David in slaying Goliath, I placed the shell in it, and immedi—
ately threw it into the midst of them. It burst as it fell, and

 

    
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
    

 
  
 
 
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

I52 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

destroyed all present except the two culprits, who were saved by
being suspended so high, for they had just been turned off,
However, one of the pieces of the shell flew with such force
' against the foot of the gibbet, that it immediately brought it

down. Our two friends no sooner felt the ground under their

 

 

feet than they looked about for the cause of so singular a cir-
cumstance, and finding that their guards, executioner, and all, had
taken it in their heads to die, they directly relieved each other
from the inconvenient cravat that was pressing too tightly on
their throats, ran down to the sea-shore, seized a Spanish boat
with two men in it, and made them row to one of our ships of

war.

 

 

   

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 153

 

A few minutes after, while I was relating to General Elliot
hoW I had acted, they arrived, and after a most cordial exchange

6 i ' of thanks and congratulations, we celebrated this memorable day

by a right merry drinking bout.

   

 

 

 

  
 
   
 
   
   
 
 
   
     
     
   
   
   
 
  

CHAPTER XIII.

THE BARON RELATES A PIECE OF SCANDAL CONCERNING HIS ANCESTRY—QUEEN ELIZABETH, AND

A POET CALLED SHAKESPEARE—EXTRAORDINARY DEATH OF THE QUEEN FROM INANITION

-—INTERESTING REMINISCENCES OF THE BARON’S FATHER—THE INDUSTRY OF THE APOTHE-

CARIES, DURING A TEMPORARY ABSENCE OF THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, SAVES THE UNDER-
TAKING FROM RUIN—THE BARON’S ADVENTURE AT WAPPING—SEARCH MADE BY THE BARON’S

FRIENDS FOR HIM, AND HE EVENTUALLY TURNS UP.

I CAN see by your countenances, gentlemen, that you are all

longing to know how I. became possessed of such a trea-
sure as the'sling I just mentioned. Well, I will tell you. I
am a descendant, as you are probably aware, of the wife of Uriah,
whom we all know David was intimate with. But after a while
his majesty grew singularly cool towards the countess—for she.
had received this title three months after the death of her
husband—and one day they quarrelled upon a matter of the
first consequence, viz., the Spot where Noah’s ark was built, and

where it rested after the‘flood. A separation consequently ensued.

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

I55

She had often heard him speak of this sling, as his most valu-
able treasure; this she stole the night they parted; it was missed
before she got out of his dominions, and she was pursued by no
less than six of the king’s body guards: however, she used the
sling herself with such effect that she hit the first of them (for
one Was more active in the pursuit than the rest) where David
did Goliath, and killed him on the spot. His companions were
so alarmed at his fall that they retired, and left the countess to
pursue her journey unmolested. She took with her, I should
have informed you before, her favourite son, to whom she be-
queathed the sling; and thus it has, without interruption, de-
scended from father to son till it came into my possession.

One of its possessors—my great, great, great grandfather,
who lived about 250 years ago—being upon a visit to
England, became intimate there with a poet, who was a great-
deer-stealer; I think his name was Shakespeare. This poet,
upon whose lands the English and Germans poach now-a-
days so impudently—by way of serving him out, no doubt—v
frequently borrowed this sling, and with it killed so much of
Sir Thomas Lucy’s venison, that he narrowly escaped the fate of
my two friends at Gibraltar. Poor Shakespeare was imprisoned,
and my ancestor obtained his freedom in a very singular manner.

Queen Elizabeth was then on the throne, but grown so
indolent that every trifling matter was become a trouble to her;
dressing and undressing, eating and drinking, made life a burden

to her. My ancestor, whose medical skill was great, enabled her

   

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
   

 

 

 

I 56 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

to do without all these things, or by a deputy; and what do
you think was the only return she could prevail upon him to
accept for such eminent services ?—setting Shakespeare at liberty.
Such was his affection for that famous writer, that he would
have shortened his own days to add to the number of his

friend’s.
I do not hear that any of the queen’s'subjects, particularly

the beef-eaters, as they are vulgarly called to this day, however
they might be struck with the novelty at the time, much ap—
proved of her living totally without food. She did not survive
the practice herself above seven years and a half, At‘the end of
that time she died of inanition.

My father, who was the immediate possessor of this sling

before me, told me the following anecdote, which his friends

 

 

 

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mexpressi

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 159

have often heard him relate, and whose truth no one who knew
the worthy old man would doubt for a moment :—

“In one of the numerous visits that I paid to England,” he
Said, “I was walking on the sea-shore not far from Harwich.
All of a sudden a sea-horse rose out of the waves, and galloped
at the top of his speed towards me. I was unarmed, with the
exception of my sling. With that, however, I sent two pebbles
at him so adroitly that I put out both his eyes. In a trice I
jumped on his back, and moved him in the direction of the sea;
for his fierceness had departed with his eyes, and he let himself
be guided as quietly as a lamb. I slipped my sling into his
mouth as a bridle, and thus accoutred I stood out to sea.

“In less than three hours we had reached the opposite
shore: in that short space of time we had traversed a distance
of thirty miles. At Helvoetsluys I sold my nag for 700 ducats
to mine host of the Three Cups. He exhibited the wonderful
creature at so much a head, and made a pretty fortune out of
him. You can read his description in Buffon. But, however
extraordinary that method of travelling might be ”——my father
used to add—“ the observations and discoveries I was enabled to
make thereby are more extraordinary still.

. “The animal I rode did not swim; he galloped' with in-
credible swiftness along the bottom of the sea, driving before
him millions of fish, quite different from those one is in the
habit of seeing. Some of them had their heads in the middle of

their bodies, others at the end of their tails; some, standing in

 

 
  
 
 

 

 

 

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160 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

a circle, sang choruses of inexpressible beauty; others were
engaged in building transparent palaces of water, surrounded by
vast colOnnades, through which rippled to and fro a clear shining
fluid, resembling the most brilliant fire. The interior of these
buildings was provided with every convenience that could suit
fish of distinction: there were nurseries for the safe keeping of

the spawn; a suite of spacious halls was devoted to the educa-

tion of the young fish. The method of instructiOn—as far as I

could judge of it by what I saw, for their words were as unin-
telligible to me as the song of the birds or the dialogue of the
grasshoppers—appeared to me to resemble so closely that which
is employed at present in charitable institutions upon earth, that
I felt-persuaded that one of our theorists had made a journey
similar to mine, and fished his ideas out of the water instead
of catching them in the air. In general, you will conclude from
What I have just told you, that there is still in the world a vast
field of investigation that well deserves to be explored and
studied. But I must go on with my story.

“Among other incidents of travel, I crossed a vast range of
mountains, as lofty, at the very least, as the Alps. Among the
clefts of the rocks a forest of tall trees of various'kinds was
grOwing, ‘to whose branches clung lobsters, crabs, oysters,

mussels, and sea-snails of so vast a size that a single one would

have'been a‘load for a wagon, and the smallest would, have

Crushed a porter. All the individuals of this kind that are cast

up on our shores, and sold in our markets, are mere poverty-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I met, from time to time, with huge fishes.”—Pzzge 163.

