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_ CHAPTER III
[The author studies to learn the language. The Houyhnhnm, his
master, assists in teaching him. The language described. Several
Houyhnhnms of quality come out of curiosity to see the author. He
gives his master a short account of his voyage.]
My principal endeavour was to learn the language, which my master
(for so I shall henceforth call him), and his children, and every
servant of his house, were desirous to teach me; for they looked
upon it as a prodigy, that a brute animal should discover such
marks of a rational creature. I pointed to every thing, and
inquired the name of it, which I wrote down in my journal-book when
I was alone, and corrected my bad accent by desiring those of the
family to pronounce it often. In this employment, a sorrel nag,
one of the under-servants, was very ready to assist me.
In speaking, they pronounced through the nose and throat, and their
language approaches nearest to the High-Dutch, or German, of any I
know in Europe; but is much more graceful and significant. The
emperor Charles V. made almost the same observation, when he said
"that if he were to speak to his horse, it should be in High-
Dutch."
The curiosity and impatience of my master were so great, that he
spent many hours of his leisure to instruct me. He was convinced
(as he afterwards told me) that I must be a Yahoo; but my
teachableness, civility, and cleanliness, astonished him; which
were qualities altogether opposite to those animals. He was most
perplexed about my clothes, reasoning sometimes with himself,
whether they were a part of my body: for I never pulled them off
till the family were asleep, and got them on before they waked in
the morning. My master was eager to learn "whence I came; how I
acquired those appearances of reason, which I discovered in all my
actions; and to know my story from my own mouth, which he hoped he
should soon do by the great proficiency I made in learning and
pronouncing their words and sentences." To help my memory, I
formed all I learned into the English alphabet, and writ the words
down, with the translations. This last, after some time, I
ventured to do in my master's presence. It cost me much trouble to
explain to him what I was doing; for the inhabitants have not the
least idea of books or literature.
In about ten weeks time, I was able to understand most of his
questions; and in three months, could give him some tolerable
answers. He was extremely curious to know "from what part of the
country I came, and how I was taught to imitate a rational
creature; because the Yahoos (whom he saw I exactly resembled in my
head, hands, and face, that were only visible), with some
appearance of cunning, and the strongest disposition to mischief,
were observed to be the most unteachable of all brutes." I
answered, "that I came over the sea, from a far place, with many
others of my own kind, in a great hollow vessel made of the bodies
of trees: that my companions forced me to land on this coast, and
then left me to shift for myself." It was with some difficulty,
and by the help of many signs, that I brought him to understand me.
He replied, "that I must needs be mistaken, or that I said the
thing which was not;" for they have no word in their language to
express lying or falsehood. "He knew it was impossible that there
could be a country beyond the sea, or that a parcel of brutes could
move a wooden vessel whither they pleased upon water. He was sure
no Houyhnhnm alive could make such a vessel, nor would trust Yahoos
to manage it."
The word Houyhnhnm, in their tongue, signifies a HORSE, and, in its
etymology, the PERFECTION OF NATURE. I told my master, "that I was
at a loss for expression, but would improve as fast as I could; and
hoped, in a short time, I should be able to tell him wonders." He
was pleased to direct his own mare, his colt, and foal, and the
servants of the family, to take all opportunities of instructing
me; and every day, for two or three hours, he was at the same pains
himself. Several horses and mares of quality in the neighbourhood
came often to our house, upon the report spread of "a wonderful
Yahoo, that could speak like a Houyhnhnm, and seemed, in his words
and actions, to discover some glimmerings of reason." These
delighted to converse with me: they put many questions, and
received such answers as I was able to return. By all these
advantages I made so great a progress, that, in five months from my
arrival I understood whatever was spoken, and could express myself
tolerably well.
The Houyhnhnms, who came to visit my master out of a design of
seeing and talking with me, could hardly believe me to be a right
Yahoo, because my body had a different covering from others of my
kind. They were astonished to observe me without the usual hair or
skin, except on my head, face, and hands; but I discovered that
secret to my master upon an accident which happened about a
fortnight before.
I have already told the reader, that every night, when the family
were gone to bed, it was my custom to strip, and cover myself with
my clothes. It happened, one morning early, that my master sent
for me by the sorrel nag, who was his valet. When he came I was
fast asleep, my clothes fallen off on one side, and my shirt above
my waist. I awaked at the noise he made, and observed him to
deliver his message in some disorder; after which he went to my
master, and in a great fright gave him a very confused account of
what he had seen. This I presently discovered, for, going as soon
as I was dressed to pay my attendance upon his honour, he asked me
"the meaning of what his servant had reported, that I was not the
same thing when I slept, as I appeared to be at other times; that
his vale assured him, some part of me was white, some yellow, at
least not so white, and some brown."
