continued:—And after carrying all my victuals and valuables from the
cavern to the coast I abode a long while by the sea, pondering my case,
till one day I caught sight of a ship passing in the midst of the
clashing sea, swollen with dashing billows. So I took a piece of a white
shroud I had with me and, tying it to a staff, ran along the sea-shore,
making signals therewith and calling to the people in the ship, till
they espied me and hearing my shouts, sent a boat to fetch me off. When
it drew near, the crew called out to me, saying, “Who art thou and how
camest thou to be on this mountain, whereon never saw we any in our born
days?” I answered, “I am a gentleman[53] and a merchant, who hath been
wrecked and saved myself on one of the planks of the ship, with some of
my goods; and by the blessing of the Almighty and the decrees of Destiny
and my own strength and skill, after much toil and moil I have landed
with my gear in this place where I awaited some passing ship to take me
off.” So they took me in their boat together with the bundles I had made
of the jewels and valuables from the cavern, tied up in clothes and
shrouds, and rowed back with me to the ship, where the captain said to
me, “How camest thou, O man, to yonder place on yonder mountain behind
which lieth a great city? All my life I have sailed these seas and
passed to and fro hard by these heights; yet never saw I here any living
thing save wild beasts and birds.” I repeated to him the story I had
told the sailors,[54] but acquainted him with nothing of that which had
befallen me in the city and the cavern, lest there should be any of the
islandry in the ship. Then I took out some of the best pearls I had with
me and offered them to the captain, saying, “O my lord, thou hast been
the means of saving me off this mountain. I have no ready money; but
take this from me in requital of thy kindness and good offices.” But he
refused to accept it of me, saying, “When we find a shipwrecked man on
the sea-shore or on an island, we take him up and give him meat and
drink, and if he be naked we clothe him; nor take we aught from him;
nay, when we reach a port of safety, we set him ashore with a present of
our own money and entreat him kindly and charitably, for the love of
Allah the Most High.” So I prayed that his life be long in the land and
rejoiced in my escape, trusting to be delivered from my stress and to
forget my past mishaps; for every time I remembered being let down into
the cave with my dead wife I shuddered in horror. Then we pursued our
voyage and sailed from island to island and sea to sea, till we arrived
at the Island of the Bell, which containeth a city two days’ journey in
extent, whence after a six days’ run we reached the Island Kala, hard by
the land of Hind.[55] This place is governed by a potent and puissant
King and it produceth excellent camphor and an abundance of the Indian
rattan: here also is a lead mine. At last by the decree of Allah, we
arrived in safety at Bassorah-town where I tarried a few days, then went
on to Baghdad-city, and, finding my quarter, entered my house with
lively pleasure. There I foregathered with my family and friends, who
rejoiced in my happy return and gave me joy of my safety. I laid up in
my storehouses all the goods I had brought with me, and gave alms and
largesse to Fakirs and beggars and clothed the widow and the orphan.
Then I gave myself up to pleasure and enjoyment, returning to my old
merry mode of life. Such, then, be the most marvellous adventures of my
fourth voyage, but to-morrow if you will kindly come to me, I will tell
you that which befel me in my fifth voyage, which was yet rarer and more
marvellous than those which forewent it. And thou, O my brother Sindbad
the Landsman, shalt sup with me as thou art wont. (Saith he who telleth
the tale), When Sindbad the Seaman had made an end of his story, he
called for supper; so they spread the table and the guests ate the
evening meal; after which he gave the Porter an hundred dinars as usual,
and he and the rest of the company went their ways, glad at heart and
marvelling at the tales they had heard, for that each story was more
extraordinary than that which forewent it. The porter Sindbad passed the
night in his own house, in all joy and cheer and wonderment; and, as
soon as morning came with its sheen and shone, he prayed the dawn-prayer
and repaired to the house of Sindbad the Seaman, who welcomed him and
bade him sit with him till the rest of the company arrived, when they
ate and drank and made merry and the talk went round amongst them.
Presently, their host began the narrative of the fifth voyage——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the host began in
these words the narrative of
_THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SEAMAN_.
