they redoubled when they saw the egg broken, and their young one gone.
They flew back in the direction they had come, and disappeared for some
time, while we made all the sail we could to endeavour to prevent that
which unhappily befell us.
"They soon returned, and we observed that each of them carried between
its talons rocks of a monstrous size. When they came directly over my
ship, they hovered, and one of them let fall a stone, but by the
dexterity of the steersman it missed us. The other roc, to our
misfortune, threw his burden so exactly upon the middle of the ship, as
to split it into a thousand pieces. The mariners and passengers were all
crushed to death, or sank. I myself was of the number of the latter; but
as I came up again, I fortunately caught hold of a piece of the wreck,
and swimming sometimes with one hand, and sometimes with the other, I
came to an island, and got safely ashore.
"I sat down upon the grass, to recover myself from my fatigue, after
which I went into the island to explore it. I found trees everywhere,
some of them bearing green, and others ripe fruits, and streams of fresh
pure water. I ate of the fruits, which I found excellent; and drank of
the water, which was very good.
"When I was a little advanced into the island, I saw an old man, who
appeared very weak and infirm. He was sitting on the bank of a stream,
and at first I took him to be one who had been shipwrecked like myself.
I went toward him and saluted him, but he only slightly bowed his head.
I asked him why he sat so still, but instead of answering me, he made a
sign for me to take him upon my back, and carry him over the brook,
signifying that it was to gather fruit.
"I believed him really to stand in need of my assistance, took him upon
my back, and having carried him over, bade him get down, and for that
end stooped, that he might get off with ease; but instead of doing so
(which I laugh at every time I think of it) the old man, who to me
appeared quite decrepit, clasped his legs nimbly about my neck. He sat
astride upon my shoulders, and held my throat so tight, that I thought
he would have strangled me, the apprehension of which made me swoon and
fall down.
"Notwithstanding my fainting, the ill-natured old fellow kept fast about
my neck, but opened his legs a little to give me time to recover my
breath. When I had done so, he thrust one of his feet against my
stomach, and struck me so rudely on the side with the other that he
forced me to rise up against my will. Having arisen, he made me walk
under the trees, and forced me now and then to stop, to gather and eat
fruit. He never left me all day, and when I lay down to rest at night,
laid himself down with me, holding always fast about my neck. Every
morning he pushed me to make me awake, and afterward obliged me to get
up and walk, and pressed me with his feet.
"One day I found in my way several dry calabashes that had fallen from a
tree. I took a large one, and after cleaning it, pressed into it some
juice of grapes, which abounded in the island; having filled the
calabash, I put it by in a convenient place, and going thither again
some days after, I tasted it, and found the wine so good, that it soon
made me forget my sorrow, gave me new vigour, and so exhilarated my
spirits, that I began to sing and dance as I walked along.
"The old man, perceiving the effect which this liquor had upon me, and
that I carried him with more ease than before, made me a sign to give
him some of it. I handed him the calabash, and the liquor pleasing his
palate, he drank it all off. There being a considerable quantity of it,
he became intoxicated, and the fumes getting up into his head, he began
to sing after his manner, and to dance, thus loosening his legs from
about me by degrees. Finding that he did not press me as before, I threw
him upon the ground, where he lay without motion; I then took up a great
stone, and crushed him.
"I was extremely glad to be thus freed forever from this troublesome
fellow. I now walked toward the beach, where I met the crew of a ship
that had cast anchor, to take in water. They were surprised to see me,
but more so at hearing the particulars of my adventures. 'You fell,'
said they, 'into the hands of the Old Man of the Sea, and are the first
who ever escaped strangling by his malicious tricks. He never quits
those he has once made himself master of till he has destroyed them, and
he has made this island notorious by the number of men he has slain.'
"After having informed me of these things, they carried me with them to
the ship, and the captain received me with great kindness, when they
told him what had befallen me. He put out again to sea, and after some
days' sail, we arrived at the harbour of a great city.
