Читать книгу The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen / Приключения барона Мюнхгаузена. Уровень 1 - Рудольф Эрих Распе, Готфрид Бюргер, Готфрид Август Бюргер - Страница 24

I was once in great danger in the Mediterranean. I was bathing in that pleasant sea near Marseilles one summer’s afternoon, when I discovered a very large fish, with huge jaws. It was approaching me with the greatest velocity. There was no time to lose. I could not avoid it. I immediately reduced myself to as small a size as possible: I closed my feet and placed my hands also near my sides. In that position I passed directly between its jaws, and into its stomach. I remained some time in total darkness, and comfortably warm, as you may imagine. I thought: it is necessary to give the fish some pain. And the fish will be glad to get rid of me[26]. I had plenty of room, I played my pranks: tumbling, hop, step, and jump. Nothing disturbed the fish so much as the quick motion of my feet. I was attempting to dance a hornpipe. At last, the fish roared horridly, and stood up almost perpendicularly in the water. The fish exposed its head and shoulders. At that time, an Italian ship was passing by. The people on board saw the big fish. The sailor harpooned it in a few minutes. And it was brought on board.

The crew was consulting how to cut the fish up. They wanted to preserve the greatest quantity of oil. As I understood Italian, I was in most dreadful position. Their weapons could destroy me also! I stood as near the centre as possible, for there was room enough for a dozen men in this creature’s stomach. However, my fears were soon dispersed: the sailor began to open the bottom of the belly. As soon as I perceived a glimmering of light I called out lustily. I almost suffocated. The sailors were very astonished, when they heard a human voice from a fish. They were even more astonished, when a naked man walked upright out of its body. In short, gentlemen, I told them the whole story, and they were dumb with amazement.

Then I jumped into the sea to cleanse myself, I swam to my clothes, which lay on the shore. I was near four hours and a half confined in the stomach of this animal.