The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen - Rudolf Raspe

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to our weight, though not to that of the barge: in this situation

      we continued six weeks and three days, living upon the almonds; I need

      not inform you we had plenty of water. On the forty-second day of

      our distress the water fell as rapidly as it had risen, and on the

      forty-sixth we were able to venture down upon _terra firma_. Our barge

      was the first pleasing object we saw, about two hundred yards from the

      spot where she sunk. After drying everything that was useful by the heat

      of the sun, and loading ourselves with necessaries from the stores on

      board, we set out to recover our lost ground, and found, by the nearest

      calculation, we had been carried over garden-walls, and a variety of

      enclosures, above one hundred and fifty miles. In four days, after a

      very tiresome journey on foot, with thin shoes, we reached the river,

      which was now confined to its banks, related our adventures to a boy,

      who kindly accommodated all our wants, and sent us forward in a barge

      of his own. In six days more we arrived at Alexandria, where we

      took shipping for Constantinople. I was received kindly by the Grand

      Seignior, and had the honour of seeing the Seraglio, to which his

      highness introduced me himself.

      CHAPTER X

      _Pays a visit during the siege of Gibraltar to his old friend General

      Elliot – Sinks a Spanish man-of-war – Wakes an old woman on the African

      coast – Destroys all the enemy’s cannon; frightens the Count d’Artois,

      and sends him to Paris – Saves the lives of two English spies with the

      identical sling that killed Goliath; and raises the siege._

      During the late siege of Gibraltar I went with a provision-fleet, under

      Lord Rodney’s command, to see my old friend General Elliot, who has, by

      his distinguished defence of that place, acquired laurels that can never

      fade. After the usual joy which generally attends the meeting of old

      friends had subsided, I went to examine the state of the garrison,

      and view the operations of the enemy, for which purpose the General

      accompanied me. I had brought a most excellent refracting telescope with

      me from London, purchased of Dollond, by the help of which I found the

      enemy were going to discharge a thirty-six pounder at the spot where we

      stood. I told the General what they were about; he looked through

      the glass also, and found my conjectures right. I immediately, by

      his permission, ordered a forty-eight pounder to be brought from a

      neighbouring battery, which I placed with so much exactness (having long

      studied the art of gunnery) that I was sure of my mark.

      I continued watching the enemy till I saw the match placed at the

      touch-hole of their piece; at that very instant I gave the signal for

      our gun to be fired also.

      About midway between the two pieces of cannon the balls struck each

      other with amazing force, and the effect was astonishing! The enemy’s

      ball recoiled back with such violence as to kill the man who had

      discharged it, by carrying his head fairly off, with sixteen others

      which it met with in its progress to the Barbary coast, where its force,

      after passing through three masts of vessels that then lay in a line

      behind each other in the harbour, was so much spent, that it only broke

      its way through the roof of a poor labourer’s hut, about two hundred

      yards inland, and destroyed a few teeth an old woman had left, who lay

      asleep upon her back with her mouth open. The ball lodged in her throat.

      Her husband soon after came home, and endeavoured to extract it; but

      finding that impracticable, by the assistance of a rammer he forced

      it into her stomach. Our ball did excellent service; for it not only

      repelled the other in the manner just described, but, proceeding as I

      intended it should, it dismounted the very piece of cannon that had just

      been employed against us, and forced it into the hold of the ship, where

      it fell with so much force as to break its way through the bottom. The

      ship immediately filled and sank, with above a thousand Spanish sailors

      on board, besides a considerable number of soldiers. This, to be sure,

      was a most extraordinary exploit; I will not, however, take the whole

      merit to myself; my judgment was the principal engine, but chance

      assisted me a little; for I afterwards found, that the man who charged

      our forty-eight pounder put in, by mistake, a double quantity of powder,

      else we could never have succeeded so much beyond all expectation,

      especially in repelling the enemy’s ball.

      General Elliot would have given me a commission for this singular

      piece of service; but I declined everything, except his thanks, which I

      received at a crowded table of officers at supper on the evening of that

      very day.

      As I am very partial to the English, who are beyond all doubt a brave

      people, I determined not to take my leave of the garrison till I had

      rendered them another piece of service, and in about three weeks an

      opportunity presented itself. I dressed myself in the habit of a _Popish

      priest_, and at about one o’clock in the morning stole out of the

      garrison, passed the enemy’s lines, and arrived in the middle of their

      camp, where I entered the tent in which the Prince d’Artois was, with

      the commander-in-chief, and several other officers, in deep council,

      concerting a plan to storm the garrison next morning. My disguise was my

      protection; they suffered me to continue there, hearing everything that

      passed, till they went to their several beds. When I found the whole

      camp, and even the sentinels, were wrapped up in the arms of Morpheus,

      I began my work, which was that of dismounting all their cannon (above

      three hundred pieces), from forty-eight to twenty-four pounders, and

      throwing them three leagues into the sea. Having no assistance, I found

      this the hardest task I ever undertook, except swimming to the opposite

      shore with

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