told them who she was, and how the Indian had carried her off against
her will. Then the leader of the horsemen, who was the Sultan of
Cashmere, ordered his men to cut off the Indian's head. But he placed
the Princess upon his horse and led her to his palace.
Now the Princess thought that her troubles were all at an end, but she
was much mistaken. The Sultan had no sooner seen her than he made up
his mind to marry her, and he ordered the wedding preparations to be
begun without loss of time.
In vain the Princess begged to be sent back to Persia. The Sultan only
smiled and fixed the wedding-day. Then when she saw that nothing would
turn him from his purpose, she thought of a plan to save herself. She
began talking all the nonsense she could think of and behaving as if
she were mad, and so well did she pretend, that the wedding was put
off, and all the doctors were called in to see if they could cure her.
But whenever a doctor came near the Princess she became so wild and
violent that he dared not even feel her pulse, so none of them
discovered that she was only pretending.
The Sultan was in great distress, and sent far and near for the
cleverest doctors. But none of them seemed to be able to cure the
Princess of her madness.
All this time the Prince of Persia was wandering about in search of
his Princess, and when he came to one of the great cities of India, he
heard every one talking about the sad illness of the Princess of
Bengal who was to have married the Sultan. He at once disguised
himself as a doctor and went to the palace, saying he had come to cure
the Princess.
The Sultan received the new doctor with joy, and led him at once to
the room where the Princess sat alone, weeping and wringing her hands.
"Your Majesty," said the disguised Prince, "no one else must enter the
room with me, or the cure will fail."
So the Sultan left him, and the Prince went close to the Princess, and
gently touched her hand.
"My beloved Princess," he said, "dost thou not know me?"
As soon as the Princess heard that dear voice she threw herself into
the Prince's arms, and her joy was so great that she could not speak.
"We must at once plan our escape," said the Prince. "Canst thou tell
me what has become of the Enchanted Horse?"
"Naught can I tell thee of it, dear Prince," answered the Princess,
"but since the Sultan knows its value, no doubt he has kept it in some
safe place."
"Then first we must persuade the Sultan that thou art almost cured,"
said the Prince. "Put on thy costliest robes and dine with him
to-night, and I will do the rest."
The Sultan was charmed to find the Princess so much better, and his
joy knew no bounds when the new doctor told him that he hoped by the
next day to complete the cure.
"I find that the Princess has somehow been infected by the magic of
the Enchanted Horse," he said. "If thou wilt have the horse brought
out into the great square, and place the Princess upon its back, I
will prepare some magic perfumes which will dispel the enchantment.
Let all the people be gathered together to see the sight, and let the
Princess be arrayed in her richest dress and decked with all her
jewels."
So next morning the Enchanted Horse was brought out into the crowded
square, and the Princess was mounted upon its back. Then the disguised
Prince placed four braziers of burning coals round the horse and threw
into them a perfume of a most delicious scent. The smoke of the
perfume rose in thick clouds, almost hiding the Princess, and at that
moment the Prince leaped into the saddle behind her, turned the peg,
and sailed away into the blue sky.
But as he swept past the Sultan, he cried aloud, "Sultan of Cashmere,
next time thou dost wish to wed a Princess, ask her first if she be
willing to wed thee."
So this was the manner in which the Prince of Persia carried off the
Princess of Bengal for the second time. The Enchanted Horse never
stopped until it had carried them safely back to Persia, and there
they were married amid great rejoicings.
But what became of the Enchanted Horse? Ah! that is a question which
no one can answer.
III
SINDBAD THE SAILOR
In the city of Bagdad, far away in Persia, there lived a poor man
called Hindbad. He was a porter, and one hot afternoon, as he was
carrying a very heavy load, he stopped to rest in a quiet street near
a beautiful house which he had never seen before. The pavement outside
was sprinkled with rose-water, which felt very cool and pleasant to
his hot, weary feet, and from the open windows came the most delicious
scents which perfumed all the air.
Hindbad wondered who lived in this beautiful house, and presently he
went up to one of the splendidly dressed servants, who was standing at
the door, and asked to whom it belonged. The servant stared in
amazement.
