Читать книгу The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen - Rudolf Raspe - Страница 2

(THE BARON IS SUPPOSED TO RELATE THESE ADVENTURES TO HIS FRIENDS OVER A

BOTTLE.)

The Baron relates an account of his first travels – The astonishing

effects of a storm – Arrives at Ceylon; combats and conquers two

extraordinary opponents – Returns to Holland._

Some years before my beard announced approaching manhood, or, in other

words, when I was neither man nor boy, but between both, I expressed in

repeated conversations a strong desire of seeing the world, from which

I was discouraged by my parents, though my father had been no

inconsiderable traveller himself, as will appear before I have reached

the end of my singular, and, I may add, interesting adventures. A

cousin, by my mother’s side, took a liking to me, often said I was

fine forward youth, and was much inclined to gratify my curiosity.

His eloquence had more effect than mine, for my father consented to my

accompanying him in a voyage to the island of Ceylon, where his uncle

had resided as governor many years.

We sailed from Amsterdam with despatches from their High Mightinesses

the States of Holland. The only circumstance which happened on our

voyage worth relating was the wonderful effects of a storm, which

had torn up by the roots a great number of trees of enormous bulk and

height, in an island where we lay at anchor to take in wood and water;

some of these trees weighed many tons, yet they were carried by the wind

so amazingly high, that they appeared like the feathers of small birds

floating in the air, for they were at least five miles above the earth:

however, as soon as the storm subsided they all fell perpendicularly

into their respective places, and took root again, except the largest,

which happened, when it was blown into the air, to have a man and his

wife, a very honest old couple, upon its branches, gathering cucumbers

(in this part of the globe that useful vegetable grows upon trees): the

weight of this couple, as the tree descended, over-balanced the trunk,

and brought it down in a horizontal position: it fell upon the chief man

of the island, and killed him on the spot; he had quitted his house

in the storm, under an apprehension of its falling upon him, and was

returning through his own garden when this fortunate accident happened.

The word fortunate, here, requires some explanation. This chief was a

man of a very avaricious and oppressive disposition, and though he had

no family, the natives of the island were half-starved by his oppressive

and infamous impositions.

The very goods which he had thus taken from them were spoiling in his

stores, while the poor wretches from whom they were plundered were

pining in poverty. Though the destruction of this tyrant was accidental,

the people chose the cucumber-gatherers for their governors, as a mark

of their gratitude for destroying, though accidentally, their late

tyrant.

After we had repaired the damages we sustained in this remarkable storm,

and taken leave of the new governor and his lady, we sailed with a fair

wind for the object of our voyage.

In about six weeks we arrived at Ceylon, where we were received with

great marks of friendship and true politeness. The following singular

adventures may not prove unentertaining.

After we had resided at Ceylon about a fortnight I accompanied one of

the governor’s brothers upon a shooting party. He was a strong, athletic

man, and being used to that climate (for he had resided there some

years), he bore the violent heat of the sun much better than I could; in

our excursion he had made a considerable progress through a thick wood

when I was only at the entrance.

Near the banks of a large piece of water, which had engaged my

attention, I thought I heard a rustling noise behind; on turning about

I was almost petrified (as who would not be?) at the sight of a lion,

which was evidently approaching with the intention of satisfying his

appetite with my poor carcase, and that without asking my consent. What

was to be done in this horrible dilemma? I had not even a moment for

reflection; my piece was only charged with swan-shot, and I had no other

about me: however, though I could have no idea of killing such an animal

with that weak kind of ammunition, yet I had some hopes of frightening

him by the report, and perhaps of wounding him also. I immediately let

fly, without waiting till he was within reach, and the report did but

enrage him, for he now quickened his pace, and seemed to approach me

full speed: I attempted to escape, but that only added (if an addition

could be made) to my distress; for the moment I turned about I found a

large crocodile, with his mouth extended almost ready to receive me. On

my right hand was the piece of water before mentioned, and on my left a

deep precipice, said to have, as I have since learned, a receptacle at

the bottom for venomous creatures; in short I gave myself up as lost,

for the lion was now upon his hind-legs, just in the act of seizing

me; I fell involuntarily to the ground with fear, and, as it afterwards

appeared, he sprang over me. I lay some time in a situation which no

language can describe, expecting to feel his teeth or talons in some

part of me every moment: after waiting in this prostrate situation a few

seconds I heard a violent but unusual noise, different from any sound

that had ever before assailed my ears; nor is it at all to be wondered

at, when I inform you from whence it proceeded: after listening for

some time, I ventured to raise my head and look round, when, to my

unspeakable joy, I perceived the lion had, by the eagerness with which

he sprung at me, jumped forward, as I fell, into the crocodile’s mouth!

which, as before observed, was wide open; the head of the one stuck

in the throat of the other! and they were struggling to extricate

themselves! I fortunately recollected my _couteau de chasse_, which was

by my side; with this instrument I severed the lion’s head at one

blow, and the body fell at my feet! I then, with the butt-end of my

fowling-piece, rammed the head farther into the throat of the crocodile,

and destroyed him by suffocation, for he could neither gorge nor eject

it.

Soon after I had thus gained a complete victory over my two powerful

adversaries, my companion arrived in search of me; for finding I did not

follow him into the wood, he returned, apprehending I had lost my way,

or met with some accident.

After mutual congratulations, we measured the crocodile, which was just

forty feet in length.

As soon as we had related this extraordinary adventure to the governor,

he sent a waggon and servants, who brought home the two carcases. The

lion’s skin was properly preserved, with its hair on, after which it

was made into tobacco-pouches, and presented by me, upon our return to

Holland, to the burgomasters, who, in return, requested my acceptance of

a thousand ducats.

The skin of the crocodile was stuffed in the usual manner, and makes a

capital article in their public museum at Amsterdam, where the exhibitor

relates the whole story to each spectator, with such additions as he

thinks proper. Some of his variations are rather extravagant; one of

them is, that the lion jumped quite through the crocodile, and was

making his escape at the back door, when, as soon as his head appeared,

Monsieur the Great Baron (as he is pleased to call me) cut it off,

and three feet of the crocodile’s tail along with it; nay, so little

attention has this fellow to the truth, that he sometimes adds, as soon

as the crocodile missed his tail, he turned about, snatched the _couteau

de chasse_ out of Monsieur’s hand, and swallowed it with such eagerness

that it pierced his heart and killed him immediately!

The little regard which this impudent knave has to veracity makes me

sometimes apprehensive that my _real facts_ may fall under suspicion, by

being found in company with his confounded inventions.