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Gulliver's Travels (Graded Reader), Chapter Six. In the Land of the Houyhnhmns

Chapter Six. In the Land of the Houyhnhmns

Pirates attack me. I meet some Yahoos.

I live with the Houyhnhmns. I return to England.

My journey to the South Seas as captain wasn't very good. Some of my men died on the way to the West Indies. I stopped at Barbados and the Leeward Islands. We needed some more men. I made a bad choice: some of the new men were pirates. There were fifty men on my ship. The pirates talked to my men. ‘We can take the ship and kill the captain,' they said.

‘We can make a lot of money for ourselves,' my men thought.

‘I don't want to kill the captain,' one man said. ‘He's not a bad man. But I agree, let's take the ship.'

One morning, twenty of the men came into my room with guns. Now, I wasn't the captain, I was a prisoner on my ship. They gave me food and drink, but I had to stay in my room. I stayed in my room for weeks and weeks. The pirates took the ship past Madagascar.

One day, the pirates put me into a boat. They took me to the shore and left me. Where was I? I had no idea. I sat on the beach. I had some money and some gold in my pockets, but no food or water. I tried to think. ‘I must find some people,' I decided.

I got up and walked away from the shore. After a while, I saw a line of trees. Through the trees, I could see some animals. They were very ugly indeed. They were very hairy and some of them had long beards. They could walk on two legs, but they were like monkeys. Some had yellow hair, others had red hair and others had black hair. They were almost human, but I didn't like them at all. I hated them as soon as I saw them. I didn't know why.

Then, the animals saw me. One of them came up to me. I was scared, so I took out my sword. The animal shouted and about forty others ran to help him. They threw things at me. Suddenly, the animals all ran away. I turned round to see why. There was a grey horse walking into the field. The animals were afraid of the horse. The horse was a little surprised when he saw me. He looked at me and walked around me. We looked at each other for a while. I put my hand on his neck. The horse didn't like this: he pushed my hand away with his leg. He made a strange noise and a brown horse appeared. The two horses both made noises.

‘They're speaking to each other!' I thought.

The two horses looked at me again. They looked at my coat and hat. In their language, they said a word – Yahoo. They repeated this word three or four times. I was a little scared, but communication is important.

‘Yahoo!' I said back to the horses.

They were surprised.

‘Houyhnhmn,' said the brown horse.

‘Houyhnhmn!' I repeated.

The horses talked together for a while. Then the brown horse left. The grey horse pointed at the road with his hoof.

‘He wants me to go with him,' I thought.

I walked onto the road and the horse followed me.

We walked for about three miles. Then we arrived at a big building.

‘Good,' I thought, ‘I'll meet the horse's owner.'

I was wrong. Inside, there were other horses, one was very young and one was its mother. ‘Yahoo,' said the mother, when she saw me. I was confused.

The grey horse understood. He took me outside. There, in a field, was an animal. He pointed at the animal with his hoof and said, ‘Yahoo!'

The Yahoo was just like the animals on the road.

‘This horse thinks I'm a Yahoo!' I thought. ‘I'm quite similar to one, except they are very dirty. They have no clothes. They are very hairy. I have nice clothes and I am clean, but I look a little like a Yahoo. I have feet like a Yahoo, except I'm wearing shoes.'

The grey horse looked at me and looked at the Yahoo. He seemed pleased and said something to another horse. That horse brought me some food. It was disgusting. I couldn't eat it, so the horse threw it to the Yahoo. The Yahoo ate it greedily.

The horses were kind. They wanted to give me food, so they brought me some of their food. It was too dry. Luckily, they brought some milk and I was happy.

That night, I slept well. I didn't sleep in the field with the Yahoos and I didn't sleep in the building with the horses. I slept between the two.

The grey horse was my owner. He wanted to teach me his language. He wanted to understand more about me. Every day, the grey horse and a little brown horse gave me lessons. I wrote words down to help me remember them. The horses didn't understand. They had no books and they couldn't write. After about ten weeks, they were surprised, but I could understand their language. The word ‘Houyhnhmn', in their language, means ‘horse' and it also means ‘perfect'.

One day, my owner asked me some questions. ‘Where do you come from?' he asked.

‘Another country, across the sea.'

‘No, you're wrong,' said the horse. ‘There are no countries across the sea.'

He asked more questions. ‘Do you have Yahoos in your country?'

‘Yes,' I answered, ‘they're the rulers of our country. They're called people. They're different from your Yahoos because they're clean, they wear clothes and they can write.'

‘Hmm. And do you have Houyhnhmns in your country?'

‘Yes. They're called horses. They work in the fields. People look after them. Sometimes people sit on their backs.'

The grey horse was angry.

‘It's different here,' I said. ‘Here the Yahoos work in the fields. There, horses work in the fields.'

I talked to the grey horse every day. He began to understand about my country. But he didn't understand the concept of war. ‘Why do you have wars?' he asked.

