no way to compare when less than two revisions

Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+====== TRAVELS OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN ======
+===== CHAPTER XXII =====
+//Preparations for the Baron's expedition into Africa--Description
+of his chariot; the beauties of its interior decorations; the
+animals that drew it, and the mechanism of the wheels.//
+Everything being concluded, and having received my instructions for
+the voyage, I was conducted by the illustrious Hilaro Frosticos, the
+Lady Fragrantia, and a prodigious crowd of nobility, and placed
+sitting upon the summit of the whale's bones at the palace; and having
+remained in this situation for three days and three nights, as a trial
+ordeal, and a specimen of my perseverance and resolution, the third
+hour after midnight they seated me in the chariot of Queen Mab. It was
+a prodigious dimension, large enough to contain more stowage than the
+tun of Heidelberg, and globular like a hazel-nut: in fact, it seemed
+to be really a hazel-nut grown to a most extravagant dimension, and
+that a great worm of proportionable enormity had bored a hole in the
+shell. Through this same entrance I was ushered. It was as large as a
+coach-door, and I took my seat in the centre, a kind of chair self-
+balanced without touching anything, like the fancied tomb of Mahomet.
+The whole interior surface of the nutshell appeared a luminous
+representation of all the stars of heaven, the fixed stars, the
+planets, and a comet. The stars were as large as those worn by our
+first nobility, and the comet, excessively brilliant, seemed as if you
+had assembled all the eyes of the beautiful girls in the kingdom, and
+combined them, like a peacock's plumage, into the form of a comet--
+that is, a globe, and a bearded tail to it, diminishing gradually to a
+point. This beautiful constellation seemed very sportive and
+delightful. It was much in the form of a tadpole! and, without
+ceasing, went, full of playful giddiness, up and down, all over the
+heaven on the concave surface of the nutshell. One time it would be at
+that part of the heavens under my feet, and in the next minute would
+be over my head. It was never at rest, but for ever going east, west,
+north, or south, and paid no more respect to the different worlds than
+if they were so many lanterns without reflectors. Some of them he
+would dash against and push out of their places; others he would burn
+up and consume to ashes: and others again he would split into
+fritters, and their fragments would instantly take a globular form,
+like spilled quicksilver, and become satellites to whatever other
+worlds they should happen to meet with in their career. In short, the
+whole seemed an epitome of the creation, past, present, and future;
+and all that passes among the stars during one thousand years was here
+generally performed in as many seconds.
+I surveyed all the beauties of the chariot with wonder and delight.
+"Certainly," cried I, "this is heaven in miniature!" In short, I took
+the reins in my hand. But before I proceed on my adventures, I shall
+mention the rest of my attendant furniture. The chariot was drawn by a
+team of nine bulls harnessed to it, three after three. In the first
+rank was a most tremendous bull named John Mowmowsky; the rest were
+called Jacks in general, but not dignified by any particular
+denomination. They were all shod for the journey, not indeed like
+horses, with iron, or as bullocks commonly are, to drag on a cart; but
+were shod with men's skulls. Each of their feet was, hoof and all,
+crammed into a man's head, cut off for the purpose, and fastened
+therein with a kind of cement or paste, so that the skull seemed to be
+a part of the foot and hoof of the animal. With these skull-shoes the
+creatures could perform astonishing journeys, and slide upon the
+water, or upon the ocean, with great velocity. The harnesses were
+fastened with golden buckles, and decked with studs in a superb style,
+and the creatures were ridden by nine postillions, crickets of a great
+size, as large as monkeys, who sat squat upon the heads of the bulls,
+and were continually chirping at a most infernal rate, loud in
+proportion to their bodies.
+The wheels of the chariot consisted of upwards of ten thousand
+springs, formed so as to give the greater impetuosity to the vehicle,
+and were more complex than a dozen clocks like that of Strasburgh. The
+external of the chariot was adorned with banners, and a superb festoon
+of laurel that formerly shaded me on horseback. And now, having given
+you a very concise description of my machine for travelling into
+Africa, which you must allow to be far superior to the apparatus of
+Monsieur Vaillant, I shall proceed to relate the exploits of my
+voyage.
+----
+Go to [[CHAPTER XXIII]]