THE STORY OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR.

His First Voyage.

My father left me a considerable estate, most part of which I

spent in debauches during my youth; but I perceived my error, and

called to mind that riches were perishable, and quickly

considered, that by my irregular way of living, I wretchedly

misspent my time, which is the most valuable thing in the world.

I remembered the saying of the great Solomon, which I frequently

heard from my father, that death is more tolerable than poverty.

Being struck with those reflections, I gathered together the

ruins of my estate, and sold all my moveables in the public

market to the highest bidder. Then I entered into a contract with

some merchants that traded by sea, took the advice of those whom

I thought most capable to give it, and resolving to improve what

money I had, went to Balsora, a port in the Persian gulph, and

embarked with several merchants, who joined with me in fitting

out a ship on purpose.

We set sail, steering our course towards the East Indies through

the Persian gulph, which is formed by the coasts of Arabia Felix

on the right, by those of Persia on the left, and, according to

common account, is seventy leagues in the broadest place. The

eastern sea, like that of the Indies, is very spacious. It is

bounded on one side by the coast of Abyssinia, and 4500 leagues

in length to the isles of Vakvak[Footnote: These islands,

according; to the Arabians, are beyond China: and are so called

from a tree which bears a fruit of that name. They are, without

doubt, the isles of Japan; but they are not, however, so far from

Abyssinia.]. At first I was troubled with sea-sickness, but

speedily recovered, and was not afterwards troubled with that

disease.

In our voyage we touched at several islands, where we sold or

exchanged our goods. One day, whilst under sail, we were becalmed

near a little island, even almost with the surface of the water,

which resembled a green meadow. The captain ordered his sails to

be furled, and suffered such persons as had a mind to land upon

the island, amongst whom I was one. But while we were diverting

ourselves with eating and drinking, and refreshing ourselves from

the fatigue of the sea, the island trembled all of a sudden, and

shook us terribly. They perceived the trembling of the island on

board the ship, and called to us to re-embark speedily, else we

should be all lost; for what we took for an island was only the

back of a whale. The nimblest got into the sloop, others betook

themselves to swimming; but, for my part, I was still upon the

back of the whale, when he dived into the sea, and I had time

only to catch hold of a piece of wood that we had brought out of

the ship to make a fire. Meanwhile the captain, having received

those on board who were in the sloop, and taken up some of those

that swam, resolved to improve the favourable gale that was just

risen, and, hoisting his sails, pursued his voyage, so that it

was impossible to recover the ship. Thus was I exposed to the

mercy of the waves, and struggled for my life all the rest of the

day and the following night. Next morning I found my strength

gone, and despaired of saving my life, when a wave threw me

happily against an island. The bank was high and rugged, so that

I should scarcely have got up, had it not been for some roots of

trees which fortune seemed to have preserved in this place for my

safety. Being got up, I lay down upon the ground half dead, until

such time as the sun appeared. Then, though I was very feeble,

both by reason of my hard labour and want of victuals, I crept

along to seek for some herbs fit to eat, and had not only the

good luck to find some, but likewise a spring of excellent water,

which contributed much to recover me. After this I advanced

further into the island, and came at last into a fine plain,

where I perceived a horse feeding at a great distance. I went

towards him between hope and fear, not knowing whether I was

going to lose my life or to save it. When I came near, I

perceived it to be a very fine mare tied to a stake. Whilst I

looked upon her, I heard the voice of a man from under ground,

who immediately appeared to me, and asked who I was? I gave him

an account of my adventure; after which, taking me by the hand,

he led me into a cave, where there were several other people, no

less amazed to see me than I was to see them. I ate some victuals

which they offered me; and then, having asked them what they did

in such a desert place, they answered, that they were grooms

belonging to King Mihrage, sovereign of the island; and that

every year, at the same season, they brought thither the king's

mares, and fastened them as I saw that mare, until they were

covered by a horse that came out of the sea, who, after he had

done so, endeavoured to destroy the mares, but they hindered him

by their noise, and obliged him to return to the sea; after which

they carried home the mares, whose foals were kept for the king's

use, and called sea-horses. They added, that we were to get home

to-morrow, and had I been one day later, I must have perished,

because the inhabited part of the island was at a great distance,

and it would have been impossible for me to have got thither

without a guide.

Whilst they entertained me thus, the horse came out of the sea,

as they had told me, covered the mare, and afterwards would have

devoured her; but, upon a great noise made by the grooms, he left

her, and went back to the sea.

