CHAPTER II.

The 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.