‘For a lot of different reasons,' I answered.

‘How do you fight? Yahoos aren't strong.'

‘We have guns and swords.'

‘This is terrible,' he said. ‘Europeans are more vicious than Yahoos.' The horse was also sad when I told him about our strict laws, because they don't need laws in the land of the Houyhnhmns. He didn't like our money system – there are no rich people and no poor people there. He was shocked when I talked to him about the diseases we have in Europe.

I learned a lot about Houyhnhmn culture. I was happy and healthy living there. They're very peaceful. Houyhnhmns like to be friendly and kind. They have no negative words in their language (except for Yahoo). Education is very important to them. They teach their children to be clean and to work hard. Physical activity is very important to them. They must be strong and fast. Young Houyhnhmns run up and down hills. Every three months, there's a competition of running and jumping.

Houyhnhmns don't write, but they like poetry. They know a little about astronomy. They're never ill. For small accidents, they have very good natural medicines.

The government of their country is very important. Every four years there's a Great Council. The senior Houyhnhmns all go to the Council. It lasts for six days. There, they make important decisions about food, Yahoos and family.

I stayed in the land of the Houyhnhmns for a long time. One year, there was a Great Council. My owner was the Member of the Council for our area. He told me all about it when he came back. ‘We had one important debate about the Yahoos. Some Houyhnhmns want to kill the Yahoos.'

‘Why?' I asked. ‘Houyhnhmns are peaceful. You don't kill animals.'

‘No, but they're noisy, dirty and dangerous. You're different from all the other Yahoos. You're intelligent. You've your own language and you also speak ours. You're clean.'

‘Thank you,' I said.

The grey horse didn't tell me everything about the Council. Later I understood more.

I was happy. I loved my life with the Houyhnhmns. I began to walk a little like them. I spoke only their language. I had a small house. I made a bed, table and chairs for myself. I made clothes for myself. My food was very simple and very good. I made bread and I found honey in the forest. I had no problems. Here, there were no criminals, no politicians, no stupid people, except Yahoos. Sometimes I went to dinner with the Houyhnhmns. We talked about love, nature, traditions and poetry. Sometimes I thought about England, my family and the people I knew in Europe. ‘Yahoos,' I thought. ‘They're all Yahoos.'

One morning, the grey horse came to see me. He was sad. ‘You must leave us,' he said. ‘You must return to your country and leave the land of the Houyhnhmns.'

‘No!' I cried, ‘I am so happy here!'

‘You must go. I didn't tell you everything about the Great Council. Members of the Council are very angry, because you live with me. You live like a Houyhnhmn. You don't live with the Yahoos. They're afraid of you.'

‘Where can I go?' I said, sadly.

‘You can't swim back to your own country. Can you build a boat?'

‘Yes,' I answered, ‘I can build a boat. But I need time.'

‘I understand. I'll tell the Members of the Council that you need two months.'

He was sorry. I was more than sorry.

I made a boat from a tree. The little brown horse helped me. We made a sail. We made paddles. We prepared food and water for my journey. Finally, the day arrived. I had to leave the Houyhnhmns and my wonderful life. The family all came to the shore to say goodbye. Many other Houyhnhmns also came.

‘Goodbye,' I said in tears. ‘Thank you. I'll never forget you.'

I kissed the grey horse's hoof.

‘Goodbye,' said the grey horse.

‘Take care, good Yahoo!' said the little brown horse.

I pushed my boat into the water and left the land of the Houyhnhmns.

My desperate journey started early in the morning. The horses stayed on the shore. Sometimes I heard the little brown horse, ‘Take care, good Yahoo!'

Finally, I couldn't see them anymore.

I wanted to find a small, deserted island. I was in the South Seas, there were many islands there. I didn't want to return to England. I stopped at one island, but the people fired arrows at me. One day, I saw a ship. I was afraid because I didn't want to meet any Europeans. I sailed to a small island. I put the boat behind a rock and waited. I was unlucky. The ship sent a small boat to the island to get water.

They found me and my boat. The sailors were from Portugal. They saw I was European and they asked me lots of questions. ‘Where are you from?'

‘England. I'm a Yahoo from England.'

They didn't understand the word Yahoo. ‘Why are you here?' they said.

I told them my story. The sailors were very kind. ‘Come back to the ship,' they said. ‘Our captain will take you to Europe.'

‘No! No!' I cried.

‘He's mad, poor man,' said one of the sailors.

They took me to the ship.

The captain of the ship was Pedro de Mendez. He was a very gentle man. He listened to my story. I was afraid of the sailors – they were dirty Yahoos. He was quite clean. The journey to Lisbon was very comfortable. Pedro de Mendez was very patient with me. He helped me a lot. He took me to meet his wife and children in Lisbon, but he repeated one thing, ‘You must go back to England. You must go back to your wife and family.'

In December 1715, I finally arrived back in England. My wife and family were very happy to see me after so many years. At first, it was very difficult for me. ‘They're Yahoos,' I thought. ‘Dirty, horrible Yahoos.'