Next morning they returned with their mares to the capital of the

island, took me with them, and presented me to King Mihrage. He

asked me who I was, and by what adventure I came into his

dominions? After I had satisfied him, he told me he was much

concerned for my misfortune, and at the same time ordered that I

should want nothing; which his officers were so generous and

careful as to see exactly fulfilled.

Being a merchant, I frequented men of my own profession, and

particularly inquired for those who were strangers, if perhaps I

might hear any news from Bagdad, or find an opportunity to return

thither; for King Mihrage's capital is situate on the bank of the

sea, and has a fine harbour, where ships arrive daily from

different quarters of the world. I frequented also the society of

the learned Indians, and took delight to hear them discourse; but

withal I took care to make my court regularly to the king, and

conversed with the governors and petty kings, his tributaries,

that were about him. They asked me a thousand questions about my

country; and being willing to inform myself as to their laws and

customs, I asked them every thing which I thought worth knowing.

There belongs to this king an island named Cassel; they assured

me, that every night a noise of drums was heard there, whence the

mariners fancied that it was the residence of Degial [Footnote:

Degial, to the Mahometans, is the same with antichrist to us.

According to them, he is to appear about the end of the world,

and will conquer all the earth, except Mecca, Medina, Tarsus, and

Jerusalem, which are to be preserved by angels, whom he shall set

round them.]. I had a great mind to see this wonderful place, and

in my way thither saw fishes of an hundred and two hundred cubits

long, that occasion more fear than hurt; for they are so fearful,

that they will fly upon the rattling of two sticks or boards. I

saw likewise other fishes about a cubit in length, that had heads

like owls.

As I was one day at the port after my return, a ship arrived. As

soon as she cast anchor, they began to unload her, and the

merchants on board ordered their goods to be carried into the

magazine. As I cast my eye upon some bales, and looked to the

name I found my own, and perceived the bales to be the same that

I had embarked at Balsora. I also knew the captain; but, being

persuaded that he believed me to be drowned, I went and asked him

whose bales these were? He replied, that they belonged to a

merchant of Bagdad, called Sindbad, who came to sea with him; but

one day, being near an island, as we thought, he went ashore,

with several other passengers, upon this supposed island, which

was only a monstrous whale that lay asleep upon the surface of

the water; but as soon as he felt the heat of the fire they had

kindled upon his back to dress some victuals, he began to move,

and dived under water, when most of the persons who were upon him

perished, and among them the unfortunate Sindbad. These bales

belong to him, and I am resolved to trade with them, until I meet

with some of his family, to whom I may return the profit.

Captain, says I, I am that Sindbad whom you thought to be dead,

and these bales are mine. When the captain heard me speak thus, O

heaven, says he, whom can we ever trust now-a-days? There is no

faith left among men. I saw Sindbad perish with my own eyes, and

the passengers on board saw it as well as I, and yet you tell me

that you are that Sindbad? What impudence is this? To look on

you, one would take you to be a man of probity; and yet you tell

a horrible falsehood, in order to possess yourself of what does

not belong to you. Have patience, captain, replied I; do me the

favour to hear what I have to say. Very well, says he, speak; I

am ready to hear you. Then I told him how I escaped, and by what

adventure I met with the grooms of King Mihrage, who brought me

to his court.

The captain began to abate of his confidence upon my discourse,

and was soon persuaded that I was no cheat; for there came people

from his ship who knew me, made me great compliments, and

testified a great deal of joy to see me alive. At last he knew me

himself, and embracing me, Heaven be praised, says he, for your

happy escape! I cannot enough express my joy for it; there are

your goods, take and do with them what you will. I thanked him,

acknowledged his probity, and in requital offered him part of my

goods as a present, which he generously refused. I took out what

was most valuable in my bales, and presented it to King Mihrage,

who, knowing my misfortune, asked me how I came by such rarities?

I acquainted him with the whole story. He was mightily pleased at

my good luck, accepted my present, and gave me one much more

considerable in return. Upon this, I took leave of him, and went

on board the same ship, after I had exchanged my goods for the

commodities of the country. I carried with me the wood of aloes,

sanders, camphire, nutmegs, cloves, pepper, and ginger. We passed

by several islands, and at last arrived at Balsora, from whence I

came to this city, with the value of one hundred thousand

sequins[Footnote: The Turkish sequin is about nine shillings

sterling.]. My family and I received one another with all the

transport that can arise from true and sincere friendship. I

bought slaves of both sexes, fine lands, and built me a great

house. Thus I settled myself, resolving to forget the miseries I

had suffered, and to enjoy the pleasures of life.