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 163

stricken creatures that the water washes off the branches, exactly
as the wind‘shakes unripe fruit off a tree. The trees on which
the lobsters lived seemed to me to bear the most fruit; but
those belonging to crabs and oysters were the largest. The little
sea—snails grow on a sort of shrub which is nearly always to be
found growing at the foot of the crab-trees, and climbs up them,
as ivy does over an oak.

“When I had got about half way across, I found myself in
a valley situated at least 500 fathoms beneath the surface of the
sea, I began to suffer from want of air. Besides, my situation
was far from agreeable for other reasons. I met, from time to
time, with huge fishes, which, as far as I could judge from the
formidable way in which they opened their throats, seemed not
altogether unwilling to swallow up both of us. My poor
Rozinante could not see: so I had only my own good sense
to help me in escaping from the hostile intentions of these
hungry gentlemen. I therefore galloped on without stopping, so
as to reach dry land as soon as possible, and finally arrived at
the Dutch coast at Helvoetsluys.” V

Here my father's narrative generally came to an end. I was
reminded of it by that famOus sling, of which I have given you
full particulars, and which, after having been preserved for so
many centuries in my family, proved itself of so much use against
the sea-horse. I must mention that this famous sling makes
the possessor equal to any task he is desirous of performing.

Once again it did me a’ service in sending a shell by

 

 

 

 

 

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164 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

my hand, as I have told you, into the midst of the Spaniards,
and saving my two friends from the gallows. This, however,
was its last exploit. A large piece of it was torn away by
the shell, but the fragment that remained in my hand is still
preserved to this day in our family, together With a number of
other antiquities of the greatest value.

I made a balloon of such extensive dimensions, that an
account of the silk it contained would exceed all credibility;
every mercer’s shop and weaver’s stock in London, Westminster,
and Spitalfields contributed to it. With this balloon and my
sling I played many tricks, such as taking one house from its
station, and placing another in its stead, without disturbing
the inhabitants, who were generally asleep, or too much. em-
ployed to observe the peregrinations of their habitations. When
the sentinel at Windsor Castle heard St. Paul’s clock strike
thirteen, it was through my dexterity; I brought the buildings
nearly together that night, by placing the castle in St. George’s
Fields, and carried it back again before daylight, without waking
any of the inhabitants. Notwithstanding these exploits, I should
have kept my balloon and its properties a secret, if Montgolfier
had not made theart of flying so public.

On the 30th of September, when the College of Physicians
choose their annual officers, and dine sumptuously together,
I filled my balloon, brought it over the dome of their building,
clapped the sling round the golden ball at the top, fastening

the other end of it to the balloon, and immediately ascended

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 165

with the whole college to an immense height, where I kept
them upwards of three months. You will naturally inquire what
they did for food such a length of time. To this I answer—
Had I kept them suspended twice the time, they would have
experienced no inconvenience on that account, so amply, or
rather extravagantly, had they spread their table for that day’s
feasting.

Though this was meant as an innocent frolic, it was pro-
ductive of much mischief to several respectable characters
amongst the clergy, undertakers, sextons, and grave-diggers:
they were, it must be acknowledged, sufferers; for it is a well-
known fact that, during the three months the college was sus-
pended in the air, and therefore incapable‘of attending their
patients, no deaths happened, except a few who fell before
the scythe of father Time, and some melancholy objects, who,
perhaps, to avoid some trifling inconvenience here, laid the
hands of violence upon themselves, and plunged into misery
infinitely greater than that which they hoped, by such a rash
step, to avoid, without a moment’s consideration.

If the apothecaries had not been very active during the
above time, half the undertakers, in all probability, would have
been bankrupts. _

A short time after these events I left Gibraltar, and returned
to England, where I met with one of the most singular adven-
tures of my whole life.

I had occasion to go down to Wapping, to see some goods

 

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166 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

shipped, which I was sending to some friends at Hamburg; after
that business was over, I landed at the Tower Wharf on my way
back. Here I found the sun very powerful, as it wasjust noon,
and I was so much fatigued, that I took it into my head to creep
into one of the cannon on the Tower of London to rest myself,
where I fell fast asleep. Now, it so happened that this was the
4th of June, the birthday of George III. Exactly at one o’clock

these cannon were all fired in memory of the day; they had

.all been charged that morning; and having no suspicion of my

situation, I was shot over the houses on the opposite side of
the river, into a farmer’s yard, between Bermondsey and Deptford,
where I fell upon a large haystack, without waking.

About three months afterwards hay became so extravagantly
dear, that the farmer found it his interest to send his whole stock
to market. The stack I was reposing iupon was the largest in
the yard, containing above 500 load, so they began to carry it
first. I was awoke at last by the voices of the people who had
ascended the ladders to begin at the top, and, still half asleep,
and not knowing where I was, I did my best to escape. In so 3
doing I fell plump on to the proprietor’s head. I did not suffer
so much as a slight scratch in the fall; but the unlucky farmer
was very roughly handled thereby: he was killed outright; for,
in the most innocent manner, I broke his neck. My conscience
felt quite easy on this subject, when I~ learnt subsequently that
the fellow was a shocking miser, who stored his corn and hay in

his barns until the time of scarcity came, and he could sell

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 169

them at exorbitantly high rates: so that this violent death was a
just punishment for his crimes, and a service rendered to the
public.

You can easily imagine, gentlemen, how great was my
astonishment on completely recovering my senses, when I tried
to connect my present thoughts with those I had gone to sleep
with three months before ! You can fancy, too, the surprise of my

friends in London, when they saw me re—appear safe and sound,

notwithstanding the long and fruitless search they had set on foot

to find me.
Now, gentlemen, fill your glasses, and I will tell you a

couple more of my nautical adventures.

 

 

 

 
 
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
     
   
   
     
   

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CHAPTER XIV.

THE BARON SAILS WITH CAPTAIN PHIPPS, ATTACKS TWO LARGE BEARS, AND HAS A VERY NARROW
ESCAPE—GAINS THE CONFIDENCE OF THE ANIMALS, AND THEN DESTROYS THOUSANDS OF
'THEM; LOADS THE SHIP WITH THEIR HAMS AND SKINS; MAKES PRESENTSOF THE FORMER,
AND OBTAINS A GENERAL INVITATION TO ALL CITY FEASTS—A DISPUTE BETWEEN THE CAPTAIN
AND THE BARON, IN WHICH, FROM MOTIVES OF POLITENESS, THE CAPTAIN IS SUFFERED TO

GAIN HIS POINT.

OU all remember Captain Phipps’ (now Lord Mulgrave)
Y last voyage of discovery in the Arctic Seas. I
accompanied the captain, not as an officer, but a private friend.
When we had reached a high northern latitude, I took that
telescope of mine whose acquaintance you made when I was
relating my Gibraltar adventures, and began to sweep the offing
with it. For, let me tell you in passing, I find it very useful,
especially when one is travelling, to look about one occasionally.
About half a mile ahead of us was an enormous iceberg, as high,
at least, as our mainmast. I could see two white bears upon it,

engaged, as far as I could judge, in a desperate battle.