Know, O my brothers, that when I had been awhile on shore after my
fourth voyage; and when, in my comfort and pleasures and merry-makings
and in my rejoicing over my large gains and profits, I had forgotten all
I had endured of perils and sufferings, the carnal man was again seized
with the longing to travel and to see foreign countries and islands.[56]
Accordingly I bought costly merchandise suited to my purpose and, making
it up into bales, repaired to Bassorah, where I walked about the
river-quay till I found a fine tall ship, newly builded with gear unused
and fitted ready for sea. She pleased me; so I bought her and, embarking
my goods in her, hired a master and crew, over whom I set certain of my
slaves and servants as inspectors. A number of merchants also brought
their outfits and paid me freight and passage-money; then, after
reciting the Fatihah we set sail over Allah’s pool in all joy and cheer,
promising ourselves a prosperous voyage and much profit. We sailed from
city to city and from island to island and from sea to sea viewing the
cities and countries by which we passed, and selling and buying in not a
few till one day we came to a great uninhabited island, deserted and
desolate, whereon was a white dome of biggest bulk half buried in the
sands. The merchants landed to examine this dome, leaving me in the
ship; and when they drew near, behold, it was a huge Rukh’s egg. They
fell a-beating it with stones, knowing not what it was, and presently
broke it open, whereupon much water ran out of it and the young Rukh
appeared within. So they pulled it forth of the shell and cut its throat
and took of it great store of meat. Now I was in the ship and knew not
what they did; but presently one of the passengers came up to me and
said, “O my lord, come and look at the egg that we thought to be a
dome.” So I looked and seeing the merchants beating it with stones,
called out to them, “Stop, stop! do not meddle with that egg, or the
bird Rukh will come out and break our ship and destroy us.”[57] But they
paid no heed to me and gave not over smiting upon the egg, when behold,
the day grew dark and dun and the sun was hidden from us, as if some
great cloud had passed over the firmament.[58] So we raised our eyes and
saw that what we took for a cloud was the Rukh poised between us and the
sun, and it was his wings that darkened the day. When he came and saw
his egg broken, he cried a loud cry, whereupon his mate came flying up
and they both began circling about the ship, crying out at us with
voices louder than thunder. I called to the Rais and crew, “Put out to
sea and seek safety in flight, before we be all destroyed.” So the
merchants came on board and we cast off and made haste from the island
to gain the open sea. When the Rukhs saw this, they flew off and we
crowded all sail on the ship, thinking to get out of their country; but
presently the two re-appeared and flew after us and stood over us, each
carrying in its claws a huge boulder which it had brought from the
mountains. As soon as the he-Rukh came up with us, he let fall upon us
the rock he held in his pounces; but the master put about ship, so that
the rock missed her by some small matter and plunged into the waves with
such violence, that the ship pitched high and then sank into the trough
of the sea and the bottom of the ocean appeared to us. Then the she-Rukh
let fall her rock, which was bigger than that of her mate, and as
Destiny had decreed, it fell on the poop of the ship and crushed it, the
rudder flying into twenty pieces; whereupon the vessel foundered and all
and everything on board were cast into the main.[59] As for me I
struggled for sweet life, till Almighty Allah threw in my way one of the
planks of the ship, to which I clung and bestriding it, fell a-paddling
with my feet. Now the ship had gone down hard by an island in the midst
of the main and the winds and waves bore me on till, by permission of
the Most High, they cast me up on the shore of the island, at the last
gasp for toil and distress and half dead with hunger and thirst. So I
landed more like a corpse than a live man and throwing myself down on
the beach, lay there awhile, till I began to revive and recover spirits,
when I walked about the island and found it as it were one of the garths
and gardens of Paradise. Its trees, in abundance dight, bore ripe-yellow
fruit for freight; its streams ran clear and bright; its flowers were
fair to scent and to sight and its birds warbled with delight the
praises of Him to whom belong permanence and all-might. So I ate my fill
of the fruits and slaked my thirst with the water of the streams till I
could no more and I returned thanks to the Most High and glorified
Him;——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the Seaman
continued:—So when I escaped drowning and reached the island which
afforded me fruit to eat and water to drink, I returned thanks to the
Most High and glorified Him; after which I sat till nightfall, hearing
no voice and seeing none inhabitant. Then I lay down, well-nigh dead for
travail and trouble and terror, and slept without surcease till morning,
when I arose and walked about under the trees, till I came to the
channel of a draw-well fed by a spring of running water, by which well
sat an old man of venerable aspect, girt about with a waist-cloth[60]
made of the fibre of palm-fronds.[61] Quoth I to myself, “Haply this
Shaykh is of those who were wrecked in the ship and hath made his way to
this island.” So I drew near to him and saluted him, and he returned my
salam by signs, but spoke not; and I said to him, “O nuncle mine, what
causeth thee to sit here?” He shook his head and moaned and signed to me
with his hand as who should say, “Take me on thy shoulders and carry me
to the other side of the well-channel.” And quoth I in my mind, “I will
deal kindly with him and do what he desireth; it may be I shall win me a
reward in Heaven for he may be a paralytic.” So I took him on my back
and carrying him to the place whereat he pointed, said to him, “Dismount
at thy leisure.” But he would not get off my back and wound his legs
about my neck. I looked at them and seeing that they were like a
buffalo’s hide for blackness and roughness,[62] was affrighted and would
have cast him off; but he clung to me and gripped my neck with his legs,
till I was well-nigh choked, the world grew black in my sight and I fell
senseless to the ground like one dead. But he still kept his seat and
raising his legs drummed with his heels and beat harder than palm-rods
my back and shoulders, till he forced me to rise for excess of pain.