"Dost thou indeed live in Bagdad and knowest not my master's name?" he
said. "He is the great Sindbad the Sailor, the man who has sailed all
round the world, and who has had the most wonderful adventures under
the sun."
Now Hindbad had often heard of this wonderful man and of his great
riches, and as he looked at the beautiful palace and saw the
splendidly dressed servants it made him feel sad and envious. As he
turned away sighing, to take up his load again, he looked up into the
blue sky, and said aloud:
"What a difference there is between this man's lot and mine. He has
all that he wants, and nothing to do but to spend money and enjoy a
pleasant life, while I have to work hard to get dry bread enough to
keep myself and my children alive. What has he done that he should be
so lucky, and what have I done that I should be so miserable?"
Just then one of the servants touched him on the shoulder, and said to
him: "My noble master wishes to see thee, and has bidden me fetch thee
to him."
The poor porter was frightened at first, for he thought some one might
have overheard what he had been saying, but the servant took his arm
and led him into the great dining-hall. There were many guests seated
round the table, on which was spread a most delicious feast, and at
the head of the table sat a grave, stately old man with a long white
beard. This was Sindbad the Sailor. He smiled kindly on poor
frightened Hindbad, and made a sign that he should come and sit at his
right hand. Then all the most delicious things on the table were
offered by the servants to Hindbad, and his glass was filled with the
choicest wine, so that he began to feel it must all be a dream.
But when the feast was over Sindbad turned to him and asked him what
it was he had been saying outside the window just before he came in.
Then Hindbad was very much ashamed, and hung his head as he answered:
"My lord, I was tired and ill-tempered, and I said foolish words,
which I trust thou wilt now pardon."
"Oh," replied Sindbad, "I am not so unjust as to blame thee. I am
indeed only sorry for thee. But thou wert wrong in thinking that I
have always led an easy life, and that these riches came to me without
trouble or suffering. I have won them by years of toil and danger."
Then turning to his other guests he said, "Yes, my friends, the tale
of my adventures is enough to warn every one of you never to go in
search of wealth. I have never told you the story of my voyages, but
if you will listen I will begin this very night."
So the servants were ordered to carry home the porter's load, that he
might stay in Sindbad's palace that evening and listen to the story.
"My father left me a great deal of money when I was a young man, but I
spent it so quickly and foolishly that I began to see it would soon
all be gone. This made me stop and think, for I did not like the idea
of being poor. So I counted up all the money that remained, and made
up my mind that I would trade with it. I joined a company of
merchants, and we set sail in a good ship, meaning to go from place to
place, and sell or exchange our goods at whatever towns we stopped.
And so began my first voyage.
"For the first few days I could think of nothing but the heaving of
the waves; but by and by I began to feel better, and never again was I
at all unhappy upon the sea. One afternoon, when the wind had suddenly
dropped and we were lying becalmed, we found ourselves near a little
low green island, which looked like a meadow, and only just showed
above the sea. The captain of the ship gave us permission to land, and
presently we were all enjoying ourselves on the green meadow. We
walked about for some time and then sat down to rest, and some of us
set to work to light a fire, that we might make our evening meal.
"But scarcely had the fire begun to burn, when we heard loud shouts
from the ship warning us to come back at once, for what we had taken
to be an island was indeed the back of a sleeping whale. My companions
all rushed to the boats, but before I could follow them the great
monster dived down and disappeared, leaving me struggling in the
water.
"I clung to a piece of wood which we had brought from the ship to make
the fire, and I could only hope that I would soon be picked up by my
companions. But alas! there was so much confusion on board that no one
missed me, and as a wind sprang up the captain set sail, and I was
left alone at the mercy of the waves.
"All night long I floated, and when morning came I was so tired and
weak that I thought I must die. But just then a great wave lifted me
up and threw me against the steep side of an island, and to my joy I
managed to climb the cliff and rest on the green grass above.
"Soon I began to feel better, and as I was very hungry I went to look
for something to eat. I found some plants which tasted good, and a
spring of clear water, and having made a good meal, I walked about the
island to see what I would find next.