I immediately took my carbine, slung it across my shoulder,-

and ascended the ice. But when I had reached the top, I found

that the road I was following was extremely dangerous and

 

 

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I73

difficult: sometimes hideous cavities opposed me, which I was
obliged to spring over; in other parts the surface was as
smooth as a mirror, and I was continually falling. I managed,
however, to reach the bears, but on doing so I found that
they were not fighting, but simply amusing themselves with a
game of play. i

I immediately began to calculate the value of their skins, for
they were each as large as a well-fed ox: unfortunately, at the

very instant I was presenting my carbine, my right foot slipped,

i I fell upon my back, and the violence of the b10w deprived

me totally of my senses for nearly half an hour. However,
when I recovered, judge of my surprise at finding one of the
two monsters had turned me upon my face, and was just laying
hold of the waistband of my breeches, which were then new
and made of leather. I know not whither the brute would
have dragged me, had I lost my presence of mind; I drew my
knife—this very knife, gentlemen—made a chop at one Of his
hind-feet, and cut off three of his toes; he immediately let me
drop, and roared most horridly. I took up my carbine and fired

at him as he ran off; he fell directly. The noise of my piece,

however, roused several thousands of his companions, who were

asleep upon the ice, in a radius of half a mile. They all came
rushing at me at the top of their speed. There was no time to
be lost. It would have been all over with me, had not a sudden
and a brilliant idea come into my head. I took off the skin

and head of the dead- bear in half the time that some people

  

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

174

would be in skinning a rabbit, and wrapped myself in it, placing

my own head directly under Bruin’s. I had scarcely finished

my preparations when the whole herd came round me. I confess

that I felt, under my pelisse of furs, alternations of heat and cold;
however, my scheme turned out a most admirable one for my own
safety. They all came smelling, and evidently took me for a
brother Bruin; I wanted nothing but bulk to make an excellent
counterfeit: although I saw several cubs amongst them not much-
larger than myself. After they had smelt at me sufficiently, and
at the body of their deceased companion,.we soon became on very
familiar terms. I found I could imitate exactly all their gestures
and movements; but as far as growling and roaring, I am
bound to confess that they were my superiors. Still, for all
that I appeared to be a bear, I was not the less a man. I
began to look out for the best method of turning to my own
advantage the intimacy that had sprung up between these animals
and myself.

I had heard an old regimental surgeon in former days say
that death may be caused instantaneously by making an incision
through the spinal marrow. 1 determined to try. I drew my
knife, and selecting the largest bear I could see, I drove. it into
his spine, between the shoulders. It was a'bold stroke, and I
had good reason for feeling uneasy; for supposing the beast
to survive the wound, it was all over with 'me—I should be
torn in pieces to a certainty. Happily my experiment succeeded

——the bear fell dead at my feet without a struggle. After this

 

 

    
  

 
   

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN. I77

I had no difficulty in settling the others in the same way;
for though they saw their brothers and sisters falling around -
them, they seemed to be free from all suspicion, and not to
give a thought to the cause of the fall of each of these
unhappy individuals—an indifference which was my security.

When I saw them all lying dead in a circle round me, I
returned to the ship, and asked for three-fourths of the crew
to help me to bring on board the skins and the hams. The
rest of the meat we threw into the sea—though, had we had
means to salt it properly, it would have made a very palatable
sort of food.

As soon as we got back to England, I sent some hams, in
the captain’s name, to the Lords of the Admiralty, the Barons
of the Exchequer, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London, and
the City Companies. The rest I distributed among my personal
friends. From all sides I received the warmest thanks, and the

City paid me the compliment of inviting me to the annual banquet

given after the nomination of the Lord Mayor.

The captain has often been heard to declare how deeply he
regretted that he had taken no part in this glorious day’s work,

which he named the “Battle of the Bear Skins.” He was jealous

[of the credit I got, and sought to depreciate it by every means

in his power. We often had a quarrel on the subject, and (even
at the present day we are not on the best of terms. He does
not scruple, for instance, to say that there was no such great

merit, after all, in deceiving the bears by wrapping myself in the

    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
  
  
   
 
  
   
   
 
   

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178 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

skin of one of their fraternity; and that, for his part, he would
have gone into the midst of them without a mask on, and been
quite as successful as I was in passing himself off for a bear,
But I always feel that this is far too delicate a subject for
any man with a pretence to good breeding to discuss with so

exalted a personage as a peer of Great Britain!

 

 

  
  

  
   
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 

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CHAPTER XV.

‘ AN ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES WITH A REMARKABLE POINTER—DISPUTE REGARDING THE

BARON’S HEALTH—CAPTURE OF AN EXTRAORDINARY SHARK—HOW THE CREW WERE SUPPLIED

WITH GAME DURING THE ENTIRE VOYAGE.

ON another occasion I sailed from England to the East

Indies with Captain Hamilton. I took with me a pointer
dog, who, in the strictest acceptation of the term, is worth his
weight in gold, for he has never failed me yet. One day, when,
by the most exact reckoning, we were at least 300 miles from
‘ land, my dog began to point. I was surprised to see that he
, remained in this position upwards of an hour; so I told the
’- captain and the officers, and assured them that we must be close
to land, for my dog scented game. All the thanks I got for
my information was a loud burst of laughter. However, my
belief in my dog was not in the least shaken thereby.

A long discussion ensued, in which my opinion was

strenuously combated. At the end of it I told the captain plainly

  

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180 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

that I had more confidence in my dog Tray’s nose than in
the eyes of all the sailors on board his vessel put together, and
I boldly wagered 100 guineas—all I had with me for the
expenses of my journey—that we should find some game before
half an hour was over.

The captain, who was a very good fellow, laughed louder
than ever, and begged Mr. Crawford, our surgeon, to feel my
pulse. He did so, and pronounced me to be in perfect health.
They then began to converse in whispers: I managed, however,
to hear a few sentences.

“He’s not in his right senses,” the captain said. “I cannot
honestly take his bet.”

“I don’t agree with you at all,” replied the surgeon; “the
Baron is in perfect health. The only thing is that he has more
confidence in his dog’s sense of smell than in our officers’
knowledge of navigation. He’ll certainly lose his bet, and serve
him right." I I

“I’ve no right to take such a bet,” the captain said again.
“However, I can get out of the difficulty in an honourable way,_
by returning him his money if I win.”

While this conversation lasted, Tray never moved, so I felt
my opinion strengthened. I offered my bet again, and it was
taken. .

We had scarcely pronounced the customary “Done with
you!” When some sailors fishing in the gig, which was being

towed astern of us, caught a huge shark. No time was lost in

 

 

  

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 181

hauling it on deck; and when they cut it open, behold, there
flew out of its stomach six couple of partridges!

The poor birds had been there so long that one of them
had laid five eggs, which she was sitting on, and a Chick was
just hatching when she was set at liberty. -

We reared the young birds with a litter of kittens that had
come into the world a few minutes before. The cat took as
much care of them as she did of her own offspring, and showed
the utmost anxiety whenever one of the partridges flew away,
and did not return immediately to her side. As there were four
hen partridges in our capture, we managed to have one always
sitting, so that our table was never without game for the rest of
the voyage.

I rewarded my. faithful Tray for winning the 100 guineas,
by giving him every day the bones of the partridges we had

eaten, and now and then a whole bird.

    
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XVI.

A SECOND VISIT (BUT AN ACCIDENTAL ONE) TO THE MOON—THE SHIP DRIVEN BY A WHIRLWIND ,
A THOUSAND LEAGUES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, WHERE A NEW ATMOSPHERE
MEETS THE TRAVELLERS, AND CARRIES THEM INTO A CAPACIOUS HARBOUR—A DESCRIPTION
OF THE INHABITANTS, AND THEIR MANNER OF COMING INTO THE LUNARIAN WORLD-—

ANIMAL CREATION, WEAPONS, WINES, VEGETABLES, VETC.