Today, my relationship with my wife and children is much better, but I still have problems with some Yahoos here. I bought two horses as soon as I got back. I speak to them for about four hours every day. They understand me quite well. They live in a nice building near mine. They're clean and beautiful. They're kind to me and friendly to each other. I love Houyhnhmns.

Chapter Six. In the Land of the Houyhnhmns Sechstes Kapitel. Im Land der Houyhnhmns Capítulo seis. En la Tierra de los Houyhnhmns Chapitre six. Au pays des Houyhnhmns Capitolo 6. Nella terra degli Houyhnhnmn 第六章ホウイフン族の国で 제6장. 후인족의 땅에서 Rozdział szósty. W krainie Houyhnhnów Capítulo Seis. No país dos Houyhnhmns Глава 6. В стране хоуинхмнов Altıncı Bölüm. Houyhnhmns Ülkesinde Розділ шостий. У країні хойхмнів 第六章。在慧骃之地 第六章在霍伊汉姆人的土地上

Pirates attack me. I meet some Yahoos.

I live with the Houyhnhmns. Ich wohne bei den Houyhnhmns. I return to England.

My journey to the South Seas as captain wasn't very good. Meine Reise in die Südsee als Kapitän war nicht sehr gut. A minha viagem aos mares do sul como capitão não foi muito boa. Some of my men died on the way to the West Indies. Einige meiner Männer starben auf dem Weg zu den Westindischen Inseln. Alguns dos meus homens morreram no caminho para as Índias Ocidentais. I stopped at Barbados and the Leeward Islands. Ich habe auf Barbados und den Leeward-Inseln Halt gemacht. We needed some more men. Wir brauchten ein paar mehr Männer. I made a bad choice: some of the new men were pirates. Ich habe eine schlechte Wahl getroffen: Einige der neuen Männer waren Piraten. There were fifty men on my ship. Auf meinem Schiff befanden sich fünfzig Männer. Havia cinquenta homens no meu navio. The pirates talked to my men. Die Piraten sprachen mit meinen Männern. Os piratas falaram com os meus homens. ‘We can take the ship and kill the captain,' they said. Wir können das Schiff übernehmen und den Kapitän töten", sagten sie. Podemos tomar o navio e matar o capitão", disseram.

‘We can make a lot of money for ourselves,' my men thought. Wir können eine Menge Geld verdienen", dachten meine Männer. 'Podemos ganhar muito dinheiro para nós próprios', pensavam os meus homens.

‘I don't want to kill the captain,' one man said. Ich will den Kapitän nicht töten", sagte ein Mann. Não quero matar o capitão", disse um homem. ‘He's not a bad man. Er ist kein schlechter Mensch. But I agree, let's take the ship.' Aber ich stimme dir zu, lass uns das Schiff nehmen.

One morning, twenty of the men came into my room with guns. Eines Morgens kamen zwanzig der Männer mit Gewehren in mein Zimmer. Now, I wasn't the captain, I was a prisoner on my ship. Ich war nicht der Kapitän, ich war ein Gefangener auf meinem Schiff. They gave me food and drink, but I had to stay in my room. Sie gaben mir zu essen und zu trinken, aber ich musste in meinem Zimmer bleiben. I stayed in my room for weeks and weeks. Ich blieb wochenlang in meinem Zimmer. The pirates took the ship past Madagascar. Die Piraten brachten das Schiff an Madagaskar vorbei. Os piratas levaram o navio para além de Madagáscar.

One day, the pirates put me into a boat. Eines Tages setzten mich die Piraten in ein Boot. Um dia, os piratas puseram-me num barco. They took me to the shore and left me. Sie brachten mich ans Ufer und ließen mich dort zurück. Where was I? Wo war ich? Onde é que eu estava? I had no idea. Ich hatte keine Ahnung. I sat on the beach. Ich saß am Strand. I had some money and some gold in my pockets, but no food or water. Ich hatte etwas Geld und etwas Gold in meinen Taschen, aber weder Essen noch Wasser. I tried to think. Ich habe versucht zu denken. ‘I must find some people,' I decided. Ich muss ein paar Leute finden", beschloss ich.

I got up and walked away from the shore. Ich stand auf und ging vom Ufer weg. Levantei-me e afastei-me da margem. After a while, I saw a line of trees. Nach einer Weile sah ich eine Reihe von Bäumen. Passado algum tempo, vi uma linha de árvores. Through the trees, I could see some animals. Durch die Bäume hindurch konnte ich einige Tiere sehen. They were very ugly indeed. Sie waren in der Tat sehr hässlich. Eram de facto muito feios. They were very hairy and some of them had long beards. Sie waren sehr behaart und einige von ihnen hatten lange Bärte. They could walk on two legs, but they were like monkeys. Sie konnten auf zwei Beinen gehen, aber sie waren wie Affen. Some had yellow hair, others had red hair and others had black hair. Einige hatten gelbes Haar, andere rotes Haar und wieder andere schwarzes Haar. They were almost human, but I didn't like them at all. Sie waren fast menschlich, aber ich mochte sie überhaupt nicht. Eram quase humanos, mas eu não gostava nada deles. I hated them as soon as I saw them. Ich hasste sie, sobald ich sie sah. Odiei-os assim que os vi. I didn't know why. Ich wusste nicht, warum. Não sabia porquê.

