As soon as the Monarch saw us, What's the Matter, said he, my dear Friends? have you not receiv'd the Money I order'd for you, or do you want any more? What is it you stand in need of, I conjure you to tell me freely. We want nothing, Sir, said I, but the Continuance of your Favour; for we have just heard something which very much afflicts us, and we must lie inconsolably at your Feet 'till your Majesty has procur'd us Satisfaction. We are slander'd with having form'd a Design to reduce this Royal Canton to Ashes. If we are guilty, we deserve to be punish'd, if not, the Calumny is so heinous, that we hope from your Clemency, the Inventor of it will have exemplary Chastisement. Tush, said the King, I heard this several Days ago, but I gave so little Heed to it that I did not think it worth while to mention it to you. However, to satisfy you, I'll go straight and order Informations to be taken about it with all Speed. And indeed they who had the Commission, discharg'd it with such Diligence, that by tracing the Matter from one to another, the Person that first invented the Lye was found out in an Hour's time, who prov'd to be one of the King's Equerries, an honest sober Man of exemplary Modesty.
The King at our Sollicitation was pleas'd to send for him in our Presence, and having ask'd him what Motive he had to give out a Rumor so prejudicial to our Reputation, he made this Defence. I had been a little indispos'd for some Days, said he, when the Court Physician whom I consulted, prescrib'd a Purge to me which operated 36 Hours after I had taken it. Being obliged during this to rise in the Night, I heard a great Noise in the Canal facing my Chamber, at the Entrance of the neighbouring Canton. My Curiosity to know what it was, made me look out at the Window, and it being not very dark, I saw a Man in the Canal who got Ashore over-against the Queen's Pavilion, shook his Clothes, and ran towards the Temple-Bridge. Upon this I open'd my Door softly, ran after him as hard as I could, and having watch'd him towards the Senate-House, I saw him rap at a Window, and on its being open'd, he got thro' it into the House. I knew it was the Apartment of these Gentlemen by their Stature, and a certain Air which I know is peculiar to them. A little after this, Lidola's Apartment was in a Flame. Now, Sir, said he, I ask whether putting all these Circumstances together, my Conjectures were so ill founded, and if wiser Men than I might not have been as much mistaken? I own, said the King, there was a Probability, but something more was requisite in order to ground an Accusation. But before I determine any thing on the Point, what say you to all this? said the King to La Foret. Nothing, Sir, reply'd my Comrade, every Tittle that the Gentleman has told you, is true, only the Inference he draws from it is false, so that I have nothing to reproach him with but Want of Charity. My Companion, continued he, is an Astronomer, of which, Sir, you are not ignorant: He has been teaching me for some time past to find out the principal Stars, and my Desire to perfect myself in that Science, makes me often rise in the Night to see if the Sky is clear, and then I am us'd to take a Tour in one of the four Cantons, because the Buildings being lower there than in this, I have a better View of the Stars. That very Night I went Abroad for the very same Purpose, and having cast my Eyes on Sirius and Procion, and observing their Situation and Distance as I walk'd along, I had the Misfortune to fall into the Canal before I was aware of it. Being stun'd as it were with such an unexpected Fall, I made a little Pause to look about me, and fell a swimming without knowing where I should land, 'till at last I got Ashore where this honest Gentleman saw me, and from whence I made all the Haste I could directly to my Chamber into which I enter'd thro' the Window, not only for fear of awaking our People, but of being seen in a Pickle which would no doubt have rais'd their Laughter. You see, Sir, that we agree perfectly in our Depositions, but that Mr. Equerry is quite mistaken in the Cause of my being sous'd in the Water; I hope however that after this, he will be fully convinc'd of my Innocence. I am sorry that this Misfortune occasion'd such an ill Opinion of me. My own Destiny is properly speaking, the Cause of it; therefore I owe you no Grudge for it. I am oblig'd to you, reply'd the Equerry, and beg Pardon for the Injury I have done you, for which I am really sorry. I see plainly that I was too rash upon this Occasion; but it will teach me to be more cautious another time. Are you both satisfy'd, said the King. Yes, Sir, reply'd they. Very well, said the King again, shake Hands, and let it be never mention'd more. Thereupon we again took our Leaves, and render'd as well pleas'd as a Couple of Kings. La Foret with his Presence of Mind, and I with the Civilities of our Prince, and because we had so happily escap'd a Scouring.