HAVE already told you, gentlemen, the story of my voyage

to the moon to recover my silver hatchet. I went there a
second time, but in a much more agreeable way: and I stayed
long enough to observe several things, which I will tell you
as exactly as my memory will allow me.

A distant relation of mine had a theory that there must

“4 .c, 3-3 «uvwaqunu. _.

be somewhere a nation as tall as those which Gulliver pretends

 

to have found in Brobdingnag. He determined to start to look

for them, and asked me to go- with him. For my part I had

 

~ n .M”-“W_.~Mwww4~m “Madman W m
. ' ‘ I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
 

s“ rum-«“2“

 

 

 

. M11 su- raw.- 'u- m; . .— -

 

“It looked round and shining like

 

a glittering island.”—Page 185.

 

 

 

 

 

 

\J

. ‘, , . s ., \\\\\ z ‘ . ‘ , ,7 , _ . 1:51:14 _

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 185

always looked upon Gulliver’s narrative as a fable, and I
believed no more in Brobdingnag than I did in Eldorado; but
as my worthy relative had made his will in my favour, you
will see that I owed him some consideration. We reached the
South Sea without accident, and without meeting anything
worth speaking of, except it may be a few pairs of flying men
and women, who were playing at leap-frog, and dancing minuets
in the air.
7 On the eighteenth day after passing Otaheite, a hurricane
seized our vessel, whirled it to a height of nearly 1,000 leagues
above the sea, and kept it there for some time. At last a fair
wind filled our sails and carried us along at a great rate. When
we had sailed some six weeks above the clouds we made
land. At a distance it looked rOund and shining, like a glittering
island. We entered a good harbour, landed, and found the
country inhabited. We saw towns, trees, mountains, rivers,
lakes; so that we could almost believe ourselves at home again.
I need hardly tell you that the glittering island on which
we had landed was the moon. We saw there beings of
gigantic stature riding on griffins, each of which had three
heads. To. give you an idea of the size of these birds," I must
tell you that from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other
is a distance six times as long as the longest of our walking—

sticks. The inhabitants of the moon use these birds, instead of

. horses, for riding and driving.

When we arrived we found the king of the country at

 

 

186 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

 

war with the sun. He offered me an officer’s commission—an
honour, however, which I begged his majesty would forgive
me for declining. ,

Everything there is of extraordinary size. A common
house-fly, for instance, is nearly as large as a sheep. The arms

in common use among the inhabitants of the moon are sticks

_ is w

_ \ \\=~>\

of horse-radish, which they handle as we do javelins, and which

kill all who are struck by them. When the season for horse-

radish is over, they use stalks of asparagus. Enormous

mushrooms serve them for shields.

 

 

 

I saw there some natives of Sirius, who had come over

on business. They have a head like a bull-dog’s, and eyes at

with... A...;~...;-_a-.u_v.__.fc - -i .....A.. i as. . A. if. l u

I'4—W' 0 mm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 187

the tip of their nose, or I should say on the lower end of that
appendage. They have no eyelids; but when they want to

go to sleep, they. cover their eyes with their tongue. Their

average height is twenty feet, while that of the natives of the

moon is never under thirty—six. The latter have a name which
is Whimsical enough—they are called “creatures that cook;”
and are so denominated because they prepare their victuals
before the fire, just as we do. They do not, however, spend
any time in eating: for on the left side of their body they
have a little door which they can open, and throw their meals into
their stomachs whole. After this they close the door, and repeat
the operation on the same day next month. By this means
they have only twelve meals a year—an arrangement that all
temperate persons must surely approve of.

The inhabitants of the moon grow upon trees, which are of
different kinds, according to the fruit they bear. Those that
produce the “creatures that cook,”, or men, are much handsomer
than the others: their branches are long and straight, and their
leaves flesh-colour; their fruit is a sort of nut, with a very
hard shell, and full six feet long. When these are ripe they
are carefully gathered, and preserved as long as is thought
desirable. When it is wished to get at the kernel, the nuts
are thrown into a great caldron of boiling water: after some
hours the shell peels off, and out comes a living creature.

Before they make their appearance in the world, the position

that they are to fill has been already settled by Nature.

 

._ a‘_._v._.“v». A

a. .. . . .au:‘........,. . w»~um...-..‘. A-“
a , ., . v ., . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I88 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

A soldier issues from one shell, a philosopher from another,
a theologian from a third, a farmer from a fourth, a peasant
from a fifth, and so on; and each sets to work at once to put
in practice what he has hitherto known only in theory. The
only difficulty is to determine with certainty what the shell

contains. When I was there, a man of science was loudly

Van.
“if“ ’

f;

‘ lila‘

affirming that he had discovered the secret; but no attention
was paid to him, and by most people he was looked upon as mad.
When the inhabitants of the moon grow old, they do not

die, but melt away, and disappear in smoke.

,-

They carry their heads under their right arm, and when

they go on a journey, or have any business to transact which
requires a great deal of moving about, their usual habit is to
leave their head at home: for they can ask its advice, no matter

how far off.

 

    

 

 

  
 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 189

     
 
 

In the moon, when persons of distinction want to know

what the lower orders are about, they do not go and look for

 

them. On the contrary, they stay at home—that is to say, their

 

bodies do. They send their heads into the street to see what

 

 

is going on. When the information has been obtained, back

    
  
    
  

comes the head as soon as summoned by its owner.

  

,«mm‘ A\ ‘m ‘ ‘ ‘
Mm} mum)
\ l l

:0

~V\

“" “5mm

Grape-stones in the moon exactly resemble our hail; and

I am firmly convinced that when a tempest shakes the fruit off

 

its stalk, the stones fall on our earth, and make our hail. Nay,

 

further, I am led to believe that our wine merchants have long

 

since been aware of this fact; at any rate, I have frequently

   

drunk wine that tasted as if it had been made of hailstones, and

whose taste reminded me of that of the wine of the moon.

 

 

 

 

190 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

They can take out their eyes and put them in again at
will; and when they hold them in their hands, they can see
as well as if they had them in their heads. Should they chance

to lose or break one, they can hire or buy a new one, which is

quite as useful to them as the first was; also in the moon

you see people selling eyes at the corners of the streets. They
keep a very great variety, for fashion frequently changes—some-
times blue eyes are worn, sometimes black.

I know, gentlemen, that ‘all this must appear very strange
to you; but I beg anybody who doubts my veracity to go to
the moon, and there see for himself, and "he will find that I

have stuck more closely to the truth than any previous traveller

has done.

 

 

 
   

 

 

 

 

 

”AV w ;

CHAPTER XVII.

 
   
 
 
 
 
  

THE BARON SLIPS THROUGH THE WORLD, AFTER PAYING A VISIT TO MOUNT ETNA—HE FINDS

HIMSELF IN THE SOUTH SEA—VISITS VULCAN ON HIS PASSAGEv—GETS ON BOARD A DUTCHMAN—

ARRIVES AT THE ISLAND OF CHEESE, SURROUNDED BY A SEA OF MILK—DESCRIBES SOME VERY

EXTRAORDINARY OBJECTS.

