Gulliver's Travels

he author conducted by a Houyhnhnm to his house. The house described.
The author’s reception. The food of the Houyhnhnms. The author in
distress for want of meat, is at last relieved. His manner of feeding
in this country.

Having travelled about three miles, we came to a long kind of building,
made of timber stuck in the ground, and wattled across; the roof was
low and covered with straw. I now began to be a little comforted; and
took out some toys, which travellers usually carry for presents to the
savage Indians of America, and other parts, in hopes the people of the
house would be thereby encouraged to receive me kindly. The horse made
me a sign to go in first; it was a large room with a smooth clay floor,
and a rack and manger, extending the whole length on one side. There
were three nags and two mares, not eating, but some of them sitting
down upon their hams, which I very much wondered at; but wondered more
to see the rest employed in domestic business; these seemed but
ordinary cattle. However, this confirmed my first opinion, that a
people who could so far civilize brute animals, must needs excel in
wisdom all the nations of the world. The gray came in just after, and
thereby prevented any ill treatment which the others might have given
me. He neighed to them several times in a style of authority, and
received answers.

Beyond this room there were three others, reaching the length of the
house, to which you passed through three doors, opposite to each other,
in the manner of a vista. We went through the second room towards the
third. Here the gray walked in first, beckoning me to attend: I waited
in the second room, and got ready my presents for the master and
mistress of the house; they were two knives, three bracelets of false
pearls, a small looking-glass, and a bead necklace. The horse neighed
three or four times, and I waited to hear some answers in a human
voice, but I heard no other returns than in the same dialect, only one
or two a little shriller than his. I began to think that this house
must belong to some person of great note among them, because there
appeared so much ceremony before I could gain admittance. But, that a
man of quality should be served all by horses, was beyond my
comprehension. I feared my brain was disturbed by my sufferings and
misfortunes. I roused myself, and looked about me in the room where I
was left alone: this was furnished like the first, only after a more
elegant manner. I rubbed my eyes often, but the same objects still
occurred. I pinched my arms and sides to awake myself, hoping I might
be in a dream. I then absolutely concluded, that all these appearances
could be nothing else but necromancy and magic. But I had no time to
pursue these reflections; for the gray horse came to the door, and made
me a sign to follow him into the third room where I saw a very comely
mare, together with a colt and foal, sitting on their haunches upon
mats of straw, not unartfully made, and perfectly neat and clean.

The mare soon after my entrance rose from her mat, and coming up close,
after having nicely observed my hands and face, gave me a most
contemptuous look; and turning to the horse, I heard the word Yahoo
often repeated betwixt them; the meaning of which word I could not then
comprehend, although it was the first I had learned to pronounce. But I
was soon better informed, to my everlasting mortification; for the
horse, beckoning to me with his head, and repeating the hhuun,
hhuun, as he did upon the road, which I understood was to attend him,
led me out into a kind of court, where was another building, at some
distance from the house. Here we entered, and I saw three of those
detestable creatures, which I first met after my landing, feeding upon
roots, and the flesh of some animals, which I afterwards found to be
that of asses and dogs, and now and then a cow, dead by accident or
disease. They were all tied by the neck with strong withes, fastened to
a beam; they held their food between the claws of their forefeet, and
tore it with their teeth.

The master horse ordered a sorrel nag, one of his servants, to untie
the largest of these animals, and take him into the yard. The beast and
I were brought close together, and by our countenances diligently
compared both by master and servant, who thereupon repeated several
times the word Yahoo. My horror and astonishment are not to be
described, when I observed in this abominable animal, a perfect human
figure: the face of it indeed was flat and broad, the nose depressed,
the lips large, and the mouth wide; but these differences are common to
all savage nations, where the lineaments of the countenance are
distorted, by the natives suffering their infants to lie grovelling on
the earth, or by carrying them on their backs, nuzzling with their face
against the mothers’ shoulders. The forefeet of the Yahoo differed
from my hands in nothing else but the length of the nails, the
coarseness and brownness of the palms, and the hairiness on the backs.
There was the same resemblance between our feet, with the same
differences; which I knew very well, though the horses did not, because
of my shoes and stockings; the same in every part of our bodies except
as to hairiness and colour, which I have already described.