We set out next Day without taking any thing but our Gowns, and some Trifles which we thought absolutely necessary. We did not want Money, we were known, and the People of the Country are very hospitable, so that we were in no danger of faring ill. The King having recollected that he did not ask us what Conveniency we intended to make use of for our travelling, sent a Domestic after us to conjure us to take the best that he had, and to tell us, that if we did not, he should resent it. We had travell'd about half a League when the Messenger overtook us; he would fain have had us gone back with him, or to have told him how we intended to be carry'd, whether in a Chariot or a Gondola which he would accommodate us with on the Spot, adding, it was the King's Pleasure. We thank'd the Messenger for his Civility, and pray'd him to tell his Majesty, that we were confounded to find him so very obliging, that we should gladly embrace his kind Offer, but that we chose to walk from one Village to another after we had staid long enough to make an Acquaintance with the Judge or the Priest. This Answer did not satisfy our Man who left us with some Uneasiness, for fear perhaps that the King should think he had not duly discharg'd his Commission.
By the way now, let any one judge from this little Incident, whether we had any Reason to complain of our Fortune, and whether we were not compleatly happy, setting aside that unlucky Affair of my Comrade. It was not only at Court that particular Respect was paid us, but every where upon the Road the People throng'd to do us Honour, so that one would have swore an express Order had come from Court to receive us like the chief Men of the Kingdom.
We had been gone about 17 Days when we were surpriz'd to meet two Domestics of our Judge and our Priest with a Canoe laden with Spades, Mattocks, Pick-Axes, Hatchets, Bows, Habits, and necessary Provisions to make a trading Voyage for Copper. They told us, that their Masters wish'd we would be so good as to make them another Clock bigger than the former with a Bell in Proportion, which they intended to present to their Governor, in order to gain his Consent that each of their Sons might have one of his Daughters, who as they describ'd them, were perfect Beauties. And as a pretty deal of Copper would be wanting for the Purpose, they said their Masters were sending them to the Mines with Goods to truck for that Metal; and indeed they had a very good Stock of Provisions on Board, and a Permission to stay out as long as they thought fit. My Comrade presently gave me to understand, that this News chagrin'd him not a little. What, said he, I came from a Place to avoid continual Labour, and they are cutting out Work for me in another Place where I am come for Rest; but I'll see the whole Nation at the Devil before I'll file a Stroke more for any of them, tho' I should not be against it if there was any thing to be got by it worth our carrying Home whenever a Conveniency offers, but all our Reward is only a Piece of Metal which will yield but 15 d. a Pound in Europe. Let us be gone, continued he, as soon as possible, for I had rather hazard 100 Lives if I had them to go back the Way we came, into our own Country, than stay here any longer.
You don't consider, La Foret, said I, nor have you well examin'd the Obstacles that we shall have to surmount. We had great Advantages when we came, which we have not now. We were then three in Number all provided with Fire-Arms, and press'd by Necessity; but now the Case is quite otherwise. Be rul'd by me, my Friend, let us stay where we are, we shall be still more and more belov'd by amusing ourselves in Clock-making, part of our Time, and one cannot be always idle. Wherever we are we can have but Food and Raiment, and here we have as much again as we want. Let us not imitate our Countrymen who are so fickle that they are always shifting from one Place to another. Before we have travell'd much farther we shall repent of our Folly. Finally, I expatiated upon the Difficulties which hinder'd our Return, but it was all in vain, and he told me in plain Terms, that he would go alone if I was obstinately bent not to go with him. Very well then, said I, since you are inexorable, and as on the other hand, I am resolv'd not to part with you; 'tis necessary we should take the Opportunity of this Boat, and try So escape with it thro' that frightful Cavern as they still call the Place where, as I said before, their first King pretended that the Earth brought him forth.
While we were forming this Design, our two Peasants were impatient to see the End of our Dialogue. I told them that we had been divided in our Opinions what Course it were best for us to take, whether to return to the Village, or to go along with them to the Copper-Mines where we had never been yet, and that we had determin'd to keep them Company. They express'd great Joy at it, and in order to add to it, we resolv'd to go to the next Canton, and buy some Flagons of the best Liquors they had. We also took some more Provision with us, but persuaded them at the same time to turn towards the River, on pretence that as we had seen it but in one Place, we had a Curiosity to survey the Shores of it from one End to the other, and we assur'd them also, that we would assist them alternately to row, and would furnish them with all Necessaries if our Voyage was retarded some Days by the Current of the Water, which however was not very rapid in that Place. The poor Fellows consented to every thing we propos'd, the only Difficulty being that as they were both of them Natives of a Canton not many Miles of, they made Account to go thither and see their Relations. I presently gave them to understand that far from hindering their Design we would forward it. Go, said I to them, this instant, and spend two or three Days with your Friends while we march so slowly on that when you turn towards the Current, you will soon overtake us. They were in Raptures at my Complaisance, and I was as much rejoyc'd that I was not forc'd to the Trouble of contriving to get rid of 'em in any other Manner.
CHAP. XII.
The Author leaves this fine Country; the Ways he contriv'd to get out of it. He meets again on the Sea-Side with some of the Ship's Company with whom he had formerly been cast away upon the Coast, &c.