Then he signed to me with his hand to carry him hither and thither among
the trees which bore the best fruits; and if ever I refused to do his
bidding or loitered or took my leisure he beat me with his feet more
grievously than if I had been beaten with whips. He ceased not to signal
with his hand wherever he was minded to go; so I carried him about the
island, like a captive slave, and he bepissed and conskited my shoulders
and back, dismounting not night nor day; and whenas he wished to sleep
he wound his legs about my neck and leaned back and slept awhile, then
arose and beat me; whereupon I sprang up in haste, unable to gainsay him
because of the pain he inflicted on me. And indeed I blamed myself and
sore repented me of having taken compassion on him and continued in this
condition, suffering fatigue not to be described, till I said to myself,
“I wrought him a weal and he requited me with my ill; by Allah, never
more will I do any man a service so long as I live!” And again and again
I besought the Most High that I might die, for stress of weariness and
misery; and thus I abode a long while till, one day, I came with him to
a place wherein was abundance of gourds, many of them dry. So I took a
great dry gourd and, cutting open the head, scooped out the inside and
cleaned it; after which I gathered grapes from a vine which grew hard by
and squeezed them into the gourd, till it was full of the juice. Then I
stopped up the mouth and set it in the sun, where I left it for some
days, until it became strong wine; and every day I used to drink of it,
to comfort and sustain me under my fatigues with that froward and
obstinate fiend; and as often as I drank myself drunk, I forgot my
troubles and took new heart. One day he saw me drinking and signed to me
with his hand, as who should say, “What is that?” Quoth I, “It is an
excellent cordial, which cheereth the heart and reviveth the spirits.”
Then, being heated with wine, I ran and danced with him among the trees,
clapping my hands and singing and making merry; and I staggered under
him by design. When he saw this, he signed to me to give him the gourd
that he might drink, and I feared him and gave it him. So he took it
and, draining it to the dregs, cast it on the ground, whereupon he grew
frolicsome and began to clap hands and jig to and fro on my shoulders
and he made water upon me so copiously that all my dress was drenched.
But presently the fumes of the wine rising to his head, he became
helplessly drunk and his side-muscles and limbs relaxed and he swayed to
and fro on my back. When I saw that he had lost his senses for
drunkenness, I put my hand to his legs and, loosing them from my neck,
stooped down well-nigh to the ground and threw him at full length——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,
[Illustration]
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the Seaman
continued:—So I threw the devil off my shoulders, hardly crediting my
deliverance from him and fearing lest he should shake off his
drunkenness and do me a mischief. Then I took up a great stone from
among the trees and coming up to him smote him therewith on the head
with all my might and crushed in his skull as he lay dead drunk.