Then, the animals saw me. Dann sahen mich die Tiere. Depois, os animais viram-me. One of them came up to me. Einer von ihnen kam auf mich zu. Um deles aproximou-se de mim. I was scared, so I took out my sword. Ich hatte Angst, also nahm ich mein Schwert heraus. The animal shouted and about forty others ran to help him. Das Tier schrie und etwa vierzig andere liefen ihm zu Hilfe. They threw things at me. Sie warfen mit Dingen nach mir. Suddenly, the animals all ran away. Plötzlich rannten die Tiere alle weg. I turned round to see why. Ich drehte mich um, um zu sehen, warum. Virei-me para ver porquê. There was a grey horse walking into the field. Ein graues Pferd lief auf das Feld. The animals were afraid of the horse. Die Tiere hatten Angst vor dem Pferd. Os animais tinham medo do cavalo. The horse was a little surprised when he saw me. O cavalo ficou um pouco surpreendido quando me viu. He looked at me and walked around me. Er sah mich an und ging um mich herum. We looked at each other for a while. Wir sahen uns eine Weile an. Olhámos um para o outro durante algum tempo. I put my hand on his neck. Ich lege meine Hand in seinen Nacken. The horse didn't like this: he pushed my hand away with his leg. Das gefiel dem Pferd nicht: Es stieß meine Hand mit seinem Bein weg. O cavalo não gostou: afastou a minha mão com a perna. He made a strange noise and a brown horse appeared. Er machte ein seltsames Geräusch und ein braunes Pferd erschien. The two horses both made noises. Die beiden Pferde gaben beide Geräusche von sich.

‘They're speaking to each other!' I thought. Sie sprechen miteinander! dachte ich.

The two horses looked at me again. Die beiden Pferde sahen mich wieder an. They looked at my coat and hat. Sie betrachteten meinen Mantel und meinen Hut. In their language, they said a word – Yahoo. In ihrer Sprache sagten sie ein Wort - Yahoo. They repeated this word three or four times. I was a little scared, but communication is important. Ich hatte ein wenig Angst, aber Kommunikation ist wichtig.

‘Yahoo!' I said back to the horses. Yahoo!", sagte ich zu den Pferden zurück.

They were surprised. Sie waren überrascht. Ficaram surpreendidos.

‘Houyhnhmn,' said the brown horse.

‘Houyhnhmn!' I repeated. Houyhnhmn! wiederholte ich.

The horses talked together for a while. Die Pferde sprachen eine Weile miteinander. Os cavalos conversaram durante algum tempo. Then the brown horse left. Dann ging das braune Pferd weg. Depois o cavalo castanho partiu. The grey horse pointed at the road with his hoof. Der Schimmel zeigte mit seinem Huf auf die Straße.

‘He wants me to go with him,' I thought. Er will, dass ich mit ihm gehe", dachte ich.

I walked onto the road and the horse followed me. Ich ging auf die Straße und das Pferd folgte mir.

We walked for about three miles. Andámos cerca de três quilómetros. Then we arrived at a big building. Dann kamen wir zu einem großen Gebäude.

‘Good,' I thought, ‘I'll meet the horse's owner.' Gut", dachte ich, "dann lerne ich den Besitzer des Pferdes kennen". "Ótimo", pensei eu, "vou conhecer o dono do cavalo".

I was wrong. Ich habe mich geirrt. Estava enganado. Inside, there were other horses, one was very young and one was its mother. Lá dentro, havia outros cavalos, um deles era muito novo e o outro era a sua mãe. ‘Yahoo,' said the mother, when she saw me. 'Juhu', sagte die Mutter, als sie mich sah. I was confused.

The grey horse understood. Der Schimmel verstand. O cavalo cinzento compreendeu. He took me outside. Er nahm mich mit nach draußen. Ele levou-me lá para fora. There, in a field, was an animal. Dort, auf einem Feld, war ein Tier. Ali, num campo, estava um animal. He pointed at the animal with his hoof and said, ‘Yahoo!' Er zeigte mit seinem Huf auf das Tier und sagte: "Juhu!

The Yahoo was just like the animals on the road. O Yahoo era como os animais na estrada.

