CHAPTER XVIII

A SECOND TRIP TO THE MOON.

_A second visit (but an accidental one) to the moon--The ship driven by
a whirlwind a thousand leagues above the surface of the water, where a
new atmosphere meets them and carries them into a capacious harbour in
the moon--A description of the inhabitants, and their manner of coming
into the lunarian world--Animals, customs, weapons of war, wine,
vegetables, &c._

I have already informed you of one trip I made to the moon, in search
of my silver hatchet; I afterwards made another in a much pleasanter
manner, and stayed in it long enough to take notice of several things,
which I will endeavour to describe as accurately as my memory will
permit.

I went on a voyage of discovery at the request of a distant relation,
who had a strange notion that there were people to be found equal in
magnitude to those described by Gulliver in the empire of BROBDIGNAG.
For my part I always treated that account as fabulous: however, to
oblige him, for he had made me his heir, I undertook it, and sailed
for the South seas, where we arrived without meeting with anything
remarkable, except some flying men and women who were playing at
leap-frog, and dancing minuets in the air.

On the eighteenth day after we had passed the Island of Otaheite,
mentioned by Captain Cook as the place from whence they brought Omai, a
hurricane blew our ship at least one thousand leagues above the surface
of the water, and kept it at the height till a fresh gale arising filled