 

O judge by your countenances, I am sure that I should
become weary of relating to you the extraordinary adven-
tures of my life much sooner than you would be of listening to

them. Your courtesy flatters me so much, that I cannot think

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

192 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

of continuing the story of my second journey to the moon, as I
had meant to do. Attend to me, then, while I tell you a story,
the authenticity of which is as incontestible as that of the pre-
ceding one; but which far surpasses it in the strange and mar-
vellous nature of its details.

The late Mr. Brydone’s travels in Sicily had inspired me
with a lively desire of visiting Etna. Nothing remarkable befell
me on the journey. I say this, although many others, to make
unsuspecting readers pay the expenses of their journey, by buying
their travels, would have told at great length, and with much
emphasis, a lot of stupid details, that respectable people ought
not to have their time taken up with.

At an early hour one morning, I started from a cottage at
the foot of the mountain, where I had passed the night, with a
firm resolution to examine, even should it cost me my life, the
interior of this famous volcano. After a severe climb of three
hours, I reached the summit of the mountain, which for three
weeks had been rumbling without intermission. I presume
that you know Etna, gentlemen, by the numerous descriptions
that have beenAWritten of it; I therefore will not attempt to say
over again what you know as well as I do, and I will spare you
a tedious story, and myself a deal of needless fatigue.

I walked three times round the crater, of which you can
form some idea by imagining an enormous funnel; but perceiving
that, however much I might walk round and round, I should not

advance a step nearer my object, I formed a brave resolution

 

 

 

 

  

BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

 
     
  

that I would jump in. I had

no sooner taken my leap than

 
 

 

I felt as though I had plunged

 
 

into a bath of boiling vapour;

 
 

while the glowing embers that

 
 

were flying about in all direc-—

 
 

tions struck at my poor body,

 
 

and burnt my limbs severely.

 

But no matter how vio-
lently the burning masses flew
about, I descended mOre rapidly
than they ascended—thanks to

 

the laws that regulate falling
bodies—and in a few moments
I touched the bottom. The first
thing I was aware of was a ter-
rific noise—a confused sound of
oaths, cries, and roars mingled
together, that seemed to rise
up in all directions around me.
I opened my eyes, and saw—
what do you think? Vulcan in
person, attended by his Cyclops.
These, gentlemen—whom my

good sense had dismissed long

 

ago to take their place in the

 

 

 

- - ,2“, *:::.- :2.<e:..:..:.‘-v.. —-. «a-.. . .1-

 

   
  
 
 
    
     
   
   
    
    
 
   
    
 
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAU SEN.

I94

world- of fiction—~had been quarrelling for three Weeks about some

t of internal organisation; and it was this dispute that was
The sight of me at

poin
disturbing the surface of the earth above.

once re-established peace and unanimity in the noisy assembly,
as though by magic. , . ,
Y Vulcan immediately hobbled away to his cupboard, and brought

out certain salves and plaisters, which he applied to my wounds

 

with his own hands. In a few moments they were cured. He
then set before me some refreshments—a bottle of nectar and
some other precious wines, such as are drunk by gods and
goddesses alone; As soon as I was tolerably rested, he intro-
duced me to Venus, his Wife, desiring her to lavish upon me all
the attentions my ,position. required. But how shall I describe

toyou the richness of the apartment to which she conducted

‘.—~ h

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 195

me; the softness of the couch on which she bade me recline;

the divine charm that governed every gesture; the tenderness

 

i , of her heart? There is no word in any tongue of earth that

 

 

 

can express all this. The very thought of it makes my brain

 

whirl.

: Vulcan described Etna to me in great detail. He explained

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

1796

how this mountain is nothing but a heap of Cinders raked out of

a furnace; he stated that he was often obliged to take severe

   

 

   

measures against his work-people, and that then, in his anger,

   

he flung burning coals at them, which they parried so cleverly
as to let them fly upwards to the earth, in the hopes of ex-

hausting his store of ammunition. “Our quarrels,” he added,

    
   
  

“sometimes last several months, and the phenomena that they

   

cause upon the surface of the earth are what you term, I

   

believe, eruptions. Mount Vesuvius is also one of my forges;

   

a passage 300 miles in length, passing under the bed of the

   

sea, leads thither. There also similar quarrels give rise to

 
 

analogous disturbances on the earth.”

  

< 3;»15: M

 

 

 

 

 

“He held me suspended over a sort of weII.”—Pzzge 199.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

........

 

 

 

 

 

. t?;l.3§]§lfiflflfilll'1l. ‘31 .114

 

 

 

 

 

~was recovered from my fainting fit 'by feel—

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 199

But if the instructive conversation of the husband gave
me pleasure, I was still more fascinated by the society of the
wife, and I should, perhaps, have never left their subterranean
palace, had not some scandal-mongers lighted the fires of jealousy
in Vulcan’s heart. One morning, without 'a word of‘notice, he
seized me by the collar, whilst conversing with the lovely goddess,
and led me into a room that I had not
as yet seen. Then he held me suspended
over a sort of well, of vast depth, and
said to me, “Ungrateful mortal! return to
the world whence thou earnest."

With these awful words, and without
giving me a moment to urge a syllable in
my defence, he hurled me into the abyss.

I fell, with a rapidity that increased
every instant, until terror had deprived me

of all consciousness“ But on a sudden I

 

ing myself plunged into an immense lake
of water illuminated by the rays of the sun. It was a state of
paradise and repose, compared to the frightful journey I had just
taken.

I‘looked around me, in all directions, and could see nothing
but water.’ The temperature was quite different from what I
had been accustomed to in Vulcan’s palace. After some time I

caught sight of an object at some distance off, looking like an

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I soon

x

, I caught sight of a vessel

BARON MUNCHAUSEN.
At last I succeeded, and managed to climb

It was with a feeling of despair that I found no sign

I eigamined it for sometime before I could find a nook that
of land. At last, just before nightfall

enormous rock, and apparently advancing towards me.

ms
6
b
e
.m
n
a
S
a
w
an
t
a
h
t
m
S

I could perch in.

to the top.

 

 

 

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. .v£l£»fal!il!u‘.l .. n _ .Kl.

Jill!

 

b‘ mkfikvr‘vm

2:11?“ F‘V" ‘

——n ‘45,

 

 

*

     
      

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 203

We sailed for three months, and must have got over an
enormous amount of ground, when all of a sudden we observed
a singular change in all that surrounded us. We felt quite gay
and cheerful, our nostrils were filled with the softest and most
fragrant odours; the sea itself had changed colour, for it was no
longer green, but white.

Before long we came in sight of land, and perceiving a
harbour at some distance off, we shaped our course towards it.

On reaching it we found it spacious and deep. Instead of water,

 

it was full of exquisite milk. We went on shore, and found that
the whole island consisted of an immense cheese. We should
perhaps never have discovered this, had it not been for a curious
circumstance which set us looking for it. One of our sailors
had a natural aversion to cheese. The moment he set foot on
shore, he fainted quite away. When he came to himself he
begged us to remove the cheese from under his feet. An
examination was made, and it was discovered that he was per-

fectly right—the island was, as I told you before, neither more

 

 

 

 

 

204. BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

nor less than a huge cheese. Most of the inhabitants lived
upon cheese, the portions that were eaten by them during
the day being replaced during the night. We saw there a
great quantity of Vines loaded with bunches of large grapes,
which, when squeezed, yielded nothing but milk. The natives

‘were tall and handsome, and most of them nine feet high. They

had three legs and one arm, and the adults had on their fore-

heads a horn, which they used with wonderful dexterity. They
run races on the surface of the milk, and walk about upon it,
without sinking in, as naturally as we do upon a lawn;

‘There grew upon this island, or I should say upon this
cheese, a great quantity of corn, whose ears, like mushrooms in

shape, hel-d loaves of bread, baked and ready to eat. In

 

A _.._.. "a"
....-. .