‘This horse thinks I'm a Yahoo!' I thought. Dieses Pferd denkt, ich sei ein Yahoo!', dachte ich. Este cavalo pensa que eu sou um Yahoo!", pensei eu. ‘I'm quite similar to one, except they are very dirty. Ich bin einem ziemlich ähnlich, nur dass sie sehr schmutzig sind. Sou muito parecido com um, exceto que são muito sujos. They have no clothes. Sie haben keine Kleidung. Não têm roupa. They are very hairy. Sie sind sehr haarig. I have nice clothes and I am clean, but I look a little like a Yahoo. Tenho roupas bonitas e estou limpo, mas pareço um pouco com um Yahoo. I have feet like a Yahoo, except I'm wearing shoes.' Ich habe Füße wie ein Yahoo, nur dass ich Schuhe trage'.

The grey horse looked at me and looked at the Yahoo. Der Schimmel sah mich an und blickte auf das Yahoo. O cavalo cinzento olhou para mim e olhou para o Yahoo. He seemed pleased and said something to another horse. That horse brought me some food. Das Pferd hat mir etwas zu essen gebracht. It was disgusting. Era nojento. I couldn't eat it, so the horse threw it to the Yahoo. Ich konnte es nicht essen, also warf das Pferd es in den Yahoo. Não consegui comê-lo, por isso o cavalo atirou-o para o Yahoo. The Yahoo ate it greedily.

The horses were kind. Os cavalos eram gentis. They wanted to give me food, so they brought me some of their food. Sie wollten mir etwas zu essen geben, also brachten sie mir etwas von ihrem Essen. Queriam dar-me comida, por isso trouxeram-me alguma da sua comida. It was too dry. Estava demasiado seco. Luckily, they brought some milk and I was happy.

That night, I slept well. Nessa noite, dormi bem. I didn't sleep in the field with the Yahoos and I didn't sleep in the building with the horses. I slept between the two. Eu dormia entre os dois.

The grey horse was my owner. Das graue Pferd war mein Besitzer. O cavalo cinzento era o meu dono. He wanted to teach me his language. Ele queria ensinar-me a sua língua. He wanted to understand more about me. Every day, the grey horse and a little brown horse gave me lessons. I wrote words down to help me remember them. Ich habe Wörter aufgeschrieben, damit ich sie mir merken kann. Escrevi palavras para me ajudar a lembrar delas. The horses didn't understand. Os cavalos não percebiam. They had no books and they couldn't write. Sie hatten keine Bücher und konnten nicht schreiben. Não tinham livros e não sabiam escrever. After about ten weeks, they were surprised, but I could understand their language. Nach etwa zehn Wochen waren sie überrascht, aber ich konnte ihre Sprache verstehen. Após cerca de dez semanas, ficaram surpreendidos, mas eu conseguia compreender a sua linguagem. The word ‘Houyhnhmn', in their language, means ‘horse' and it also means ‘perfect'. Das Wort "Houyhnhmn" bedeutet in ihrer Sprache "Pferd" und bedeutet auch "perfekt". A palavra "Houyhnhmn", na sua língua, significa "cavalo" e também significa "perfeito".

One day, my owner asked me some questions. Eines Tages stellte mir mein Besitzer einige Fragen. ‘Where do you come from?' he asked. De onde é que vem?", perguntou.

‘Another country, across the sea.' 'Ein anderes Land, jenseits des Meeres'.

‘No, you're wrong,' said the horse. Nein, du irrst dich", sagte das Pferd. ‘There are no countries across the sea.' Es gibt keine Länder jenseits des Meeres.

He asked more questions. Er stellte weitere Fragen. ‘Do you have Yahoos in your country?' Habt ihr Jahoos in eurem Land?

‘Yes,' I answered, ‘they're the rulers of our country. They're called people. Man nennt sie Menschen. They're different from your Yahoos because they're clean, they wear clothes and they can write.' São diferentes dos vossos Yahoos porque são limpos, vestem roupa e sabem escrever".

‘Hmm. And do you have Houyhnhmns in your country?'

‘Yes. They're called horses. Man nennt sie Pferde. They work in the fields. People look after them. Die Menschen kümmern sich um sie. As pessoas cuidam deles. Sometimes people sit on their backs.'

The grey horse was angry. Der Schimmel war wütend.

‘It's different here,' I said. Hier ist es anders", sagte ich. ‘Here the Yahoos work in the fields. Hier arbeiten die Yahoos auf den Feldern. There, horses work in the fields.'

I talked to the grey horse every day. Ich habe jeden Tag mit dem Schimmel gesprochen. Falava com o cavalo cinzento todos os dias. He began to understand about my country. Er begann zu verstehen, was mein Land ist. But he didn't understand the concept of war. Aber er hat das Konzept des Krieges nicht verstanden. ‘Why do you have wars?' he asked. Porque é que há guerras?", perguntou.

‘For a lot of different reasons,' I answered. Aus vielen verschiedenen Gründen", antwortete ich.

‘How do you fight? Wie kämpft man? 'Como é que se luta? Yahoos aren't strong.' Os Yahoos não são fortes'.

‘We have guns and swords.'