"One of the merchants who had taken me into his friendship invited me to
go along with him, and carried me to a place appointed for the
accommodation of foreign merchants. He gave me a large bag, and having
recommended me to some people of the town, who used to gather
cocoa-nuts, desired them to take me with them. 'Go,' said he, 'follow
them, and act as you see them do, but do not separate from them,
otherwise you may endanger your life.' Having thus spoken, he gave me
provisions for the journey, and I went with them.
"We came to a thick forest of cocoa-trees, very lofty, with trunks so
smooth that it was not possible to climb to the branches that bore the
fruit. When we entered the forest we saw a great number of apes of
several sizes, who fled as soon as they perceived us, and climbed up to
the top of the trees with surprising swiftness.
"The merchants with whom I was, gathered stones and threw them at the
apes on the trees. I did the same, and the apes out of revenge threw
cocoa-nuts at us so fast, and with such gestures, as sufficiently
testified their anger and resentment. We gathered up the cocoa-nuts, and
from time to time threw stones to provoke the apes; so that by this
stratagem we filled our bags with cocoa-nuts, which it had been
impossible otherwise to have done.
"When we had gathered our number, we returned to the city, where the
merchant who had sent me to the forest gave me the value of the cocoas I
brought: 'Go on,' said he, 'and do the like every day, until you have
got money enough to carry you home.' I thanked him for his advice, and
gradually collected as many cocoa-nuts as produced me a considerable
sum.
"The vessel in which I had come sailed with some merchants who loaded
her with cocoa-nuts. I embarked in her all the nuts I had, and when she
was ready to sail took leave of the merchant who had been so kind to me.
"We sailed toward the islands, where pepper grows in great plenty. From
thence we went to the isle of Comari, where the best species of wood of
aloes grows. I exchanged my cocoa in those two islands for pepper and
wood of aloes, and went with other merchants a pearl-fishing. I hired
divers, who brought me up some that were very large and pure. I embarked
in a vessel that happily arrived at Bussorah; from thence I returned to
Bagdad, where I made vast sums from my pepper, wood of aloes, and
pearls. I gave the tenth of my gains in alms, as I had done upon my
return from my other voyages, and endeavoured to dissipate my fatigues
by amusements of different kinds."
When Sinbad had finished his story, he ordered one hundred sequins to be
given to Hindbad, who retired with the other guests; but next morning
the same company returned to dine; when Sinbad requested their
attention, and gave the following account of his sixth voyage:
THE SIXTH VOYAGE
"You long without doubt to know," said he, "how, after having been
shipwrecked five times, and escaped so many dangers, I could resolve
again to tempt fortune, and expose myself to new hardships. I am,
myself, astonished at my conduct when I reflect upon it, and must
certainly have been actuated by my destiny. But be that as it may, after
a year's rest I prepared for a sixth voyage, notwithstanding the
entreaties of my kindred, who did all in their power to dissuade me.
"Instead of taking my way by the Persian Gulf, I travelled once more
through several provinces of Persia and the Indies, and arrived at a
seaport, where I embarked in a ship, the captain of which was bound on a
long voyage. It was long indeed, for the captain and pilot lost their
course. They, however, at last discovered where they were, but we had no
reason to rejoice at the circumstance. Suddenly we saw the captain quit
his post, uttering loud lamentations. He threw off his turban, pulled
his beard, and beat his head like a madman. We asked him the reason,
and he answered, that he was in the most dangerous place in all the
ocean. 'A rapid current carries the ship along with it,' said he, 'and
we shall all perish in less than a quarter of an hour. Pray to God to
deliver us from this peril; we cannot escape, if He do not take pity on
us.' At these words he ordered the sails to be lowered; but all the
ropes broke, and the ship was carried by the current to the foot of an
inaccessible mountain, where she struck and went to pieces, yet in such
a manner that we saved our lives, our provisions, and the best of our
goods.
"This being over, the captain said to us: 'God has done what pleased
Him. Each of us may dig his grave, and bid the world adieu; for we are
all in so fatal a place, that none shipwrecked here ever returned to
their homes.' His discourse afflicted us sensibly, and we embraced each
other, bewailing our deplorable lot.