I had hitherto concealed the secret of my dress, in order to
distinguish myself, as much as possible, from that cursed race of
Yahoos; but now I found it in vain to do so any longer. Besides, I
considered that my clothes and shoes would soon wear out, which
already were in a declining condition, and must be supplied by some
contrivance from the hides of Yahoos, or other brutes; whereby the
whole secret would be known. I therefore told my master, "that in
the country whence I came, those of my kind always covered their
bodies with the hairs of certain animals prepared by art, as well
for decency as to avoid the inclemencies of air, both hot and cold;
of which, as to my own person, I would give him immediate
conviction, if he pleased to command me: only desiring his excuse,
if I did not expose those parts that nature taught us to conceal."
He said, "my discourse was all very strange, but especially the
last part; for he could not understand, why nature should teach us
to conceal what nature had given; that neither himself nor family
were ashamed of any parts of their bodies; but, however, I might do
as I pleased." Whereupon I first unbuttoned my coat, and pulled it
off. I did the same with my waistcoat. I drew off my shoes,
stockings, and breeches. I let my shirt down to my waist, and drew
up the bottom; fastening it like a girdle about my middle, to hide
my nakedness.
My master observed the whole performance with great signs of
curiosity and admiration. He took up all my clothes in his
pastern, one piece after another, and examined them diligently; he
then stroked my body very gently, and looked round me several
times; after which, he said, it was plain I must be a perfect
Yahoo; but that I differed very much from the rest of my species in
the softness, whiteness, and smoothness of my skin; my want of hair
in several parts of my body; the shape and shortness of my claws
behind and before; and my affectation of walking continually on my
two hinder feet. He desired to see no more; and gave me leave to
put on my clothes again, for I was shuddering with cold.
I expressed my uneasiness at his giving me so often the appellation
of Yahoo, an odious animal, for which I had so utter a hatred and
contempt: I begged he would forbear applying that word to me, and
make the same order in his family and among his friends whom he
suffered to see me. I requested likewise, "that the secret of my
having a false covering to my body, might be known to none but
himself, at least as long as my present clothing should last; for
as to what the sorrel nag, his valet, had observed, his honour
might command him to conceal it."
All this my master very graciously consented to; and thus the
secret was kept till my clothes began to wear out, which I was
forced to supply by several contrivances that shall hereafter be
mentioned. In the meantime, he desired "I would go on with my
utmost diligence to learn their language, because he was more
astonished at my capacity for speech and reason, than at the figure
of my body, whether it were covered or not;" adding, "that he
waited with some impatience to hear the wonders which I promised to
tell him."
Thenceforward he doubled the pains he had been at to instruct me:
he brought me into all company, and made them treat me with
civility; "because," as he told them, privately, "this would put me
into good humour, and make me more diverting."
Every day, when I waited on him, beside the trouble he was at in
teaching, he would ask me several questions concerning myself,
which I answered as well as I could, and by these means he had
already received some general ideas, though very imperfect. It
would be tedious to relate the several steps by which I advanced to
a more regular conversation; but the first account I gave of myself
in any order and length was to this purpose:
"That I came from a very far country, as I already had attempted to
tell him, with about fifty more of my own species; that we
travelled upon the seas in a great hollow vessel made of wood, and
larger than his honour's house. I described the ship to him in the
best terms I could, and explained, by the help of my handkerchief
displayed, how it was driven forward by the wind. That upon a
quarrel among us, I was set on shore on this coast, where I walked
forward, without knowing whither, till he delivered me from the
persecution of those execrable Yahoos." He asked me, "who made the
ship, and how it was possible that the Houyhnhnms of my country
would leave it to the management of brutes?" My answer was, "that
I durst proceed no further in my relation, unless he would give me
his word and honour that he would not be offended, and then I would
tell him the wonders I had so often promised." He agreed; and I
went on by assuring him, that the ship was made by creatures like
myself; who, in all the countries I had travelled, as well as in my
own, were the only governing rational animals; and that upon my
arrival hither, I was as much astonished to see the Houyhnhnms act
like rational beings, as he, or his friends, could be, in finding
some marks of reason in a creature he was pleased to call a Yahoo;
to which I owned my resemblance in every part, but could not
account for their degenerate and brutal nature. I said farther,
"that if good fortune ever restored me to my native country, to
relate my travels hither, as I resolved to do, everybody would
believe, that I said the thing that was not, that I invented the
story out of my own head; and (with all possible respect to
himself, his family, and friends, and under his promise of not
being offended) our countrymen would hardly think it probable that
a Houyhnhnm should be the presiding creature of a nation, and a
Yahoo the brute."
______
PART IV - A VOYAGE TO THE COUNTRY OF THE HOUYHNHNMS - CHAPTER III [Jonathan Swift's novel: Gulliver's Travels] _
Read next: PART IV - A VOYAGE TO THE COUNTRY OF THE HOUYHNHNMS: CHAPTER IV
Read previous: PART IV - A VOYAGE TO THE COUNTRY OF THE HOUYHNHNMS: CHAPTER II
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