%
l

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 205

Walking over the cheese we met with seven rivers of milk and
two of wine.
After a voyage of sixteen days we came to the coast

opposite to that we had landed on. In this district of the island

      

   

tiff

‘,— X

«3'1»

Nil); "
«“3 ‘35; ‘ .,

,J 1
:2 l
i .- ‘

 

we found whole plains of cheese in that blue state from age
which epicures like so much. But instead of finding it full of
maggots, we saw magnificent fruit-trees growing in it—cherries,
peaches, apricots, and twenty other sorts that we know nothing

of. These trees, which are extraordinarily tall and thick, harboured

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  
 

206 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

a great quantity of birds’ nests. Among others we observed a

 
 

kingfisher’s nest, whose circumference was five times as great as

 
 

the cupola of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London: it was artistically

 
 

constructed of gigantic trees, and contained—wait a moment till

 
 

I recollect the exact number—it contained 500 eggs, the smallest

  
 
  

  

of which were as big as a hogshead. We could not see the

young ones inside, but we could hear their twitter. When, after

    
 

great exertions, we managed to open one of these eggs, we saw a

 
 

‘little bird come out of it with no feathers on, but as big as

 
 

some twenty of our hawks. Scarcely had we hatched the young

    
 

halcyon before the old one swooped down upon us, seized our

  

 

 

 

 

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“The old one swooped down upon us.”—Page 206.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 209

captain in its talons, flew up a good three miles into the air with
him, and then struck him violently with its wings, and let him
fall into the sea.

The Dutch swim like water-rats; so it was not long before
the captain rejoined us, and we got back all together to our vessel.
But we did not return by the same course, so that we were able
to make some fresh observations. Among the game we had
killed were two buffaloes of a peculiar kind, which had only one
horn, placed between their eyes. We were sorry afterwards that
we had killed them: for we learned that the natives broke them,
and used them just like draught or saddle horses. We were
assured that their flesh was exquisite, but absolutely useless to a
people that lives on nothing but milk and cheese.

Two days before we got back to our ship, we saw three
individuals hung by their legs to huge trees. I asked what
crime had entailed so terrible a punishment, and I learned that
they had travelled abroad, and on their return had told their
countrymen a lot of lies, describing to them places they had
never seen, andladventures that had never happened to them. I
thought they richly deserved their punishment, for the first duty
of a traveller is never to stray from the paths of truth.

‘When we got on board we heaved our anchor, and bid
adieu to this singular country. All the trees along the shore,
some of which were enormous in girth, and very tall in stature,
bowed twice as they saluted us in unison. After this they

resumed their former positions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

210 BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

After drifting about, we knew not where, for we were without
a compass, we came to a sea that seemed all black: we tasted
what we thought was dirty water, and found it to be excellent
wine. It was with great difficulty that we prevented our crew
from getting drunk. But our joy was not of long duration, for

some hours afterwards we found ourselves surrounded by whales

 

and other fish equally vast in size; there was one of such pro-

digious length that we could not see the end of him, even with

a telescope. By ill luck we did not see the monster till he was
close to us: he swallowed at one gulp our ship at full sail.
When we had been some time in his throat, he opened his

jaws to take in a great gulp of water; our vessel, floating on

m.“ H

 

 

 

 

1r ,:

'51“.

 

~n—.,m. 33%;“? A

.. ‘r.u"

 

« was; s...

 

-hw.--_m‘~.‘._<% ‘ t

?‘

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 21 I

this current, was drawn into the monster’s stomach, where we
were as quiet as though we had been at anchor in a dead calm.
The air, I must admit, was heated and heavy. We saw in his
stomach anchors, cables, barges, and a good number of vessels,

some with their cargoes on board, others empty, which had fallen

into the same plight as ourselves. We were obliged to exist by

 

torch-light; we could see nothing of the sun, the moon, or the
stars. It usually happened that twice a day we were left high
and dry, and twice we Afioated. When the monster drank we
floated, and when he poured the water out we were left dry.
We made an exact estimate of the quantity of water he drank,
and found that it would be sufficient to fill the Lake of Geneva,

which is thirty miles in circumference.

 

 

 

' Wwwwwmw

 

 

BARON VMUNCHAUSEN.

On the second day of our captivity in this gloomy region, I
ventured, accompanied by the captain and some of his officers,
to take a short excursion when it was low water, as we used to
say. We had provided ourselves with torches, and we encoun-
tered, one after the other, nearly 10,000 men of different nations,
who were in the same case as ourselves. They began to
deliberate eagerly upon the means they could employ for the
recovery of their liberty. Some of ,them had passed several
years already in the stomach of the monster. But at the very
moment when the president, was beginning to inform us of the
subject of the resolution to be proposed to the meeting, our
tyrant of a fish commenced drinking: the water poured in with
suchlviolence that we had only just time to regain our several
ships; several of us, less active than the rest, had to swim for
our lives. -

When the fish opened his mouth again, and poured the

water out, we assembled afresh, and I was chosen president. I .

proposed to them to fasten two of our tallest masts together, '

end to end; and when the monster opened his jaws, to plant
them in such a manner as should prevent his shutting his mouth
again. This plan was passed by acclamation, and a hundred of
the strongest men among 'us were selected to put it into execution.
The two masts had scarcely been arranged according to my
directions, before a favourable moment presented itself. The
monster began to yawn; we planted our two masts in such a

way that their lower end was fixed in his tongue, while the

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 213

upper pierced the roof of his palate, so that he would be unable,

for ever after, to make his jaws meet.

As soon as We found ourselves afloat, we manned the boats,

in which we rowed ourselves out, and came back into the world.

It was with joy inexpressible that we saw once more the light of

 

 

the sun, of which we had been deprived during our fortnight’s
imprisonment. When every One had left the vast stomach of
the monster, we found we were a fleet of thirty-five ships of
all nations. We left our two masts fixed in the monster’s throat,
to preserve from an accident similar to ours those who should

find themselves drawn towards that abyss.

 

 

 

 

 

214. BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

Our first wish, after our deliverance, was to know what part
of the world we were in. It was long before we could be
certain on this point. At last, thanks to some observations I
had taken on a previous occasion, I discovered that we were in
the Caspian Sea. This sea being surrounded by land on all
sides, and communicating with no other piece of water, we could
not understand how we had got there. However, a native of
the cheese island, whom I had brought with me, explained the
matter to us with great probability. According to his view, the
monster in whose stomach we had resided so long'had reached
this sea by a subterranean passage. In short, there we were,
and very happy we were to be there. We made all sail in
the direction of the land. I was the first to land.

Scarcely had I set foot on the shore, when I found myself

assailed by a huge bear.

“Oh! oh!” thought I, “you have come in the nick of

I

time.”

