Rudolf Erich Raspe: Gulliver revived, London 1786 (R5)

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After sailing three days we knew not where, being still without compass, we arrived in a sea which appeared to be almost black; upon tasting it we found it most excellent wine, and had great difficulty to keep the sailors from getting drunk with it; however, in a few hours we found ourselves surrounded by whales and other animals of an immense magnitude; one of which appeared to be too large for the eye to form a judgment of. We did not see him till we were close to him; this monster drew our ship, with all her masts standing, and sails bent, by suction, into his mouth between his teeth; which were much larger and taller than the mast of a first-rate man of war. After we had been in his mouth some time, he opened it pretty wide, took in an immense quantity of water, and floated our vessel, which was at least 500 tons burthen, into his stomach; here we lay as quiet as at anchor in a dead calm. The air, to be sure, was rather warm, and very offensive. We found anchors, cables, boats, and barges, and a considerable number of ships, some laden and some not, which this creature had swallowed. Everything was transacted by torch-light; no sun, no moon, no planet, to make observations from. We were all generally a-float and a-ground twice a-day. Whenever he drank, it became high water with us; and when he made water, we found ourselves a-ground; upon a moderate computation, he took in more water at a single draught than is generally to be found in the Lake of Geneva, though that is above thirty miles in circumference.

R5, S. 196-199.

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