i have lived a thousand years chapter by chapter summary

Our voyage passed without any considerable accident. But he added, “that since I professed so inviolable an attachment to truth, I must give him my word and honour to bear him company in this voyage, without attempting any thing against my life or else he would continue me a prisoner till we arrived at Lisbon.” I gave him the promise he required but at the same time protested, “that I would suffer the greatest hardships, rather than return to live among _Yahoos_.” The captain, a wise man, after many endeavours to catch me tripping in some part of my story, at last began to have a better opinion of my veracity. I asked him, “whether it were the custom in his country to say the thing which was not?” I assured him, “I had almost forgot what he meant by falsehood, and if I had lived a thousand years in _Houyhnhnmland_, I should never have heard a lie from the meanest servant that I was altogether indifferent whether he believed me or not but, however, in return for his favours, I would give so much allowance to the corruption of his nature, as to answer any objection he would please to make, and then he might easily discover the truth.”

All which he looked upon as if it were a dream or a vision whereat I took great offence for I had quite forgot the faculty of lying, so peculiar to _Yahoos_, in all countries where they preside, and, consequently, their disposition of suspecting truth in others of their own species.

I gave him a very short relation of my voyage of the conspiracy against me by my own men of the country where they set me on shore, and of my five years residence there. After dinner, Don Pedro came to me, and desired to know my reason for so desperate an attempt assured me, “he only meant to do me all the service he was able ” and spoke so very movingly, that at last I descended to treat him like an animal which had some little portion of reason.

I have lived a thousand years chapter by chapter summary