"Before long I came to a great meadow where a horse was tied, and as I
stood looking at it, I heard men's voices which sounded as if they
came from under the earth. Then from an underground cave a man
appeared, who asked me who I was and where I came from. He took me
into the cave where his companions were, and they told me they were
the grooms belonging to the King of the island, whose horses they
brought to feed in the meadow. They gave me a good meal, and told me
it was very lucky that I had come just then, for next day, they meant
to return to their master, and would show me the way, which I could
never have found for myself.
"So we set off together early next morning, and when we reached the
city I was very kindly received by the King. He listened to the story
of my adventures, and then bade his servants see that I wanted for
nothing.
"As I was a merchant I took great interest in the shipping, and often
went down to the quay to see the boats unload. One day when I was
looking over a cargo which had just been landed, what was my
astonishment to see a number of bales with my own name marked on them.
I went at once to the captain and asked him who was the owner of these
bales of goods.
"'Ah!' replied the captain, 'they belonged to a merchant of Bagdad
called Sindbad. But he, alas! perished in a dreadful way soon after we
sailed, for with a number of people belonging to my ship he landed on
what looked like a green island, but which was really the back of a
great sleeping whale. As soon as the monster felt the warmth of the
fire which they had lighted on his back, he woke up and dived below
the sea. Many of my men were drowned, and among them poor Sindbad. Now
I mean to sell his goods that I may give the money to his relations
when I find them.'
"'Captain,' said I, 'these bales are mine, for I am that Sindbad who
thou sayest was drowned.'
"'What wickedness there is in the world,' cried the captain. 'How
canst thou pretend to be Sindbad when I saw him drowned before my
eyes?'
"But presently, when I had told him all that had happened to me, and
when the other merchants from the ship knew me to be the true Sindbad,
he was overjoyed, and ordered that the bales should be at once given
to me.
"Now I was able to give the King a handsome present, and after I had
traded with my goods for sandal-wood, nutmegs, ginger, pepper and
cloves, I set sail once more with the kind old captain. On the way
home I was able to sell all my spices at a good price, so that when I
landed I found I had a hundred thousand sequins.
"My family were delighted to see me again, and I soon bought some land
and built a splendid house, in which I meant to live happily and
forget all the troubles through which I had passed."
Here Sindbad ended the story of his first voyage. He ordered the music
to strike up and the feast to go on, and when it was over he gave the
poor porter Hindbad a hundred gold pieces and told him to come back at
the same time next evening if he wished to hear the tale of the second
voyage.
Hindbad went joyfully home, and you can imagine how happy the poor
family were that night.
Next evening he set out once more for Sindbad's house, dressed in his
best clothes. There he enjoyed a splendid supper as before, and when
it was over Sindbad said:
"I was very happy for some time at home, but before long I began to
grow weary of leading an idle life. I longed to be upon the sea again,
to feel the good ship bounding over the waves, and to hear the wind
whistling through the rigging.
"So I set to work at once and bought all kinds of goods that I might
sell again in foreign lands, and then, having found a suitable ship, I
set sail with other merchants, and so began my second voyage.
"We stopped at many places, and sold our goods at a great profit, and
all went well until one day when we landed on a new island. It was a
most beautiful place, fair as the garden of Eden, where exquisite
flowers made a perfect rainbow of color and delicious fruits hung in
ripe clusters above.
"Here, under the shadow of the tree, I sat down to rest and to feast
my eyes upon all the loveliness around. I ate the food I had brought
with me, drank my wine, and then closed my eyes. The soft music of the
stream which flowed close by was like a song in my ears, and, before I
knew what I was doing, I fell asleep.
"I cannot tell how long I slept, but when at last I opened my eyes, I
could not see my companions anywhere, and when I looked towards the
sea, to my horror I found the ship was gone. It was sailing away, a
white speck in the distance, and here was I, left alone upon this
desert island. I cried aloud and wrung my hands with grief, and wished
with all my heart that I had stayed safely at home. But what was the
use of wishing that now?
"So I climbed into a high tree, and looked around to see if I could by
any means find a way of escape from the island. First I looked towards
the sea, but there was no hope for me there, and then I turned and
looked inland. The first thing that caught my eye was a huge white
dome, that seemed to rise from the center of the island, unlike
anything I had ever seen before.