Thereupon his flesh and fat and blood being in a pulp, he died and went
to his deserts, The Fire, no mercy of Allah be upon him! I then
returned, with a heart at ease, to my former station on the sea-shore
and abode in that island many days, eating of its fruits and drinking of
its waters and keeping a look-out for passing ships; till one day, as I
sat on the beach, recalling all that had befallen me and saying, “I
wonder if Allah will save me alive and restore me to my home and family
and friends!” behold, a ship was making for the island through the
dashing sea and clashing waves. Presently, it cast anchor and the
passengers landed; so I made for them, and when they saw me all hastened
up to me and gathering round me questioned me of my case and how I came
thither. I told them all that had betided me, whereat they marvelled
with exceeding marvel and said, “He who rode on thy shoulder is called
the ‘Shaykh al-Bahr’ or Old Man of the Sea,[63] and none ever felt his
legs on neck and came off alive but thou; and those who die under him he
eateth: so praised be Allah for thy safety!” Then they set somewhat of
food before me, whereof I ate my fill, and gave me somewhat of clothes
wherewith I clad myself anew and covered my nakedness; after which they
took me up into the ship, and we sailed days and nights, till fate
brought us to a place called the City of Apes, builded with lofty
houses, all of which gave upon the sea and it had a single gate studded
and strengthened with iron nails. Now every night, as soon as it is dusk
the dwellers in this city used to come forth of the gates and, putting
out to sea in boats and ships, pass the night upon the waters in their
fear lest the apes should come down on them from the mountains. Hearing
this I was sore troubled remembering what I had before suffered from the
ape-kind. Presently I landed to solace myself in the city, but meanwhile
the ship set sail without me and I repented of having gone ashore, and
calling to mind my companions and what had befallen me with the apes,
first and after, sat down and fell a-weeping and lamenting. Presently
one of the townsfolk accosted me and said to me, “O my lord, meseemeth
thou art a stranger to these parts?” “Yes,” answered I, “I am indeed a
stranger and a poor one, who came hither in a ship which cast anchor
here, and I landed to visit the town; but when I would have gone on
board again, I found they had sailed without me.” Quoth he, “Come and
embark with us, for if thou lie the night in the city, the apes will
destroy thee.” “Hearkening and obedience,” replied I, and rising,
straightway embarked with him in one of the boats, whereupon they pushed
off from shore and anchoring a mile or so from the land, there passed
the night. At daybreak, they rowed back to the city and landing, went
each about his business. Thus they did every night, for if any tarried
in the town by night the apes came down on him and slew him. As soon as
it was day, the apes left the place and ate of the fruits of the
gardens, then went back to the mountains and slept there till nightfall,
when they again came down upon the city.[64] Now this place was in the
farthest part of the country of the blacks, and one of the strangest
things that befel me during my sojourn in the city was on this wise. One
of the company with whom I passed the night in the boat, asked me, “O my
lord, thou art apparently a stranger in these parts; hast thou any craft
whereat thou canst work?”; and I answered, “By Allah, O my brother, I
have no trade nor know I any handicraft, for I was a merchant and a man
of money and substance and had a ship of my own, laden with great store
of goods and merchandise; but it foundered at sea and all were drowned
excepting me who saved myself on a piece of plank which Allah vouchsafed
to me of His favour.” Upon this he brought me a cotton bag and giving it
to me, said, “Take this bag and fill it with pebbles from the beach and
go forth with a company of the townsfolk to whom I will give a charge
respecting thee. Do as they do and belike thou shalt gain what may
further thy return voyage to thy native land.” Then he carried me to the
beach, where I filled my bag with pebbles large and small, and presently
we saw a company of folk issue from the town, each bearing a bag like
mine, filled with pebbles. To these he committed me, commending me to
their care, and saying, “This man is a stranger, so take him with you
and teach him how to gather, that he may get his daily bread, and you
will earn your reward and recompense in Heaven.” “On our head and eyes
be it!” answered they and bidding me welcome, fared on with me till we
came to a spacious Wady, full of lofty trees with trunks so smooth that
none might climb them. Now sleeping under these trees were many apes,
which when they saw us rose and fled from us and swarmed up among the
branches; whereupon my companions began to pelt them with what they had
in their bags, and the apes fell to plucking of the fruit of the trees
and casting them at the folk. I looked at the fruits they cast at us and
found them to be Indian[65] or cocoa-nuts; so I chose out a great tree,
full of apes, and going up to it, began to pelt them with stones, and
they in return pelted me with nuts, which I collected, as did the rest;
so that even before I had made an end of my bagful of pebbles, I had
gotten great plenty of nuts; and as soon as my companions had in like
manner gotten as many nuts as they could carry, we returned to the city,
where we arrived at the fag-end of day. Then I went in to the kindly man
who had brought me in company with the nut-gatherers and gave him all I
had gotten, thanking him for his kindness; but he would not accept them,
saying, “Sell them and make profit by the price;” and presently he added
