Old Oniwheske was dead, and the king and queen divided their whole time equally between Brandleguarp and Apsillo; but he was building a palace at my new colony, which by this time was grown to a vast city, and was called Stygena, in compliment to the queen; and this new palace was designed to receive the court one-third of the year, as it lay almost at equal distance between both his other palaces. This method, which his majesty took, at my persuasion, on the death of Oniwheske, though it went against the grain at first, was now grown so habitual to him, and he saw his own interest so much in it in the love and esteem it procured him from the people, that at last he wanted no spur to it. My melancholy for the death of my wife, which I hoped time would wear off, rather gained ground upon me; and though I was as much regarded as ever by the whole court, yet it grew troublesome to me even to be asked my advice; and it not only surprised those about me, but even myself, to see the same genius, without any visible natural decay, in so short a time, from the most sprightly and enterprising, become the most phlegmatic and inactive. My longings after my native country, ever since my wife's death, redoubled upon me, and I had formed several schemes of getting thither; as first, I had formed a project of going off by the islands, as I had so many small vessels at command there, and to get into the main ocean and try my fortune that way; but upon inquiry I found that my vessels could not get to sea, or elsewhere, but to the zaps' islands, by reason of the many rocks and sandbanks which would oppose me, unless I went through the zaps' country, which, in the light they had reason to view me, I was afraid to do. Then I had thoughts of going from the coast of Norbon; but that must have been in one of the foreign vessels, and they coming from a quite different quarter than I must go, in all probability if I had put to sea any way they were unacquainted with, they having no compass, we must have perished; for the more I grew by degrees acquainted with the situation of Doorpt Swangeanti, the stronger were my conjectures that my nearest continent must be the southern coast of America; but still it was only conjecture. At length, being tired and uneasy, I resolved, as I was accustomed to flight, and loved it, I would take a turn for some days; carry me where it would, I should certainly light on some land, whence at first I could but come back again. I then went to see if my chair, board, and ropes, were sound, for I had not used them for several years past; but I found them all so crazy, I durst not venture in them, which disappointment put off my journey for some time. However, as I had still the thought remaining, it put me on seeking some other method to put it in practice; so I contrived the poles from which you took me, being a sort of hollow cane the Swangeantines make their spears of, but exceeding strong and springy,