"I climbed down the tree, and made my way towards the white dome as
quickly as I could, but when I reached it, it puzzled me more than
ever. It was like a great smooth ball, much too slippery to climb, and
into it there was no door or entrance of any sort. I walked round and
round it, wondering what it could be, when suddenly a dark shadow fell
upon everything and it grew black as night.
"I gazed upwards in great fear, and knew that the shadow was cast by a
great bird with outspread wings hovering over the place where I stood
and shutting out heaven's light. As I looked, it suddenly came
swooping down, and sat upon the white dome.
"Then it flashed into my mind that this must be the bird which I had
heard sailors talk of, called a roc, and the smooth white ball must be
its egg.
"Quick as thought, I unbound my turban, and twisted it into a rope.
Then I wound it round and round my waist, and tied the two ends
tightly round the roc's leg, which was close to where I stood.
"'It will fly away soon, and carry me away with it off this desert
island,' I said to myself joyfully.
"And sure enough, before very long I felt myself lifted off the
ground, and carried up and up until it seemed as if we had reached the
clouds. Then the huge bird began to sink down again, and when it
reached the ground I quickly untied my turban, and set myself free.
"I was so small, compared to the roc, that it had never even noticed
me, but darted off towards a great black object lying near, which it
seized with its beak and carried off. Imagine my horror when I looked
again and saw other dark objects, and discovered that they were great
black snakes.
"Here was I, in a deep valley, with mountains rising sheer up on every
side, and nothing to be seen among the rocks but those terrible black
snakes.
"'Oh!' I cried, 'why did I ever try to leave the desert island? I have
indeed only come into worse misfortune.'
"As I looked around, I noticed that the ground was strewn with
sparkling stones, which seemed to quiver with light, and when I looked
nearer, I found they were diamonds of extraordinary size, although
lying about like common pebbles. At first I was delighted, but they
soon ceased to please me, for I feared each moment I might be seized
by one of the terrible snakes.
"These snakes were so large that they could easily have swallowed an
elephant, and although they lay quiet during the day, and hid
themselves for fear of the roc, at night they came out in search of
food. I managed to find a cave among the rocks before nightfall, and
there I sat in fear and trembling until morning, when I once more went
out into the valley.
"As I sat thinking what I should do next, I saw a great piece of raw
meat come bounding down into the valley, from rock to rock. Then
another piece followed, and another, until several large pieces lay at
my feet.
"Then I remembered a tale which travelers had told me about the famous
Diamond Valley. They said that every year, when the young eagles were
hatched, merchants went to the heights above, and rolled down great
pieces of raw meat into the valley. The diamonds on which the meat
fell would often stick into the soft flesh, and then when the eagles
came, and carried off the meat to feed their young ones, the merchants
would beat them off their nests, and take the diamonds out of the
meat.
"I had never believed this wonderful tale, but now indeed I knew it to
be true, and felt sure that I was in the famous Diamond Valley.
"I had quite given up all hope of escape, for there was no possible
way of climbing out of the valley, but as I watched the eagles carry
off the lumps of raw meat, I thought of a plan, and hope revived.
"First of all I searched around, and filled all my pockets with the
biggest diamonds I could find. Then I chose out the largest piece of
meat and fastened myself securely to it, with the rope made out of my
turban. I knew that the eagles would soon come for more food, so I lay
flat on the ground, with the meat uppermost, and holding on tightly, I
waited for what would happen next. I had not long to wait before a
gigantic eagle came swooping down. It seized the meat and carried it
and me swiftly up, until it reached its nest high among the mountain
rocks. And no sooner had it dropped me into the nest, than a man
climbed out from behind the rock, and with loud cries frightened the
eagle away. Then this man, who was the merchant to whom the nest
belonged, came eagerly to look for his piece of meat. When he saw me,
he started back in surprise and anger.
"'What doest thou here?' he asked roughly. 'How dost thou dare to try
and steal my diamonds?'
"'Have patience,' I answered calmly, 'I am no thief, and when thou
hast heard my story thou wilt pity and not blame me. As for diamonds,
I have some here which will more than make up to thee for thy
disappointment.'
"Then I told him and the other merchants all my adventures, and they
cast up their eyes to heaven in surprise at my courage, and the
wonderful manner in which I had managed to escape so many dangers.