I took his fore feet in my two hands, and squeezed them
with such cordiality that he began to utter howls of despair; but
I, without allowing myself to be influenced by his lamentations,
kept him in that position till he died of hunger. Thanks to
this exploit, I inspired all bears with such respect, that not one
of them has ever since dared to quarrel with me.

I went from there to St. Petersburg, where I received from
an old friend a present that was very acceptable to me. It was

a pointer’dog, a descendant Of that famous pointer bitch who

 

 

 

 

BARON MUNCHAUSEN. 215

brought into the world a litter of puppies while she was
coursing a hare. Unhappily, this dog was killed by an awkward
sportsman, who shot him while firing at a covey 'of partridges. I
had made out- of his skin the waistcoat that I am now wearing,

which, when I go out shooting, invariably leads me up to the

   

   
   

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' A "’ x i - ,1
CK ; ‘ . j (‘ ‘-
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place where the game lies. When I am near enough to be within
shot, a button flies off towards the place where the game is
lying, and as I always carry my gun charged and at full cock,
I never fail to bring my bird down.

I have got three buttons left, as you see; but as soon as

the shooting season begins, I shall have two rows put on.

 

 

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BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

216
Come and pay me a visit then, and you will see that I shall

be able to show you some sport. '
I now take the liberty of retiring, and of wishing you all

 

 

a very good night.

 

 

 

‘

- ”Ms '4: M ‘43,; .,

 

CASSELI., PETTER, AND GALPIN, BELLE SAUVAGE WORKS, LONDON, E.C

 

 

 

 

 

an...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

;
s:
i
i. EXTRACT FROM THE CATALOGUE OF BOOKS
F
i
: ‘ PUBLISHED BY
ii ' : ,
- CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPIN. i 1
. ‘ Came/1’s [/[usz‘mz‘m’ me/y Bzéle :——Complete in One Volume, handsomely
\‘ bound in cloth, gilt edges - - — - £1 11 6
. Ditto Two Volumes, ditto ditto - - — - I 15 o
:‘T‘ Ditto One Volume, ditto, in calf, gilt edges - — — - - 2 10 o .
Ditto One Volume, ditto, in morocco elegant ~ - - - — 3 o 0
Ditto Two Volumes, ditto ditto - — - — - 4 o o
The above can also be had with the Scotch Version ofthe Psalms, in one volume, cloth, for 355. ; in calf, gilt edges, 55$. ;
and in morocco, with gilt edges, for 655.
Safeer E a’zizmz of Cassell s [[[zzsz‘rzzfm’ Famzly sz/e :—Complete in One
Volume, handsomely bound 1n cloth, gilt edges ~ — - 505
. Ditto ditto, 1n calf antique, gilt edges - - - - — 605,
i ; Ditto ditto, elegantly bound in morocco, gilt edges - - - - 705.
r Causal/’5 Popular Naz‘zrral History. Profusely Illustrated with splendid
1 Engravings and Tinted Plates :——Complete in Four Volumes, bound in cloth - 34s. .
Ditto Two Volumes, ditto ditto - - - - 305. i
r Ditto Two Volumes, half-calf, full gilt back - - — - - 425. I
' Ditto Two Volumes, half-morocco, full gilt back and edges - - - 4.55. i:
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Cassy]! s [[[usz‘rm‘ed Bunyan. — The PILGRIM s PROGRESS. Illustrated
5 throughout 2—Plain cloth -‘ - . — - - 7s. 6d. l
15‘ Full gilt cloth, gilt edges - - - — - - 105. 6d.
Full morocco antique — - - - - ~ 215. od.
Camel/’5 [[[zrsz‘raz‘ed Bunyan—The HOLY WAR. Uniform in style with the
“Pilgrim’s Progress,” at - - - - 7s. 6d., Ios. 6d., and 215.
Came/[’5 [/Zusz‘raz‘m’ Bunyan. — The PILGRIM’S P ROGRESS. Large Paper
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Cruse/1’s [flux/raim’ Roéz’mrm C rusoe, with 100 beautiful Illustrations, printed ‘
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Full gilt cloth, gilt edges - - - — - - 105. 6d. ‘
Full morocco antique - - - - - - 215. 0d.
Goldsmit/z’s W'or/cs, [/[mz‘raied. —— The VICAR OF WAKEFIELD and P013315, ‘
beautifully printed on toned paper, with 100 Illustrations by Anelay and Morten :—
In One handsome Volume, bound in cloth — - - .- 7s. 6d. .
Full gilt cloth, with gilt edges — — - - — 105. 6d. ‘
Full morocco antique - - - — , — - 215. 0d. l
LONDON: CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPIN, LUDGATE HILL, EC. i
7 7 “T l

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cassell’s Illustrated History of England, from the Earliest Period to the
Present Time :—Complete in Eight Volumes, bound in cloth - - 6s. and 7s. 6d. each.

Four Volumes, strongly bound in half-calf, with full gilt backs and cloth sides - £4 0 o
The Cloth Volumes can be had separate.

Cassell’s Illustrated Gulliver. — GULLIVER’s TRAVELS. By Dean SWIFT.
Profusely Illustrated throughout by Morten. With an Introduction, Annotations, and a LIFE

OF SWIFT, by J. F. WALLER, LL.D., M.R.I.A. z—Plain cloth - - - 7s. 6d.

Full gilt cloth, with gilt edges ~ - - - - - 105. 6d.

Dante’s Inferno—Illustrated with 76 Large Page Designs by Gustave Doré.
The English Translation and Notes by the Rev. H. F. CARY, M.A. :—

Complete in One Volume, crown folio - - - - £ 2 IO 0
- - ' - 4 4 0

In morocco antique - -
- - - 6 6 o

In morocco, extra gilt, highly finished - -

Cassell’s Illustrated Mumkausea—THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN.
Illustrated by M. Gustave Dore’, and printed on thick toned paper, 4to, bound in cloth 213.

Tue Nort/t- West Passage oy Laud; being the History of an Expedition from
the Atlantic to the Pacific through British Territory, by one of the Northern Passes in the
Rocky Mountains. By Viscount MILTON, M.P., F.R.G.S., F.G.S., &c., and W. B. CHEADLE,
B.A., M.D. Cantab., F.R.G.S. 8vo, cloth, with numerous Illustrations. Fourth Edition. 215.

Our Trip to t/ze Eloe, and on to Norway. By Mr. NIHIL. ' Post 8V0,

cloth - - - - - — - 105. 6d.

Ida Clg'fhrd. By the Hon. Mrs. MONTGOMERY. 8V0, cloth - - 7s. 6d.
T/ze History of Yulz'us Ceesar. By HIS MAJESTY NAPOLEON III. Translated

under the immediate Supervision of the Emperor himself :—Vol. 1., 8vo, cloth - 125.

Printed on large paper, and half-bound in Roxburgh style. Vol. I. - - 255.
(A limited number only frinted qftllz's Edition.)

Maps to the Text - - _ - - - _ 55'
French Edition of the Work also supplied. Vol. I., 8vo - - - Ios.

7ewels Gatltered from Painter and Poet. A Selection of Poems, Songs, and
Ballads, Illustrated in the highest style of Art by F. R. Pickersgill, Cope, Dyce, Horsfall,

Duncan, Selous, Tenniel, &c. &c. Superbly printed on fine thick toned paper, bound in cloth,

with gilt edges ~ - - - - - ~ 75. 6d.

