Lilliput’s Enemies

Chapter-6

About two weeks later, the principal secretary of private affairs came to see me. His name was Reldresal. He had come with a secret message from the king. He had been sent to discuss with me the internal and the external problems of Lilliput. He asked, “Can I talk to you?”
“Yes,” I said, “I will lie down, so you can reach my ear.”
“No, that’s all right. I can sit on your hand.” So, I sat on the ground and Reldresal sat on my hand and we talked.
“I have come to ask for your help in order to fight our enemies,” said Reldresal.
“Who are your enemies?” I asked.
Thereupon, Reldresal said, “For the past seventy months, there have been two parties under the names of Tramecksan and Slamecksan. Those belonging to Tramecksan wear shoes with high heels and those belonging to Slamecksan wear shoes with low heels. This is how they are recognized. Both these parties are such bitter enemies that they neither sit and talk, nor eat and drink together. His Majesty is in favour of low heels and has given them all the high positions in the kingdom. Although the number of high heels is more yet the power is totally in the hands of low heels. Of late, it has been noticed that the prince, the heir to the crown, has developed some liking for high heels. The problem faced now is that one of his heels is higher than the other which makes him limp whenever he walks. This causes great worry to His Majesty.”
“Besides this, there is a threat from the Island of Blefuscu, the only other kingdom of the universe. It is as large and powerful as the empire of Lilliput. These two kingdoms have been at war with each other for the last thirty-six months. The beginning of this quarrel is a part of the history of the world. This started during the reign of the present king’s great-grandfather and the reason of the conflict was the method of breaking eggs.”
“A long time ago, everybody in Lilliput cut his boiled eggs at the big end and then put his spoon through the big end to eat the egg. But one day, our king’s grandfather, when he was a boy, cut his finger when he opened his egg at the big end. So his father, who was king then, issued a new law. Everybody had to open his eggs at the little end. We all had to be Little-Enders. The histories tell us that a large number of people rose in revolt against that law. There have been six rebellions on this issue since then. Due to these rebellions, one king lost his life and another crown. Many a Lilliputian was angry about that new law. They asserted that they would not obey. They still opened their eggs at the big end. For more than one hundred years, the kings of Lilliput punished every Big-Ender they caught. Many died and many ran away to Blefuscu. Now, there are many Big-Enders living. The king of Blefuscu is helping them to fight against us. We have lost forty big and many small ships. More than thirty thousand of our soldiers have been killed. Now, they have added some very big warships to their fleet and are getting ready to attack us. The king has asked me to tell you all this because he has great faith in your strength and bravery.”
“I am a foreigner,” I told Reldresal, “The fight has nothing to do with me. I should not help one side or the other.” But then, I remembered the king’s Rule Number 6. I told the secretary to assure His Majesty that I would do my best to help the empire of Lilliput against the enemy. Having received this assurance from me, Reldresal left as secretly as he had come.
The empire of Blefuscu was an island separated from the empire of Lilliput by a channel which was about eight hundred yards wide.
One day, I told His Majesty that I had a plan of seizing the whole of the enemy’s fleet. I talked to some experienced seamen and found that the channel was about six feet deep at some places; otherwise, it was about five-and-a-half feet deep. I walked to a hill near the coast. With the help of my telescope I saw about fifty enemy ships at anchor and many other ships for carrying soldiers.
I returned and asked for a large number of the strongest cables and bars of iron. The cables were so thin that I had to twist three of them together to make a strong cable. Similarly, I twisted three iron bars together to give them added strength. I attached strong hooks at the end of each bar. I made fifty such cables and hooks and went to the coast.
I took off my coat, shoes and socks. Leaving them behind on the shore, I entered the channel. I waded for about thirty yards till the sea became deeper. Then I had to swim. I reached near the enemy fleet in half an hour. The people in Blefuscu did not know about me. When the men on the ships saw me, they were very frightened. They jumped off their ships and swam back to the shore. I took the hooks and fastened one each to all the ships. I took the other ends of all the cables in my hand and started wading back. The enemy soldiers fired arrows at me; some of which struck in my face. I was afraid that my eyes would get damaged by the arrows. I immediately took out my spectacles and wore them. In that way, I saved my eyes.
When the enemy saw me taking their ships towards Lilliput, they screamed out of pain and grief. When I swam back and found myself out of danger, I stopped to pick out the arrows that had struck in my hands and face. I waded back and reached Lilliput safely. The king along with all the members of the court was there on the shore to welcome me. I cried in a loud voice, “Long live the mighty king of Lilliput.”
The king was extremely thrilled and delighted at my endeavour. He gave me the title of a Nardac, which was the highest honour in Lilliput.
The king was very happy when I brought the ships to him. But he wanted me to go back and bring all the other ships as well. He wanted me to help the kingdom of Lilliput in either destroying all the Big-Endian exilees living in Blefuscu or compelling them to break their eggs from the smaller ends. He also wanted to win Blefuscu and rule over it by appointing a viceroy there.
“I will not do this,” I told the king and his government. “They are free men and I will not help you to make them slaves,” I further added.
The matter was discussed in the council. My view was supported by many wise members. So, I was spared. But he king and some of his ministers did not accept my viewpoint. As a result, they hated me and became my secret enemies.

Three weeks later, a delegation of six ambassadors, along with about five hundred people, arrived from Blefuscu. They had come with the offers of peace from the king of Blefuscu. After discussions, both countries agreed. A peace-treaty was signed. Still, I saved the Blefuscudians from embarrassment by using my new-found position as a Nardac. The ambassadors were overwhelmed by my largeheartedness and felt gratified. They also came to know how I had refused to enslave them to the empire of Lilliput. Then, the men from Blefuscu came to see me. They praised my bravery as well as generosity and invited me to visit their king one day.
“I will come very soon,” I told them.
Next time, I had the honour to see the king. I requested him to give me permission to visit Blefuscu. The permission was granted, but in a very cold manner. I could not understand the reason behind that coldness.

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