‘This is terrible,' he said. ‘Europeans are more vicious than Yahoos.' The horse was also sad when I told him about our strict laws, because they don't need laws in the land of the Houyhnhmns. Die Europäer sind bösartiger als die Yahoos. Das Pferd war auch traurig, als ich ihm von unseren strengen Gesetzen erzählte, denn im Land der Houyhnhmns brauchen sie keine Gesetze. He didn't like our money system – there are no rich people and no poor people there. Er mochte unser Geldsystem nicht - dort gibt es keine reichen und keine armen Menschen. Não gostou do nosso sistema monetário - não há ricos nem pobres. He was shocked when I talked to him about the diseases we have in Europe.

I learned a lot about Houyhnhmn culture. I was happy and healthy living there. Ich war glücklich und gesund, als ich dort lebte. They're very peaceful. Sie sind sehr friedlich. Houyhnhmns like to be friendly and kind. Houyhnhmns sind gerne freundlich und nett. They have no negative words in their language (except for Yahoo). Não têm palavras negativas na sua língua (exceto Yahoo). Education is very important to them. Bildung ist für sie sehr wichtig. They teach their children to be clean and to work hard. Sie lehren ihre Kinder, sauber zu sein und hart zu arbeiten. Physical activity is very important to them. Körperliche Aktivität ist für sie sehr wichtig. They must be strong and fast. Sie müssen stark und schnell sein. Young Houyhnhmns run up and down hills. Junge Houyhnhmns rennen Hügel rauf und runter. Every three months, there's a competition of running and jumping. Alle drei Monate findet ein Wettkampf im Laufen und Springen statt. De três em três meses, há uma competição de corridas e saltos.

Houyhnhmns don't write, but they like poetry. Die Houyhnhmns schreiben nicht, aber sie mögen Gedichte. They know a little about astronomy. Sie wissen ein wenig über Astronomie. They're never ill. Sie sind nie krank. Nunca estão doentes. For small accidents, they have very good natural medicines. Für kleine Unfälle haben sie sehr gute natürliche Medikamente.

The government of their country is very important. Die Regierung ihres Landes ist sehr wichtig. Every four years there's a Great Council. Alle vier Jahre findet ein Großer Rat statt. De quatro em quatro anos, realiza-se um Grande Conselho. The senior Houyhnhmns all go to the Council. Die älteren Houyhnhmns gehen alle in den Rat. Os Houyhnhmns mais velhos vão todos para o Conselho. It lasts for six days. Tem a duração de seis dias. There, they make important decisions about food, Yahoos and family. Dort treffen sie wichtige Entscheidungen über Lebensmittel, Yahoos und Familie. Aí, tomam decisões importantes sobre comida, Yahoos e família.

I stayed in the land of the Houyhnhmns for a long time. Ich blieb lange Zeit im Land der Houyhnhmns. Fiquei na terra dos Houyhnhmns durante muito tempo. One year, there was a Great Council. In einem Jahr gab es ein großes Konzil. Um ano, houve um Grande Conselho. My owner was the Member of the Council for our area. Mein Besitzer war Mitglied des Stadtrats für unser Gebiet. O meu proprietário era o membro do Conselho da nossa zona. He told me all about it when he came back. Er hat mir alles erzählt, als er zurückkam. ‘We had one important debate about the Yahoos. Wir hatten eine wichtige Debatte über die Yahoos. Some Houyhnhmns want to kill the Yahoos.' Einige Houyhnhmns wollen die Yahoos töten'. Alguns Houyhnhmns querem matar os Yahoos'.

‘Why?' I asked. ‘Houyhnhmns are peaceful. Os Houyhnhmns são pacíficos. You don't kill animals.' Man tötet keine Tiere.'

‘No, but they're noisy, dirty and dangerous. Nein, aber sie sind laut, schmutzig und gefährlich. Não, mas são barulhentas, sujas e perigosas. You're different from all the other Yahoos. Du bist anders als all die anderen Yahoos. You're intelligent. Sie sind intelligent. You've your own language and you also speak ours. Sie haben Ihre eigene Sprache und sprechen auch unsere. Têm a vossa própria língua e também falam a nossa. You're clean.' Du bist sauber.'

‘Thank you,' I said.

The grey horse didn't tell me everything about the Council. Der Schimmel hat mir nicht alles über den Rat erzählt. Later I understood more. Später habe ich mehr verstanden.

