That very night, I wrote a letter to the king of Lilliput.
I began by saying that I was, as always, his loyal servant.
I told him I was going to Blefuscu to visit the king.
"I want to make sure that the Blefuscans are not making plans to invade Lilliput," my letter continued.
Early the next morning, I gave my letter to one of the palace messengers.
Then I hurried down to the harbor.
I put all my things into the biggest ship there so they would stay dry.
I untied the ship, jumped into the water, and waded into the sea.
I pulled the ship behind me all the way to Blefuscu.
When I reached that island, I went to see the king.
"I have come to visit you, Your Majesty," I said.
"I am very happy to see you," the king replied.
"Please make yourself at home in Blefuscu.
You are very welcome here."
"Thank you," I said.
"I am looking forward to exploring your beautiful island."
The king turned to his chief adviser.
"The Enormous One is our guest of honor," he said.
"Tonight I would like to celebrate his visit.
Tell the kitchen workers to prepare a special dinner—a feast."
All the important people in Blefuscu came to the feast.
The food was wonderful.
I met the queen and other guests who were close to the royal family.
They had all forgiven me for taking the king's ships.
"Tell us about England," said one of the guests.
"Oh yes, do!" cried another.
Everyone made me feel welcome.
The king and I talked late into the night about many things.
He was a curious, intelligent man.
I did not tell him about the king of Lilliput's plan to punish me.
Finally the king said, "It is time to go to bed.
No building or bed in Blefuscu is big enough for you to sleep in.
I can offer you only a large blanket.
My workers made it today from many small ones."
That night, I slept outside on the ground.
It was hard and not as comfortable as my bed in Lilliput.
The blanket kept me warm, though.
"The king of Blefuscu is a kind man,"
I thought as I fell asleep.
Over the next few days, I explored Blefuscu's towns and met many people.
I tried not to think about the Lilliputians' decision to punish me.
But I couldn't get their cruel plan out of my mind.
A few days later, I said to the king,
"May I walk right around your island?"
"You certainly may," he replied.
"I like being near the sea, so I shall walk on the beach," I told him.
When I reached the far side of Blefuscu, I could see something in the water about a kilometer from shore.
It looked like an upside-down boat.
I took off my shoes and socks and left them on the sand.
Then I waded out to get a better look.
The object was in deep water.
I got close enough to see that it was a rowboat.
It was not tiny like a Lilliputian rowboat.
It was big enough to hold me.
Most English ships have a rowboat on their deck in case of an emergency.
Perhaps a storm had washed this one off a ship.
What a wonderful discovery!
I finally had hope.
With luck, I might escape and return home.