The great difficulty that seemed to stick with the two horses, was to
see the rest of my body so very different from that of a Yahoo, for
which I was obliged to my clothes, whereof they had no conception. The
sorrel nag offered me a root, which he held (after their manner, as we
shall describe in its proper place) between his hoof and pastern; I
took it in my hand, and, having smelt it, returned it to him again as
civilly as I could. He brought out of the Yahoos’ kennel a piece of
ass’s flesh; but it smelt so offensively that I turned from it with
loathing: he then threw it to the Yahoo, by whom it was greedily
devoured. He afterwards showed me a wisp of hay, and a fetlock full of
oats; but I shook my head, to signify that neither of these were food
for me. And indeed I now apprehended that I must absolutely starve, if
I did not get to some of my own species; for as to those filthy
Yahoos, although there were few greater lovers of mankind at that
time than myself, yet I confess I never saw any sensitive being so
detestable on all accounts; and the more I came near them the more
hateful they grew, while I stayed in that country. This the master
horse observed by my behaviour, and therefore sent the Yahoo back to
his kennel. He then put his fore-hoof to his mouth, at which I was much
surprised, although he did it with ease, and with a motion that
appeared perfectly natural, and made other signs, to know what I would
eat; but I could not return him such an answer as he was able to
apprehend; and if he had understood me, I did not see how it was
possible to contrive any way for finding myself nourishment. While we
were thus engaged, I observed a cow passing by, whereupon I pointed to
her, and expressed a desire to go and milk her. This had its effect;
for he led me back into the house, and ordered a mare-servant to open a
room, where a good store of milk lay in earthen and wooden vessels,
after a very orderly and cleanly manner. She gave me a large bowlful,
of which I drank very heartily, and found myself well refreshed.

About noon, I saw coming towards the house a kind of vehicle drawn like
a sledge by four Yahoos. There was in it an old steed, who seemed to
be of quality; he alighted with his hind-feet forward, having by
accident got a hurt in his left fore-foot. He came to dine with our
horse, who received him with great civility. They dined in the best
room, and had oats boiled in milk for the second course, which the old
horse ate warm, but the rest cold. Their mangers were placed circular
in the middle of the room, and divided into several partitions, round
which they sat on their haunches, upon bosses of straw. In the middle
was a large rack, with angles answering to every partition of the
manger; so that each horse and mare ate their own hay, and their own
mash of oats and milk, with much decency and regularity. The behaviour
of the young colt and foal appeared very modest, and that of the master
and mistress extremely cheerful and complaisant to their guest. The
gray ordered me to stand by him; and much discourse passed between him
and his friend concerning me, as I found by the stranger’s often
looking on me, and the frequent repetition of the word Yahoo.

I happened to wear my gloves, which the master gray observing, seemed
perplexed, discovering signs of wonder what I had done to my forefeet.
He put his hoof three or four times to them, as if he would signify,
that I should reduce them to their former shape, which I presently did,
pulling off both my gloves, and putting them into my pocket. This
occasioned farther talk; and I saw the company was pleased with my
behaviour, whereof I soon found the good effects. I was ordered to
speak the few words I understood; and while they were at dinner, the
master taught me the names for oats, milk, fire, water, and some
others, which I could readily pronounce after him, having from my youth
a great facility in learning languages.

When dinner was done, the master horse took me aside, and by signs and
words made me understand the concern he was in that I had nothing to
eat. Oats in their tongue are called hlunnh. This word I pronounced
two or three times; for although I had refused them at first, yet, upon
second thoughts, I considered that I could contrive to make of them a
kind of bread, which might be sufficient, with milk, to keep me alive,
till I could make my escape to some other country, and to creatures of
my own species. The horse immediately ordered a white mare servant of
his family to bring me a good quantity of oats in a sort of wooden
tray. These I heated before the fire, as well as I could, and rubbed
them till the husks came off, which I made a shift to winnow from the
grain. I ground and beat them between two stones; then took water, and
made them into a paste or cake, which I toasted at the fire and eat
warm with milk. It was at first a very insipid diet, though common
enough in many parts of Europe, but grew tolerable by time; and having
been often reduced to hard fare in my life, this was not the first
experiment I had made how easily nature is satisfied. And I cannot but
observe, that I never had one hour’s sickness while I stayed in this
island. It is true, I sometimes made a shift to catch a rabbit, or
bird, by springs made of Yahoo’s hairs; and I often gathered
wholesome herbs, which I boiled, and ate as salads with my bread; and
now and then, for a rarity, I made a little butter, and drank the whey.
I was at first at a great loss for salt, but custom soon reconciled me
to the want of it; and I am confident that the frequent use of salt
among us is an effect of luxury, and was first introduced only as a
provocative to drink, except where it is necessary for preserving flesh
in long voyages, or in places remote from great markets; for we observe
no animal to be fond of it but man, and as to myself, when I left this
country, it was a great while before I could endure the taste of it in
anything that I ate.

This is enough to say upon the subject of my diet, wherewith other
travellers fill their books, as if the readers were personally
concerned whether we fare well or ill. However, it was necessary to
mention this matter, lest the world should think it impossible that I
could find sustenance for three years in such a country, and among such
inhabitants.

When it grew towards evening, the master horse ordered a place for me
to lodge in; it was but six yards from the house and separated from the
stable of the Yahoos. Here I got some straw, and covering myself with
my own clothes, slept very sound. But I was in a short time better
accommodated, as the reader shall know hereafter, when I come to treat
more particularly about my way of living.