"The mountain at the foot of which we were wrecked formed part of the
coast of a very large island. It was covered with wrecks, with human
bones, and with a vast quantity of goods and riches. In all other
places, rivers run from their channels into the sea, but here a river of
fresh water runs out of the sea into a dark cavern, whose entrance is
very high and spacious. What is most remarkable in this place is, that
the stones of the mountain are of crystal, rubies, or other precious
stones. Here is also a sort of fountain of pitch or bitumen, that runs
into the sea, which the fish swallow, and turn into ambergris: and this
the waves throw up on the beach in great quantities. Trees also grow
here, most of which are wood of aloes, equal in goodness to those of
Comari.
"To finish the description of this place, which may well be called a
gulf, since nothing ever returns from it, it is not possible for ships
to get off when once they approach within a certain distance. If they
be driven thither by a wind from the sea, the wind and the current impel
them; and if they come into it when a land-wind blows, the height of the
mountain stops the wind, and occasions a calm, so that the force of the
current carries them ashore: and what completes the misfortune is, that
there is no possibility of ascending the mountain, or of escaping by
sea.
"We continued upon the shore in a state of despair, and expected death
every day. At first we divided our provisions as equally as we could,
and thus every one lived a longer or shorter time, according to his
temperance, and the use he made of his provisions.
"I survived all my companions, yet when I buried the last, I had so
little provision remaining that I thought I could not long endure and I
dug a grave, resolving to lie down in it because there was no one left
to inter me.
"But it pleased God once more to take compassion on me, and put it in my
mind to go to the bank of the river which ran into the great cavern.
Considering its probable course with great attention, I said to myself:
'This river, which runs thus under ground, must somewhere have an issue.
If I make a raft, and leave myself to the current, it will convey me to
some inhabited country, or I shall perish. If I be drowned, I lose
nothing, but only change one kind of death for another.'
"I immediately went to work upon large pieces of timber and cables, for
I had choice of them, and tied them together so strongly that I soon
made a very solid raft. When I had finished, I loaded it with rubies,
emeralds, ambergris, rock-crystal, and bales of rich stuffs. Having
balanced my cargo exactly, and fastened it well to the raft, I went on
board with two oars that I had made, and leaving it to the course of the
river, resigned myself to the will of God.
"As soon as I entered the cavern I lost all light, and the stream
carried me I knew not whither. Thus I floated some days in perfect
darkness, and once found the arch so low, that it very nearly touched my
head, which made me cautious afterward to avoid the like danger. All
this while I ate nothing but what was just necessary to support nature;
yet, notwithstanding my frugality, all my provisions were spent. Then a
pleasing stupor seized upon me. I cannot tell how long it continued; but
when I revived, I was surprised to find myself in an extensive plain on
the brink of a river, where my raft was tied, amidst a great number of
negroes. I got up as soon as I saw them, and saluted them. They spoke to
me, but I did not understand their language. I was so transported with
joy, that I knew not whether I was asleep or awake; but being persuaded
that I was not asleep, I recited aloud the following words in Arabic:
'Call upon the Almighty, He will help thee; thou needest not perplex
thyself about anything else: shut thy eyes, and while thou art asleep,
God will change thy bad fortune into good.'
"One of the blacks, who understood Arabic, hearing me speak thus, came
toward me and said: 'Brother, be not surprised to see us; we are
inhabitants of this country, and came hither to-day to water our fields.
We observed something floating upon the water, and, perceiving your
raft, one of us swam into the river and brought it hither, where we
fastened it, as you see, until you should awake. Pray tell us your
history, for it must be extraordinary; how did you venture yourself into
this river, and whence did you come?' I begged of them first to give me
something to eat, and then I would satisfy their curiosity. They gave me
several sorts of food, and when I had satisfied my hunger, I related all
that had befallen me, which they listened to with attentive surprise. As
soon as I had finished, they told me, by the person who spoke Arabic
and interpreted to them what I said, that it was one of the most
wonderful stories they had ever heard, and that I must go along with
them, and tell it to their king myself; it being too extraordinary to be
related by any other than the person to whom the events had happened.
"They immediately sent for a horse, which was brought in a little time;
and having helped me to mount, some of them walked before to shew the
way, while the rest took my raft and cargo and followed.