(giving me the key of a closet in his house), “Store thy nuts in this
safe place and go thou forth every morning and gather them as thou hast
done to-day, and choose out the worst for sale and supplying thyself;
but lay up the rest here, so haply thou mayst collect enough to serve
thee for thy return home.” “Allah requite thee!” answered I and did as
he advised me, going out daily with the cocoa-nut gatherers, who
commended me to one another and showed me the best-stocked trees.[66]
Thus did I for some time, till I had laid up great store of excellent
nuts, besides a large sum of money, the price of those I had sold. I
became thus at my ease and bought all I saw and had a mind to, and
passed my time pleasantly greatly enjoying my stay in the city, till, as
I stood on the beach, one day, a great ship steering through the heart
of the sea presently cast anchor by the shore and landed a company of
merchants, who proceeded to sell and buy and barter their goods for
cocoa-nuts and other commodities. Then I went to my friend and told him
of the coming of the ship and how I had a mind to return to my own
country; and he said, “‘Tis for thee to decide.” So I thanked him for
his bounties and took leave of him; then, going to the captain of the
ship, I agreed with him for my passage and embarked my cocoa-nuts and
what else I possessed. We weighed anchor——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the Seaman
continued:—So I left the City of the Apes and embarked my cocoa-nuts and
what else I possessed. We weighed anchor the same day and sailed from
island to island and sea to sea; and whenever we stopped, I sold and
traded with my cocoa-nuts, and the Lord requited me more than I erst had
and lost. Amongst other places, we came to an island abounding in
cloves[67] and cinnamon and pepper; and the country people told me that
by the side of each pepper-bunch groweth a great leaf which shadeth it
from the sun and casteth the water off it in the wet season; but, when
the rain ceaseth the leaf turneth over and droopeth down by the side of
the bunch.[68] Here I took in great store of pepper and cloves and
cinnamon, in exchange for cocoa-nuts, and we passed thence to the Island
of Al-Usirát,[69] whence cometh the Comorin aloes-wood and thence to
another island, five days’ journey in length, where grows the Chinese
lign-aloes, which is better than the Comorin; but the people of this
island[70] are fouler of condition and religion than those of the other,
for that they love fornication and wine-bibbing, and know not prayer nor
call to prayer. Thence we came to the pearl-fisheries, and I gave the
divers some of my cocoa-nuts and said to them, “Dive for my luck and
lot!” They did so and brought up from the deep bight[71] great store of
large and priceless pearls; and they said to me, “By Allah, O my master,
thy luck is a lucky!” Then we sailed on, with the blessing of Allah
(whose name be exalted!); and ceased not sailing till we arrived safely
at Bassorah. There I abode a little and then went on to Baghdad, where I
entered my quarter and found my house and foregathered with my family
and saluted my friends who gave me joy of my safe return, and I laid up
all my goods and valuables in my storehouses. Then I distributed alms
and largesse and clothed the widow and the orphan and made presents to
my relations and comrades; for the Lord had requited me fourfold that I
had lost. After which I returned to my old merry way of life and forgot
all I had suffered in the great profit and gain I had made. Such, then,
is the history of my fifth voyage and its wonderments, and now to
supper; and to-morrow, come again and I will tell you what befel me in
my sixth voyage; for it was still more wonderful than this. (Saith he
who telleth the tale), Then he called for food; and the servants spread
the table, and when they had eaten the evening-meal, he bade give
Sindbad the porter an hundred golden dinars and the Landsman returned
home and lay him down to sleep, much marvelling at all he had heard.
Next morning, as soon as it was light, he prayed the dawn-prayer; and,
after blessing Mohammed the Cream of all creatures, betook himself to
the house of Sindbad the Seaman and wished him a good day. The merchant
bade him sit and talked with him, till the rest of the company arrived.
Then the servants spread the table and when they had well eaten and
drunken and were mirthful and merry, Sindbad the Seaman began in these
words the narrative of
_THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SEAMAN_.
Know, O my brothers and friends and companions all, that I abode some
time, after my return from my fifth voyage, in great solace and
satisfaction and mirth and merriment, joyance and enjoyment; and I
forgot what I had suffered, seeing the great gain and profit I had made
till, one day, as I sat making merry and enjoying myself with my
friends, there came in to me a company of merchants whose case told
tales of travel, and talked with me of voyage and adventure and
greatness of pelf and lucre. Hereupon I remembered the days of my return
from abroad, and my joy at once more seeing my native land and
foregathering with my family and friends; and my soul yearned for travel
and traffic. So compelled by Fate and Fortune I resolved to undertake
another voyage; and, buying me fine and costly merchandise meet for
foreign trade, made it up into bales, with which I journeyed from
Baghdad to Bassorah. Here I found a great ship ready for sea and full of
merchants and notables, who had with them goods of price; so I embarked
my bales therein. And we left Bassorah in safety and good spirits under
the safeguard of the King, the Preserver.——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Sixtieth Night,