Sindbad stopped here, and ordered the musicians to go on with

their concert, which his story had interrupted. The company

continued to eat and drink until the evening, when it was time to

retire. Sindbad sent for a purse of one hundred sequins, and,

giving it to the porter, says, Take this, Hindbad, return to your

home, and come back to-morrow to hear some more of my adventures.

The porter went home, astonished at the honour done him, and the

present made him. The relation of it was very agreeable to his

wife and children, who did not fail to return God thanks for what

he had sent them by the hands of Sindbad. Hindbad put on his best

clothes next day, and returned to the bountiful traveller, who

received him with a pleasant air, and caressed him mightily. When

all the guests were come, dinner was set upon the table, and

continued a long time. When it was ended, Sindbad, addressing

himself to the company, says, Gentlemen, be pleased to give me

audience, and listen to the adventures of my second voyage; they

better deserve your attention than the first. Upon this, every

one held his peace, and Sindbad proceeded:

The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor.

I intended, after my first voyage, to spend the rest of my days

at Bagdad, as I had the honour to tell you yesterday; but it was

not long ere I grew weary of a quiet life. My inclination to

travel revived. I bought goods proper for the commerce I

designed, and put to sea a second time with merchants of known

probity. We embarked on board a good ship, and, after

recommending ourselves to God, set sail: We traded from island to

island, and exchanged commodities with great profit. One day we

landed upon an isle covered with several sorts of fruit-trees,

but so deserted that we could see neither man nor horse upon it.

We went to take a little fresh air in the meadows, and along the

streams that watered them. Whilst some diverted themselves with

gathering flowers, and others with gathering fruits, I took my

wine and provisions, and sat down by a stream betwixt two great

trees which formed a curious shade. I made a very good meal, and

afterwards fell asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept, but, when

I awaked, the ship was gone. I was very much surprised, but got

up, looking about every where, and could not see one of the

merchants who landed with me. At last I perceived the ship under

sail, but at such a distance, that I lost sight of her in a very

little time.

I leave you to guess at my melancholy reflections in this sad

condition, I was like to die of grief, cried out sadly, beat my

head and breast, and threw myself down upon the ground, where I

lay some time in terrible agony, one afflicting thought being

succeeded by another still more afflicting. I upbraided myself an

hundred times for not being content with the product of my first

voyage, that might very well have served me all my life. But all

this was vain, and my repentance out of season. At last I

resigned myself to the will of God; and, not knowing what to do,

I climbed to the top of a great tree, from whence I looked about

on all sides to see if there were any thing that could give me

hopes. When I looked towards the sea, I could see nothing but sky

and water; but, on looking towards the land, I saw something

white; coming down from the tree I took up what provisions I had

left, and went towards it, the distance being so great that I

could not distinguish what it was.

When I came nearer, I thought it to be a white bowl, of a

prodigious height and bigness; and when I came up to it, I

touched it, and found it to be very smooth. I went round to see

if it was open on any side, but saw it was not, and it was so

smooth that there was no climbing to the top of it. It was at

least fifty paces round.

By this time the sun was ready to set, and all of a sudden the

sky became as dark as if it had been covered with a thick cloud.

I was much astonished at this sudden darkness, but much more when

I found it occasioned by a bird of monstrous size, that came

flying towards me. I remembered a fowl called *roc, that I had

often heard mariners speak of, and conceived that the great bowl,

which I so much admired, must needs be its egg. In short, the

bird lighted, and sat over the egg to hatch it. As I perceived

her coming, I crept close to the egg, so that I had before me one

of the legs of the bird, that was as big as the trunk of a tree;

I tied myself strongly to it with the cloth that went round my

turban, in hopes that when the roc[Footnote: Mark Paul in his

Travels, and Father Martini in his History of China, speak each

of this bird, and say it will take up an elephant and a

rhinoceros.] flew away next morning, she would carry me with her

out of this desert island. After having passed the night in this

condition, the bird actually flew away next morning as soon as it

was day, and carried me so high that I could not see the earth;

she afterwards descended all of a sudden, and with so much

rapidity, that I lost my senses. But when the roc was sat, and I

found myself on the ground, I speedily untied the knot, and had

scarcely done so, when the bird, having taken up a serpent of a

monstrous length in her bill, flew straight away. The place where

it left me was a very deep valley, encompassed on all sides with

mountains so high, that they seemed to reach above the clouds,

and so full of steep rocks, that there was no possibility to get

out of the valley. This was a new perplexity upon me; so that,

when I compared this place with the desert island the roc brought

me from, I found that I had gained nothing by the change.

