I began with telling them what an enemy I was to slavery: "And," says I to Nasgig, "as I am about to undertake what no man upon earth ever did before: to quit my country, my family, my every conveniency of life, for I know not what, I know not where, and from whence I may never return; I must be indulged, if I am ever so fortunate as to arrive safe in your country, in the satisfaction of seeing all these my fellow-travellers as happy as myself: for which reason I must insist upon every man present alighting with me in safety, being made free the moment we touch the ground; and unless you will engage your honour for this, I will not stir a step farther."
Nasgig paused for an answer, for though my bearers were his own lasks, and he could dispose of them at pleasure, yet as the rest were the king's, he knew not how far he might venture to promise for them; but being desirous to get me over the rock, fearing I might still retract my purpose, he engaged to procure their freedom of the king. And this, I thought, would make the men more zealous in my service.
I then permitting them to take me up, we were over the rock as quick as thought, and when I had a little experienced the flight, I perceived I had nothing to fear; for they were so dexterous on the graundee, that I received not the least shock all the way, or scarce a wry position, though every quarter of an inch at hand made a considerable deflection from the perpendicular. We shifted but twice till we came to Battringdrigg, the manner, of which I directed as I sat in my chair; for I ordered the new man to hover over him he was to relieve, and reaching down his hand to meet the others which were held up with a rope, the old bearer sunk beneath the chair, and the reliever took his course. This we did one by one, till all were changed; but there was one, a stout young fellow, at the first short rope on my right hand, who observing me to eye him more than the rest, in a bravado would not be relieved before we arrived at Battringdrigg arkoe; and I afterwards took him into my family.
As it was now somewhat advanced into the light season, I had hopes of a tolerable good prospect; but had it been quite light, I should have never been the better for it. I had been upon very high mountains in the inland parts of Africa, but was never too high to see what was below me before, though very much contracted; but here, in the highest of our flight, you could not distinguish the globe of the earth but by a sort of mist, for every way looked alike to me; then sometimes on a cue given, from an inexpressible height my bearers would dart as it were sloping like a shooting star, for an incredible distance, almost to the very surface of the sea, still keeping me as upright as a Spaniard on my seat. I asked them the reason of their so vast descent, when I perceived the labour they had afterwards to attain the same height again. They told me they not only eased their graundees by that descent, but could fly half as far again in a day, as by a direct (they meant horizontal) flight; for though it seemed laborious to mount so excessive high, yet they went on at the same time at a great rate; but when they came to descend again, there was no comparison in their speed. And, on my conscience, I believe they spoke true, for in their descents I think no arrow could have reached us.
In about sixteen hours, for I took my watch with me, we alighted on the height of Battringdrigg: when I thought I had returned to my own arkoe, it was so like it, but much larger. Here we rested for hours; I opened my chest, and gave each of my bearers a drop of brandy. Nasgig and I also just wetted our mouths, and ate a piece of preserve to moisten us; the rest of the lasks sitting down, and feeding upon what they had brought with them in their colapets; for their method is, when they take long flights, to carry a number of hard round fruits, flat like my cream-cheeses, but much less, which containing a sort of flour they eat dry; then drinking, which swells, and fills them as much as a good meal of anything else would. Here we met with abundance of delightful pools of water on the vast flat of the rocks. They told me, in that arkoe the young glumms and gawrys came in vast flights separately, to divert themselves on the fine lakes of water, and from thence went sometimes as far as my arkoe for that purpose; but that was but seldom.
When we had sufficiently rested, they shut their colapets, which sometimes hung down from their necks, and were sometimes swung round to their backs, and crossing the arkoe and another large sea, but nothing comparable to the first, arrived in about six hours more to the height of the White Mountains, which Nasgig told me were the confines of Georigetti's territories. But, thinks I, it may belong to whom it will for the value of it; for nothing could be more barren than all the top of it was; but the inside of it made amends for that, by the prodigious tall and large trees it abounded with, full of the strangest kinds of fruits I had ever seen; and these trees, most of them, seemed to grow out of the very stone itself, not a peck of dirt being to be collected near them. Without-side of these mountains, it was scarce darker than at my arkoe; for I made all the observation my time would allow me; when spying at a vast distance several lights, which were unusual things to me in that country, they told me the largest was the burning mountain Alkoe: this I remembered to have heard the name of upon some former occasion, though I could not recollect what; and that the rest were of the same sort, but smaller. I asked if they were in Georigetti's territories. They said no, they belonged to another king formerly, whose subjects were as fond of fire as Georigetti's were of avoiding it; and that many of them worked with it always before them, and made an insufferable noise by it.
At hearing the above relation, an impression struck my fancy, that they might be a sort of smiths or workers in iron, or other metals; and I wished myself with them, for I had a mighty notion of that work, having been frequently at a neighbouring forge when a boy, and knew all their tools, and resolved to get all the information I could of that country some other time; for our company drawing to their posts, and preparing to set forward again, I could have no more talk now; and you must know, I had observed so many idle rascals before I left England, who could neither strike a stroke nor stir a foot whilst you talked with them, that I feared if I asked questions by the way, they should in answering me neglect their duty, and let me drop.
When we came near our journey's end, Nasgig asked me where I would please to alight I told him I thought at my father's; for though I came on a visit to the king, it would not show respect to go before him just off a journey. But I might have spared me the trouble of settling that point; for we were not gone far from the Black Mountain, it going by that name within side, though it is called the White without, before we heard the gripsacks, and a sort of squeaking or screaming music, very loud. Nasgig told me the king was in flight. I asked him how he knew that, for I could see nobody. He knew it, he said, by the gripsack, and the other music, which never played but on that occasion; and presently after, I thought the whole kingdom were on the graundee, and was going to order my bearers back to the mountain, for fear of the concourse. Thinks I, they will jostle me down out of civility, and I shall break my neck to gratify their curiosity. So I told Nasgig if he did not somehow stop the multitude, I would turn back for the mountain, for I would never venture into that crowd of people.
Nasgig sprung away to the king and informed him; but the king, fearing the people should be disgusted at his sending them back, gave orders for the whole body to file off to the right and left, and taking a vast sweep each way, to fall in behind me; but upon no account to come near me, for fear of mischief. This was no sooner said than done, and all spreading into two vast semicircles, met in a train just behind my chair.
Nasgig had also persuaded the king to retreat back to the palace, telling him it was not with me as with them, who could help themselves in case of accident; but as I was under the guidance of others, and on a foundation he should scarce, in my condition, have ventured upon, he was sure I should be better satisfied with his intended respect only, than to receive it there: "But," says he, "that your majesty may see his contrivance, I will cause him to alight in the palace garden, where you may have the pleasure of viewing him in his machine."