"Glumdalclitch and Grildig," the king said one day, "we are going to a town near the south coast."
"That's wonderful," I replied.
"I'd like to see the sea again."
We reached the town a few days later.
The next morning Glumdalclitch said to me,
"I'm not feeling well.
One of the queen's servants will look after you today."
I asked the servant to take me to the sea.
He carried me in my traveling box to a cliff above the shore.
"I'll be back in half an hour,"
he said, and went to look for birds' eggs.
The day was warm and I fell asleep in my box, listening to the waves.
I woke up because my box was moving and I was being thrown around inside it.
I was very afraid.
I could feel the box rising high up into the air, but I could not understand why that was happening.
Soon the land and sea were far below me.
I could hear a noise over my head that sounded like the flapping of a bird's wings.
A large bird had picked up my box and was flying away with it!
Suddenly, the bird dropped the box.
With a loud splash, it hit the water.
Luckily, the windows were shut and kept the water out.
I was terrified because I could not get out of the box.
Then I heard a clanking noise.
My box now seemed to be moving through the waves.
In front of me I could see a ship.
Sailors from the ship had attached a heavy chain to my box.
The ship was towing my box!
"Help! Help!" I shouted loudly.
I had to make the sailors hear me.
I banged on the wall with my sword as I shouted.
"Who are you?" a voice called out.
"I'm Gulliver from England," I cried.
"Please lift the box onto your ship."
I heard laughter.
Someone said, "Even ten men could not lift that box.
He must be crazy!
Let's see who's inside."
A sailor cut a hole in the lid of my box.
"You saved my life!" I said when I climbed out. "Thank you!"
I was stunned to see that the sailors were my size.
They asked me many questions and looked at all the things in my box.
A tall man said to me, "Welcome to my ship, the Good Fortune.
I am the captain.
We are on our way home to England."
"Captain," I said, "I thought I would soon die and never see England or my family again."
"Why were you locked in that box?" he asked.
"Why was it in the sea?"
I told him the whole story—about my voyage on the Adventure and meeting the giants of Brobdingnag.
About Glumdalclitch and the farmer.
About living in the palace.
About my traveling box.
"And I fell asleep in my box on the cliff," I said, "and a huge bird grabbed it, then dropped it in the sea."
"Get some sleep now," the captain said.
I could tell he did not believe my story.
Later I told him more about Brobdingnag.
I showed him everything in my box, including the huge stingers from the bees I had killed.
When he saw them, he finally believed me.
"I have traveled far," he said, "but I have never seen a land of giants.
How strange and wonderful the world is!"
Months later, in June of 1706, the Good Fortune reached England.
My family was very happy to see me.
They were amazed when I described my adventures.
"You must promise me," said my wife, "that you will never go to sea again."
For now, my adventures had come to an end.