As I walked through this valley, I perceived that it was strewed

with diamonds, some of which were of a surprising bigness. I took

a great deal of pleasure to look upon them, but speedily saw at a

distance such objects as very much diminished my satisfaction,

and which I could not look upon without terror; there were a

great number of serpents, so big, and so long, that the least of

them was capable of swallowing an elephant. They retired in the

day-time to their dens, where they hid themselves from the roc,

their enemy, and did not come out but in the night-time. I spent

the day in walking about the valley, resting myself at times, in

such places as I thought most commodious. When night came on, I

went into a cave, where I thought I might be in safety; I stopped

the mouth of it, which was low and straight, with a great stone,

to preserve me from the serpents, but not so exactly fitted as to

hinder light from coming in. I supped on part of my provisions;

but the serpents, which began to appear, hissing about in the

mean time, put me into such extreme fear, that you may easily

imagine I did not sleep. When day appeared, the serpents retired,

and I came out of the cave trembling; I can truly say, that I

walked a long time upon diamonds, without having a mind to touch

any of them. At last I sat down, and, notwithstanding my

uneasiness, not having shut my eyes during the night, I fell

asleep, after having ate a little more of my provisions. But I

had scarcely shut my eyes, when something that fell by me with a

great noise awakened me, and this was a great piece of fresh

meat; at the same time I saw several others fall down from the

rocks in different places.

I always looked upon it to be a fable, when I heard mariners and

others discourse of the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagems

made use of by some merchants to get jewels from thence; but I

found it to be true; for, in reality, those merchants come to the

neighbourhood of this valley when the eagles have young ones, and

throwing great joints of meat into it, the diamonds upon whose

points they fall stick to them: The eagles, which are stronger in

this country than any where else, fall down with great force upon

these pieces of meat, and carry them to their nests upon the top

of the rocks, to feed their young ones with; at which time the

merchants, running to these nests, frighten the eagles by their

noise, and take away the diamonds that stick to the meat. And

this stratagem they made use of to get the diamonds out of the

valley, which is surrounded with such precipices that nobody can

enter it. I believed, till then, that it was not possible for me

to get out of this abyss,which I looked upon as my grave; but

then I changed my mind, for the falling in of those pieces of

meat put me in hopes of a way to save my life. I began to gather

together the greatest diamonds I could see, and put them into a

leather bag in which I used to carry my provisions. I afterwards

took the largest piece of meat I could find, tied it close round

me with the cloth of my turban, and then laid myself upon the

ground with my face downward, the bag of diamonds being tied fast

to my girdle, so that it could not possibly drop off. I had

scarcely laid me down when the eagles came; each of them seized a

piece of meat, and one of the strongest having taken me up with

the piece of meat on my back, carried me to his nest on the top

of the mountain. The merchants fell straightway a-shooting to

frighten the eagles; and when they had forced them to quit their

prey, one of them came up to the nest where I was: He was very

much afraid when he saw me; but recovering himself, instead of

inquiring how I came hither, he began to quarrel with me, and

asked why I stole his goods? You will treat me, replied I, with

more civility, when you know me better. Do not trouble yourself;

I have diamonds enough for you and me too, more than all the

merchants together. If they have any, it is by chance; but I

chose myself, in the bottom of the valley, all those which you

see in this bag; and, having spoken these words, I showed him

them. I had scarcely done speaking, when the other merchants came

trooping about us, very much astonished to see me; but they were

much more surprised when I told them my story; yet they did not

so much admire my stratagem to save myself, as my courage to

attempt it. They carried me to the place where they staid all

together, and there having opened my bag, they were surprised at

the largeness of my diamonds, and confessed, that in all the

courts where they had been, they never saw any that came near

them. I prayed the merchant, to whom the nest belonged whither I

was carried, (for every merchant had his own,) to take as many

for his share as he pleased: He contented himself with one, and

that too the least of them; and when I pressed him to take more

without fear of doing me any injury, No, says he, I am very well

satisfied with this, which is valuable enough to save me the

trouble of making any more voyages, and to raise as great a

fortune as I desire.

I spent the night with these merchants, to whom I told my story a

second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it.