Pulling out a handful of diamonds, I then passed the precious stones
round among them, and they all declared them to be the finest they had
ever seen.
"'Thou shalt choose one, to make up for thy disappointment,' I said to
the merchant who had found me.
"'I will choose this small one,' he replied, picking out one of the
least of the glistening heap.
"I urged him to take a larger one, but he only shook his head.
"'This one will bring me all the wealth I can desire,' he said, 'and I
need no longer risk my life seeking for more.'
"Then we all set off for the nearest port, where we found a ship ready
to carry us home. We had many adventures on the way, but at last we
reached our journey's end, and when I had sold my diamonds, I had so
much money that I gave a great deal to the poor, and lived in even
greater splendor than before."
Here Sindbad paused, and ordered that another hundred gold pieces
should be given to Hindbad, and that he should depart. But next
evening when the guests had all assembled and Hindbad had also
returned, Sindbad began once more to tell them a story of his
adventures.
"This time," began Sindbad, "I stayed at home for the space of a whole
year, and then I prepared to set out on another voyage. My friends and
relations did all in their power to prevent my going, but I could not
be persuaded, and before long I set sail in a ship which was about to
make a very long voyage.
"Nothing went well with us from the beginning. We were driven out of
our course by storms and tempests, and the captain and pilot knew not
where we were. When at last they found out in which direction we had
drifted, things seemed in a worse state than ever. We were alarmed to
see the captain suddenly pull off his turban, tear the hair from his
beard, and beat his head as if he were mad.
"'What is the matter?' we asked, gathering round him.
"'Alas!' he cried, 'we are lost. The ship is now caught in a dangerous
current from which nothing can save her and us. In a very few moments
we shall all be dashed to pieces.'
"No sooner had he spoken than the ship was carried along at a
tremendous speed straight on to a rocky shore which lay at the foot of
a steep mountain.
"But although the ship was dashed to pieces, we all managed to escape,
and were thrown with our goods and some provisions high on to the
rocky strip of shore. Here we found the scattered remains of many
wrecks, and quantities of bones bleached white in the sun.
"'We may prepare ourselves for death,' said the captain mournfully.
'No man has ever escaped from this shore, for it is impossible to
climb the mountain behind us, and no ship dare approach to save us.'
"But nevertheless he divided the provisions among us, that we might
live as long as possible.
"One thing that surprised me greatly was a river of fresh water which
flowed out of the mountain, and, instead of running into the sea,
disappeared into a rocky cavern on the other side of the shore. As I
gazed into the mouth of this cavern I saw that it was lined with
sparkling gems, and that the bed of the river was studded with rubies
and diamonds and all manner of precious stones. Great quantities of
these were also scattered around, and treasures from the wrecked ships
lay in every corner of the shore.
"One by one my companions died as they came to the end of their food,
and one by one I buried them, until at last I was left quite alone. I
was able to live on very little, and so my food had lasted longer.
"'Woe is me!' I cried, 'who shall bury me when I die? Why, oh! why was
I not content to remain safe and happy at home?'
"As I bemoaned my evil fate I wandered to the banks of the river, and
as I watched it disappear into the rocky cave a happy thought came to
me. Surely if this stream entered the mountain it must have an opening
somewhere, and if I could only follow its course I might yet escape.
"Eagerly I began to make a strong raft of the wood and planks which
were scattered all over the shore. Then I collected as many diamonds
and rubies and as much wrecked treasure as my raft would hold, and
took my last little store of food. I launched the raft with great
care, and soon found myself floating swiftly along until I disappeared
into the dark passage of the cavern.
"On and on I went through the thick darkness, the passage seeming to
grow smaller and narrower until I was obliged to lie flat on the raft
for fear of striking my head. My food was now all gone, and I gave
myself up for lost, and then mercifully I fell into a deep sleep which
must have lasted many hours. I was awakened by the sound of strange
voices, and jumping up, what was my joy to find I was once more in
heaven's sunshine.
"The river was flowing gently through a green, pleasant land, and the
sounds I had heard were the voices of a company of negroes who were
gently guiding my raft to the bank.