"We marched till we came to the capital of Serendib, for it was in that
island I had landed. The blacks presented me to their king; I approached
his throne, and saluted him as I used to do the Kings of the Indies;
that is to say, I prostrated myself at his feet. The prince ordered me
to rise, received me with an obliging air, and made me sit down near
him.
"I related to the king all that I have told you, and his majesty was so
surprised and pleased, that he commanded my adventures to be written in
letters of gold, and laid up in the archives of his kingdom. At last my
raft was brought in, and the bales opened in his presence: he admired
the quantity of wood of aloes and ambergris; but, above all, the rubies
and emeralds, for he had none in his treasury that equalled them.
"Observing that he looked on my jewels with pleasure, I fell prostrate
at his feet, and took the liberty to say to him: 'Sir, not only my
person is at your majesty's service, but the cargo of the raft, and I
would beg of you to dispose of it as your own.' He answered me with a
smile: 'Sinbad, I will take care not to covet anything of yours, or to
take anything from you that God has given you; far from lessening your
wealth, I design to augment it, and will not let you quit my dominions
without marks of my liberality.' He then charged one of his officers to
take care of me, and ordered people to serve me at his own expense. The
officer was very faithful in the execution of his commission, and caused
all the goods to be carried to the lodgings provided for me.
"I went every day at a set hour to make my court to the king, and spent
the rest of my time in viewing the city, and what was most worthy of
notice.
"The capital of Serendib stands at the end of a fine valley, in the
middle of the island, encompassed by mountains the highest in the world.
Rubies and several sorts of minerals abound, and the rocks are for the
most part composed of a metalline stone made use of to cut and polish
other precious stones. All kinds of rare plants and trees grow there,
especially cedars and cocoa-nut. There is also a pearl-fishing in the
mouth of its principal river; and in some of its valleys are found
diamonds. I made, by way of devotion, a pilgrimage to the place where
Adam was confined after his banishment from Paradise, and had the
curiosity to go to the top of the mountain.
"When I returned to the city, I prayed the king to allow me to return to
my own country, and he granted me permission in the most honourable
manner. He would needs force a rich present upon me; and when I went to
take my leave of him, he gave me one much more considerable, and at the
same time charged me with a letter for the Commander of the Faithful,
our sovereign, saying to me: 'I pray you give this present from me, and
this letter, to the Caliph, and assure him of my friendship.' I took the
present and letter and promised his majesty punctually to execute the
commission with which he was pleased to honour me.
"The letter from the King of Serendib was written on the skin of a
certain animal of great value, because of its being so scarce, and of a
yellowish colour. The characters of this letter were of azure, and the
contents as follows:
"'The King of the Indies, before whom march one hundred elephants, who
lives in a palace that shines with one hundred thousand rubies, and
who has in his treasury twenty thousand crowns enriched with diamonds,
to Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid:--
"'Though the present we send you be inconsiderable, receive it,
however, as a brother, in consideration of the hearty friendship which
we bear for you, and of which we are willing to give you proof. We
desire the same part in your friendship, considering that we believe
it to be our merit, being of the same dignity with yourself. We
conjure you this in quality of a brother. Adieu.'
"The present consisted, first, of one single ruby made into a cup, about
half a foot high, an inch thick, and filled with round pearls of half a
drachm each. 2. The skin of a serpent, whose scales were as large as an
ordinary piece of gold, and had the virtue to preserve from sickness
those who lay upon it. 3. Fifty thousand drachms of the best wood of
aloes, with thirty grains of camphire as big as pistachios. And, 4. A
female slave of ravishing beauty, whose apparel was all covered over
with jewels.
"The ship set sail, and after a very successful navigation we landed at
Bussorah, and from thence I went to Bagdad, where the first thing I did
was to acquit myself of my commission.