I was happy. Ich war glücklich. I loved my life with the Houyhnhmns. Adorava a minha vida com os Houyhnhmns. I began to walk a little like them. Ich begann, ein wenig wie sie zu gehen. Comecei a andar um pouco como eles. I spoke only their language. Ich sprach nur ihre Sprache. Só falava a língua deles. I had a small house. I made a bed, table and chairs for myself. Ich habe ein Bett, einen Tisch und Stühle für mich selbst gebaut. Fiz uma cama, uma mesa e cadeiras para mim. I made clothes for myself. My food was very simple and very good. Mein Essen war sehr einfach und sehr gut. I made bread and I found honey in the forest. Ich habe Brot gebacken und im Wald Honig gefunden. I had no problems. Ich hatte keine Probleme. Here, there were no criminals, no politicians, no stupid people, except Yahoos. Hier gab es keine Kriminellen, keine Politiker, keine dummen Menschen, nur Jahoos. Sometimes I went to dinner with the Houyhnhmns. Manchmal ging ich mit den Houyhnhmns zum Abendessen. Às vezes ia jantar com os Houyhnhmns. We talked about love, nature, traditions and poetry. Wir sprachen über Liebe, Natur, Traditionen und Poesie. Falámos de amor, da natureza, de tradições e de poesia. Sometimes I thought about England, my family and the people I knew in Europe. Manchmal dachte ich an England, meine Familie und die Menschen, die ich in Europa kannte. Por vezes, pensava em Inglaterra, na minha família e nas pessoas que conhecia na Europa. ‘Yahoos,' I thought. Yahoos", dachte ich. "Yahoos", pensei eu. ‘They're all Yahoos.' São todos Yahoos.

One morning, the grey horse came to see me. Eines Morgens kam der Schimmel zu mir. He was sad. Ele estava triste. ‘You must leave us,' he said. Sie müssen uns verlassen", sagte er. Tem de nos deixar", disse ele. ‘You must return to your country and leave the land of the Houyhnhmns.' Du musst in dein Land zurückkehren und das Land der Houyhnhmns verlassen. "Deves regressar ao teu país e deixar a terra dos Houyhnhmns.

‘No!' I cried, ‘I am so happy here!'

‘You must go. I didn't tell you everything about the Great Council. Ich habe Ihnen nicht alles über den Großen Rat erzählt. Não vos contei tudo sobre o Grande Conselho. Members of the Council are very angry, because you live with me. Die Mitglieder des Rates sind sehr verärgert, weil Sie bei mir wohnen. You live like a Houyhnhmn. Du lebst wie ein Houyhnhmn. Vive como um Houyhnhmn. You don't live with the Yahoos. Sie leben nicht mit den Yahoos zusammen. They're afraid of you.' Sie haben Angst vor dir.' Eles têm medo de ti".

‘Where can I go?' I said, sadly. 'Wo kann ich hingehen?', fragte ich traurig. Onde é que posso ir?", disse eu, com tristeza.

‘You can't swim back to your own country. Du kannst nicht in dein eigenes Land zurückschwimmen. Não podem regressar a nado ao vosso país. Can you build a boat?' Kannst du ein Boot bauen?'

‘Yes,' I answered, ‘I can build a boat. Ja", antwortete ich, "ich kann ein Boot bauen. But I need time.' Aber ich brauche Zeit.'

‘I understand. I'll tell the Members of the Council that you need two months.' Ich werde den Mitgliedern des Rates sagen, dass Sie zwei Monate brauchen. Vou dizer aos membros do Conselho que precisam de dois meses".

He was sorry. Es tat ihm leid. Ele estava arrependido. I was more than sorry. Es tat mir mehr als leid. Estava mais do que arrependido.

I made a boat from a tree. Ich habe ein Boot aus einem Baum gemacht. Fiz um barco a partir de uma árvore. The little brown horse helped me. Das kleine braune Pferd hat mir geholfen. We made a sail. Wir haben ein Segel gesetzt. Fizemos uma vela. We made paddles. We prepared food and water for my journey. Finally, the day arrived. I had to leave the Houyhnhmns and my wonderful life. The family all came to the shore to say goodbye. Many other Houyhnhmns also came.

‘Goodbye,' I said in tears. Auf Wiedersehen", sagte ich unter Tränen. ‘Thank you. I'll never forget you.' Ich werde dich nie vergessen.'

I kissed the grey horse's hoof. Ich küsste den Huf des Schimmels. Beijei o casco do cavalo cinzento.

‘Goodbye,' said the grey horse. Auf Wiedersehen", sagte der Schimmel.

‘Take care, good Yahoo!' said the little brown horse. Pass auf dich auf, Yahoo!", sagte das kleine braune Pferd. Tem cuidado, ó Yahoo!", disse o cavalinho castanho.

I pushed my boat into the water and left the land of the Houyhnhmns. Ich stieß mein Boot ins Wasser und verließ das Land der Houyhnhmns.

My desperate journey started early in the morning. Meine verzweifelte Reise begann früh am Morgen. A minha viagem desesperada começou de manhã cedo. The horses stayed on the shore. Die Pferde blieben am Ufer. Sometimes I heard the little brown horse, ‘Take care, good Yahoo!' Manchmal hörte ich das kleine braune Pferd: "Pass auf dich auf, guter Yahoo!

Finally, I couldn't see them anymore. Schließlich konnte ich sie nicht mehr sehen.