Beauties of Poetry, and Gems of Art, Illustrated by the same Artists.
Cloth gilt - - - - - - - - 7s.6d.

Favourite Poems o}, szted Bards, Illustrated by the same Artists. Cloth

gilt - - - - - — 7s. 6d.

Poems and Pictures, comprising the three preceding Works bound together in
one volume. Very handsomely bound in extra gilt cloth - — - 215.

“ The volume is altogether a first-class work of art and homage of the pencil to the soulvfraught inspirations of the pen ”—1 llustrated
« Landon N ews.

Cassell’s Illustrated Saaéespeare—Vol. I. (COMEDIEs). Edited, with Notes,
by CHARLES and MARY COWDEN CLARKE. Illustrations by H. C. Selous. Complete in One
Volume, bound in cloth - - - - - . - 12$.

 

LONDON: CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPIN, LUDGATE HILL, E.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3‘

 

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CASSELL’S ATLASES AND MAPS.

 

Cassell’s Complete Folzo A llas, containing 260 Coloured Maps, engraved in the
first style' of Art, and presenting one of the fullest and most perfect delineations of the Surface of

the Globe ever published. In paper boards - - - - £2 2 0

Bound in half-roan - - - - - - 2 IO 0

In half-morocco - - — . - - - - 3 3 o
Cassoll’s Brz'lz's/z Allas, of 122 Maps, consisting of the Counties of England
and Wales; Divisional Maps of Scotland and Ireland; copious Maps of all the prominent
Routes of Railway throughout the Country, with indications of every object of importance and
interest to the Traveller along the Lines; separate Maps of Cities, Towns, and Places of
Importance,_&c. &c. &c. Half-bound, in paper boards - - - £1 I o
Strongly half-bound - - - - - - I 8 o

Cassoll’s Folio General Atlas, consisting of 60 Maps of the Countries of the
World, with all their Geographical Boundaries, Rivers, Navigable Canals, Roads, Railways,
&c., forming one of the most complete Atlases of Modern Geography extan.t :—

In paper boards - - - - - - - 105. 6d.
Strongly half-bound - - - - - - 185. 0d.

Cassell’s Folio Coam‘y Allas, containing 50 Maps of the Counties of England
and Wales, with all Roads and Railways fully and accurately laid down :——

In paper boards - - - - - - - 105. 6d.

‘Strongly half—bound - - — - - — 188. 0d.

Cassoll’s Raz'lwa A llas - - - - - - s.
3/ 5

Cassoll’s Orz'mlal A llas - - - - - 85. and 155.

Cassoll’s Colom'al A llas _ - - - - - 85. and 155.

Cassoll’s ladzan A llas - - - ‘— - - 3s. 6d.

Cassoll’s Emz‘ raal’s A llas - - - - - - 2s. 6d.
.9 ‘ _

Cassell’s Groal Map of London, on a scale of nine inches to the mile, mounted

on canvas, with rollers, coloured and varnished - - - - I25.

Coloured and varnished, and mounted on canvas, with patent spring rack, and mahogany

‘ head-box, gold lettered - ~ - - ~ ' £1 5 0

Cassoll’s Map of lag Environs of Loadoa, mounted on canvas, with rollers,

and varnished - - - - - - - 7s. 6d.

Coloured and varnished, and mounted on canvas, with patent spring rack, and mahogany

head-box, gold lettered - - - - - - ISS-

 

(‘GP Separalo—lliaps, z'lz S/zool‘s, 3d. and 6d. eat/z.

COUNTY AND HOME MAPS.

In Sheets, 3d. each; folded in a neat Wrapper, for the Pocket, 4d. each; or mounted on cloth,
and folded in a cloth case, is. each.

 

 

(it? T hose Maps are wrong/2t out will; sac/z laoorz‘ous falnoss and exaclz'tado that t/zoy fires/ml lilo mos!
complzlo dolz‘aealz’on of [he Brz'lz'sl; Isles overpaolz's/ml; so fall and detailed, indeed, z‘lzat
scaroely a Hamlcjl, and in many instances scarcely a F arm, is omitted.

 

LONDON: CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPIN, ’LUDGATE HILL, E.C.

    
  

 
  
           
 
    

 

 

 

 

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a .,.. .. ..., ......_ _........a._. . .

 

 

I
g
I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
AND CHILDREN:

 

Lillle Songs for Me to Sing. Illustrated by J. E. Milla1s, R.A. ; w1th MuSIC
composed expressly for the Work by Henry Leslie. Square crown - - 65.
Dedicaled, 6y exjressjermisszon, to H.131]. t/ze Princess of Wales.

Cassell’s Piolure Book for l/ze Nursery. Royal 4t0 size, full of Illustratlons,
with appropriate Text for Young Children. Bound in embellished boards - V SS-

V Dame Dingle’s Fairy 7‘ ales for Gooa’ C/zila’ren. Handsomely bound in cloth,

. - - . 55.

with gilt edges - — -

7ingles ana’ Yokes for Lillle Fol/5s. By TOM HOOD. Illustrated with

Original Drawings by Bennett, Morten, Brunton, and Paul Gray. Square crown, cloth 5s.

T/ie C/zila’ren's Gara’en, anaI W/ial iney Made of 12‘. By AGNES and MARIA
E. CATLOW. With several Illustrations. Square cloth - - - 3s. 6d.

Dedz'mled, 11y pernu'ssz‘on, to [he Prz'neess Beatrice. ‘

T/ze Royal Gallery of Kings ana’ Queens. Embellished with Portraits of our

English Sovereigns. Beautifully printed on toned paper, and very handsomely bound in cloth,

crown 8vo - - . - . . - .. 55,
Tne Family Picture Hislory of England. From the Earliest Period to the
Reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Crown 4to, bound in cloth, extra gilt — 55.

Famous Eoenls in General Hislory. Illustrated by a number of beautiful
Engravings, and written with the special view to interest and instruct Young People.

Crown 4to, bound in cloth, extra gilt - - - - - 5s.
Remaréaole Persons ana’ Scenes of Hislory. Illustrated throughout with
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T/ze Biole Picture Story Boo/é. Beautifully Illustrated throughout, and
written in a simple style, to interest Children in Bible Narratives and Characters. The
OLD TESTAMENT, 3s. 6d. plain, and 7s. coloured. The NEW TESTAMENT, 3s. 6d. plain,
and 7s. coloured. ’

_Peler Parley’s Series of Popular Books. New Editions, elegantly bound in
full gilt cloth, for Gift Books. Each . — - - - zs.

PERSEVERE AND PROSPER; OR, THE SABLE HUNTERS.

CHEERFUL CHERRY; OR, MAKE THE BEST OF IT.

WIT BOUGHT; OR, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBERT MERRY.

WHAT TO DO, AND How TO Do IT.

INQUISITIVE JACK AND HIS AUNT MARY.

DICK BOLDHERO IN SEARCH OF HIS UNCLE.

TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF THOMAS TROTTER, AS TOLD BY HIMSELF.
PARLEY’s TALES ABOUT ASIA AND AFRICA.

PETER PARLEY'S TALES ABOUT AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA. Edited by Rev. T. WILSON.

 

LONDON: CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPIN, LUDGATE HILL, EC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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