"I took the king of Serendib's letter and went to present myself at the
gate of the Commander of the Faithful, followed by the beautiful slave,
and such of my own family as carried the gifts. I stated the reason of
my coming, and was immediately conducted to the throne of the caliph. I
made my reverence, and, after a short speech, gave him the letter and
present. When he had read what the king of Serendib wrote to him, he
asked me if the prince were really so rich and potent as he represented
himself in his letter. I prostrated myself a second time, and rising
again, said: 'Commander of the Faithful, I can assure your majesty he
doth not exceed the truth. Nothing is more worthy of admiration than the
magnificence of his palace. When the prince appears in public he has a
throne fixed on the back of an elephant, and marches betwixt two ranks
of his ministers, favourites, and other people of his court; before him,
upon the same elephant, an officer carries a golden lance in his hand;
and behind the throne there is another, who stands upright, with a
column of gold, on the top of which is an emerald half a foot long and
an inch thick; before him march a guard of one thousand men, clad in
cloth of gold and silk, and mounted on elephants richly caparisoned.
"While the king is on his march, the officer who is before him on the
same elephant cries from time to time, with a loud voice: 'Behold the
great monarch, the potent and redoubtable Sultan of the Indies, whose
palace is covered with one hundred thousand rubies, and who possesses
twenty thousand crowns of diamonds. Behold the monarch greater than
Solomon, and the powerful Maha-raja.' After he has pronounced those
words, the officer behind the throne cries in his turn: 'This monarch,
so great and so powerful, must die, must die, must die.' And the officer
before replies: 'Praise be to him who liveth for ever.'
"Furthermore, the King of Serendib is so just that there are no judges
in his dominions. His people have no need of them. They understand and
observe justice rigidly of themselves.'
"The caliph was much pleased with my account. 'The wisdom of that king,'
said he, 'appears in his letter, and after what you tell me, I must
confess, that his wisdom is worthy of his people, and his people deserve
so wise a prince.' Having spoken thus, he dismissed me, and sent me home
with a rich present."
Sinbad left off, and his company retired, Hindbad having first received
one hundred sequins; and next day they returned to hear the relation of
his seventh and last voyage.
THE SEVENTH AND LAST VOYAGE
"Being returned from my sixth voyage," said Sinbad, "I absolutely laid
aside all thoughts of travelling; for, besides that my age now required
rest, I was resolved no more to expose myself to such risks as I had
encountered; so that I thought of nothing but to pass the rest of my
days in tranquillity. One day, however, as I was treating my friends,
one of my servants came and told me that an officer of the caliph's
inquired for me. I rose from table, and went to him. 'The caliph,' said
he, 'has sent me to tell you that he must speak with you.' I followed
the officer to the palace, where, being presented to the caliph, I
saluted him by prostrating myself at his feet. 'Sinbad,' said he to me,
'I stand in need of your service; you must carry my answer and present
to the King of Serendib. It is but just I should return his civility.'
"This command of the caliph was to me like a clap of thunder. 'Commander
of the Faithful,' I replied, 'I am ready to do whatever your majesty
shall think fit to command; but I beseech you most humbly to consider
what I have undergone. I have also made a vow never to go out of
Bagdad.' Hence I took occasion to give him a full and particular account
of all my adventures, which he had the patience to hear out.
"As soon as I had finished, 'I confess,' said he, 'that the things you
tell me are very extraordinary, yet you must for my sake undertake this
voyage which I propose to you. You will only have to go to the isle of
Serendib, and deliver the commission which I give you, for you know it
would not comport with my dignity to be indebted to the king of that
island.' Perceiving that the caliph insisted upon my compliance, I
submitted, and told him that I was willing to obey. He was very well
pleased, and ordered me one thousand sequins for the expenses of my
journey.
"I prepared for my departure in a few days, and as soon as the caliph's
letter and present were delivered to me, I went to Bussorah, where I
embarked, and had a very happy voyage. Having arrived at the isle of
Serendib, I acquainted the king's ministers with my commission, and
prayed them to get me speedy audience. They did so, and I was conducted
to the palace, where I saluted the king by prostration, according to
custom. That prince knew me immediately, and testified very great joy at
seeing me, 'Sinbad,' said he, 'you are welcome; I have many times
thought of you since you departed; I bless the day on which we see one
another once more.' I made my compliments to him, and after having
thanked him for his kindness, delivered the caliph's letter and present,
which he received with all imaginable satisfaction.