I wanted to find a small, deserted island. Ich wollte eine kleine, einsame Insel finden. I was in the South Seas, there were many islands there. I didn't want to return to England. Ich wollte nicht nach England zurückkehren. I stopped at one island, but the people fired arrows at me. Ich hielt an einer Insel an, aber die Leute schossen mit Pfeilen auf mich. Parei numa ilha, mas as pessoas dispararam-me setas. One day, I saw a ship. Eines Tages sah ich ein Schiff. I was afraid because I didn't want to meet any Europeans. Ich hatte Angst, weil ich keine Europäer treffen wollte. I sailed to a small island. I put the boat behind a rock and waited. Ich stellte das Boot hinter einen Felsen und wartete. I was unlucky. Não tive sorte. The ship sent a small boat to the island to get water. Das Schiff schickte ein kleines Boot zur Insel, um Wasser zu holen. O navio enviou um pequeno barco à ilha para ir buscar água.

They found me and my boat. Sie haben mich und mein Boot gefunden. Encontraram-me a mim e ao meu barco. The sailors were from Portugal. They saw I was European and they asked me lots of questions. Sie sahen, dass ich Europäer war und stellten mir viele Fragen. Viram que eu era europeu e fizeram-me muitas perguntas. ‘Where are you from?' Woher kommen Sie?

‘England. I'm a Yahoo from England.' Ich bin ein Yahoo aus England'.

They didn't understand the word Yahoo. Sie haben das Wort Yahoo nicht verstanden. ‘Why are you here?' they said. Warum seid ihr hier?", fragten sie. "Porque é que estão aqui?", perguntaram.

I told them my story. Ich habe ihnen meine Geschichte erzählt. The sailors were very kind. ‘Come back to the ship,' they said. Komm zurück zum Schiff", sagten sie. ‘Our captain will take you to Europe.' Unser Kapitän wird Sie nach Europa bringen.

‘No! No!' I cried.

‘He's mad, poor man,' said one of the sailors. Er ist verrückt, der arme Mann", sagte einer der Matrosen. Ele é louco, pobre homem", disse um dos marinheiros.

They took me to the ship. Sie brachten mich zum Schiff. Levaram-me para o navio.

The captain of the ship was Pedro de Mendez. Der Kapitän des Schiffes war Pedro de Mendez. He was a very gentle man. He listened to my story. Er hörte sich meine Geschichte an. Ele ouviu a minha história. I was afraid of the sailors – they were dirty Yahoos. Ich hatte Angst vor den Matrosen - sie waren dreckige Yahoos. Eu tinha medo dos marinheiros - eram uns Yahoos sujos. He was quite clean. Er war ziemlich sauber. Ele estava bastante limpo. The journey to Lisbon was very comfortable. Pedro de Mendez was very patient with me. Pedro de Mendez war sehr geduldig mit mir. He helped me a lot. Er hat mir sehr geholfen. He took me to meet his wife and children in Lisbon, but he repeated one thing, ‘You must go back to England. Er nahm mich mit zu seiner Frau und seinen Kindern nach Lissabon, aber er wiederholte eine Sache: "Du musst zurück nach England. Levou-me a conhecer a mulher e os filhos em Lisboa, mas repetiu-me uma coisa: "Tens de voltar para Inglaterra. You must go back to your wife and family.' Du musst zu deiner Frau und deiner Familie zurückkehren".

In December 1715, I finally arrived back in England. Im Dezember 1715 kam ich endlich wieder in England an. My wife and family were very happy to see me after so many years. Meine Frau und meine Familie waren sehr froh, mich nach so vielen Jahren wiederzusehen. At first, it was very difficult for me. Am Anfang war es sehr schwierig für mich. No início, foi muito difícil para mim. ‘They're Yahoos,' I thought. Das sind Yahoos", dachte ich. 'São uns Yahoos', pensei eu. ‘Dirty, horrible Yahoos.' Dreckige, furchtbare Yahoos".

Today, my relationship with my wife and children is much better, but I still have problems with some Yahoos here. Heute ist mein Verhältnis zu meiner Frau und meinen Kindern viel besser, aber ich habe immer noch Probleme mit einigen Yahoos hier. Hoje, a minha relação com a minha mulher e os meus filhos é muito melhor, mas ainda tenho problemas com alguns Yahoos aqui. I bought two horses as soon as I got back. Ich habe sofort nach meiner Rückkehr zwei Pferde gekauft. Comprei dois cavalos assim que regressei. I speak to them for about four hours every day. Ich spreche jeden Tag etwa vier Stunden lang mit ihnen. Falo com eles durante cerca de quatro horas todos os dias. They understand me quite well. Sie verstehen mich sehr gut. Eles entendem-me muito bem. They live in a nice building near mine. Sie wohnen in einem schönen Gebäude in der Nähe meines Hauses. Vivem num belo prédio perto do meu. They're clean and beautiful. They're kind to me and friendly to each other. São simpáticos comigo e entre si. I love Houyhnhmns. Ich liebe Houyhnhmns.