Chapter 6.
The Author's Return to Maldonada.
He Sails to the Kingdom of Lugnak.
The day of our departure came.
I took leave of His Highness and returned with my two companions to Maldonada, where a ship was ready to sail for Lugnak.
On the 21st of April 1708, we sailed into the river of Klomegnik, which is a seaport town at the southeast point of the island of Lugnag.
The customs officer spoke to me in Balnabarian and I gave him a short account of my history, trying to make my story as believable as possible.
I said that I was Dutch, as my plan was to get to Japan and I knew the Dutch were the only foreigners allowed entry into that kingdom.
The officer said that I must be locked up until he could receive orders from the court, for which he would write immediately.
While I waited, I was taken to a small room with a guard placed at the door.
The note from the court arrived in two weeks and contained an order to bring me and my party to the capital city.
A messenger was sent a half a day's journey before us asking his majesty to determine the exact day and hour that I might have the honor to lick the dust before his footstool.
I soon found this to be more than just an expression.
Upon my arrival, I was told to crawl toward the king on my belly, licking the floor as I advanced.
Because I was a stranger, care was taken to have the floor clean so that the dust would not be offensive.
This mercy was usually allowed only to people of the highest rank.
For one who is considered a powerful enemy of the court.
The floor is often sprinkled with dust on purpose.
I have even seen a great lord with his mouth so full of dust that he was unable to speak by the time he reached the throne.
There was no solution to this problem either, as it is a capital offense for people to spit or wipe their mouths in His Majesty's presence.
I crept within four yards of the throne and raised myself gently to my knees before striking my forehead seven times against the ground and reciting the words of respect I had been taught.
They were later interpreted to me as...
May your celestial majesty outlive the sun, eleven moons and a half.
To this, the king answered, My tongue is in the mouth of my friend.
After this, I was able to call for an interpreter and through him speak with the king.
The king was delighted with my company and ordered that housing be found for me at the court.
I stayed three months in this country and found the Lugnagians to be a polite and generous people.
I met many people, always attended by my interpreter, and the conversations we had were not disagreeable.
One day I was asked whether or not I had seen any of their Strollbrugs or Immortals.
I said that I had not and asked what was meant by that term.
I was told that sometimes a child was born with a red circular spot on the forehead, directly over the left eyebrow.
This was taken as a sign that the child would never die.
Their births were rare and it was believed that there were less than 11000 Strollbrugs of both sexes in the whole kingdom, about 50 of whom lived in the city.
The births were unpredictable and purely matters of chance, as the children of the Strollbrugs themselves were usually mortal.
Upon hearing this, I was struck with a sense of incredible delight and cried out in joy.
What a happy nation where every child has at least the chance of being immortal.
Happy people whose minds were free, without the weight and depression of spirit caused by the constant fear of death.
I was surprised that I had not observed any of these amazing people at court.
It seemed impossible that a king should not provide himself with a number of such wise and able counselors, and I was determined to give that advice to his majesty.
I was also determined to ask for the king's permission to spend the rest of my life here in conversation with the superior Strollbrooks.
The gentleman to whom I addressed these comments smiled at me the sort of smile which usually arises from pity and asked me what plan I should follow if I had been born a Strollbrook.
I gave a long speech, answering that I could discover the difference between life and death.
I could figure out all the ways to make money and become the wealthiest man in the kingdom.
I would be better than all others in learning.
Lastly, I would become a living source of knowledge and wisdom and certainly become the chief advisor of the nation.
When I was done, the gentleman to whom I had been speaking said that he wished to correct me on a few mistakes I had made.
He then gave me an account of the Strollbrogs among them.
He said that they commonly acted like mortals until the age of thirty years old, after which they became melancholy and dejected.
When they reached the age of eighty, they suffered not only all the problems of old age, but many more that came from the dreadful idea of never dying.
Overall, they were depressed, vain, incapable of friendship, and dead to all natural affection.
As soon as the Strollbrugs reach the age of eighty, they are looked on as dead in the eyes of the law.
Their heirs are given their estates and a small amount is given to support them.
At 90, they usually lose their hair and teeth.
Being unable to distinguish any taste, they eat whatever they can get without desire or appetite.
They forget the names of things and persons, even those who are their nearest friends and relations.
The language of the country changes over the years, so the Strollbrugs of one age do not understand those of another.
Eventually, they are unable to speak with any of their neighbors and live in their own country as foreigners.
The Strollbrugs are hated by all sorts of people.
I later saw five or six of different ages, the youngest not older than 200 years, and they are the most horrifying sight I have ever seen.
Besides the usual problems with extreme old age, they have an additional foulness that cannot be described.
My desire for never-ending life was greatly lessened.
I became ashamed of the pleasing visions I had formed and thought that no tyrant could invent a means of death.
I would not prefer over such a life.
The king heard of all that had passed and spoke to me quite pleasantly about it.
He wished that he could send a couple of Strollbrugs to my own country to arm our people against the fear of death, but it was forbidden by the laws of their country.
I could not help but agree with these laws, and, in fact, all of the laws of that kingdom.
I even agreed with the feeling of the people about the treatment of the Strollbrugs.
On the 16th of May, 1709, I took solemn leave of His Majesty and all my friends.
In 15 days we had completed the voyage to Japan and landed at a small port town on the southeast part of the main island.
At landing, I showed the customs house officer a letter of recommendation from the king.
I continued on to the port of Nankatsu and, on the ninth day of June 1709, fell into the company of some Dutch sailors aboard the ship named the Amboina, headed to Amsterdam.
Nothing happened worth mentioning on this voyage.
We sailed with a fair wind to the Cape of Good Hope, where we stayed only to take in fresh water.
On the sixth day of April, we arrived safely at Amsterdam, having lost only three men to sickness.
From Amsterdam, I soon set sail for England.
We landed on the 10th of April 1710 and I saw once more my native country after an absence of five years and six months.
I made my way home right away and arrived at two o'clock in the afternoon to find my wife and family in good health.
