The Blefuscans have assembled a large navy with which they intend to invade Lilliput. The Lilliputians are in big trouble, as they have no comparable force with which to repel the invaders. Thankfully for them, however, Gulliver is on hand to save the day. He puts himself forward to help the Lilliputians in the defense of their island, and the Emperor readily agrees.

Gulliver's plan is deceptively simple. He's going to wade into the sea—he's already worked out how deep it is—and then seize the Blefuscan fleet when it approaches the coast. When the time comes to put his plan into action, Gulliver lies in wait behind a hillock until the Blefuscans arrive.

When they do, he takes special cables with iron hooks attached to them and wades out into the sea. Once there, he swims up to where the Blefuscan ships are anchored and proceeds to scare the living daylights out of the assembled sailors, who flee in panic at Gulliver's sheer size. Then it's just a simple matter of attaching the iron hooks to the Blefuscan ships and hauling them back towards Lilliput.

Gulliver has defeated the Blefuscans, thus saving the Lilliputians from being invaded by their bitterest enemy.