I could not moderate my joy, when I found myself delivered from

the danger I have mentioned; I thought myself to be in a dream,

and could scarcely believe myself to be out of danger. The

merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for

several days; and each of them being satisfied with the diamonds

that had fallen to his lot, we left the place next morning all

together, and travelled near high mountains, where there were

serpents of a prodigious length, which we had the good fortune to

escape. We took the first port, and came to the isle of Ropha,

where trees grow that yield camphire. This tree is so large, and

its branches so thick, that a hundred men may easily sit under

its shade. The juice, of which the camphire is made, runs out

from a hole bored in the upper part of the tree, is received in a

vessel, where it grows to a consistency, and becomes what we call

camphire; and the juice being thus drawn out, the tree withers

and dies. There is here also the rhinoceros, a creature less than

the elephant, but greater than the buffalo: it has a horn upon

its nose about a cubit long; which is solid, and cleft in the

middle from one end to the other, and there are upon it white

draughts, representing the figure of a man. The rhinoceros fights

with the elephant, runs his horn into his belly, and carries him

off upon his head; but the blood and the fat of the elephant

running into his eyes, and making him blind, he falls to the

ground; and, what is astonishing, the roc comes and carries them

both away in her claws, to be meat for her young ones.

I pass over many other things peculiar to this island, lest I

should be troublesome to you. Here I exchanged some of my

diamonds for good merchandise. From thence we went to other

isles; and at last, having traded at several trading towns off

the firm land, we lauded at Balsora, from whence I went to

Bagdad. There I immediately gave great alms to the poor, and

lived honourably upon the vast riches I had brought, and gained

with so much fatigue. Thus Sindbad ended the story of his second

voyage, gave Hindbad another hundred sequins, and invited him to

come next day to hear the story of the third. The rest of the

guests returned to their homes, and came again the next day

at--the same hour; and certainly the porter did not fail, having

almost forgotten his former poverty. When dinner was over,

Sindbad demanded attention, and gave them the following account

of his third voyage.

Sindbad the Sailor's Third Voyage.

The pleasures of the life which I then led soon made me forget

the risks I had run in my two former voyages; but being then in

the flower of my age, I grew weary of living without business;

and hardening myself against the thoughts of any danger I might

incur, I went from Bagdad with the richest commodities of the

country to Balsora. There I embarked again with other merchants.

We made a long navigation, and touched at several ports, where we

drove a considerable commerce. One day being out in the main

ocean, we were attacked by a horrible tempest, which made us lose

our course. The tempest continued several days, and brought us

before the port of an island, which the captain was very

unwilling to enter; but we were obliged to cast anchor there.

When we had furled our sails, the captain told us, that this and

some other neighbouring islands were inhabited by hairy savages,

who would speedily attack us; and though they were but dwarfs,

yet our misfortune was such, that we must make no resistance, for

they were more in number than the locusts; and if we happened to

kill one of them, they would all fall upon us and destroy us.

This discourse of the captain put the whole equipage into a great

consternation, and we found very soon, to our cost, that what he

had told us was too true; an innumerable multitude of frightful

savages, covered over with red hair, and about two feet high,

came swimming towards us, and encompassed our ship in a little

time. They spoke to us as they came near, but we understood not

their language; they climbed up the sides of the ship with so

much agility as surprised us. We beheld all this with fear,

without daring to offer at defending ourselves, or to speak one

word to divert them from their mischievous design. In short, they

took down our sails, cut the cable, and, hauling to the shore,

made us all get out, and afterwards carried the ship into another

island from whence they came. All travellers carefully avoided

that island where they left us, it being very dangerous to stay

there, for a reason you shall hear anon; but we were forced to

bear our affliction with patience. We went forward into the

island, where we found some fruits and herbs to prolong our lives

as long as we could; but we expected nothing but death. As we

went on, we perceived at a distance a great pile of building, and

made towards it. We found it to be a palace, well built and very

high, with a gate of ebony of two leaves, which we thrust open.

We entered the court, where we saw before us a vast apartment,

with a porch, having on one side a heap of men's bones, and on

the other a vast number of roasting spits. We trembled at this

spectacle, and being weary with travelling, our legs failed under

us, we fell to the ground, and lay a long time immoveable. The

sun was set, and whilst we were in this lamentable condition the

gate of the apartment opened with a great noise, and there came

out the horrible figure of a black man, as high as a palm-tree.

He had but one eye, and that in the middle of his forehead, where

it looked as red as burning coal. His foreteeth were very long

and sharp, and came without his mouth, which was deep like that

of a horse. His upper lip hung down upon his breast. His ears

resembled those of an elephant, and covered his shoulders; and

his nails were as long and crooked as the talons of the greatest

birds.

At last we came to ourselves, and saw him sitting in the porch

looking at us: when he had considered us well, he advanced

towards us, and laying his hand upon me, he took me up by the

nape of the neck, turned me round as a butcher would do a sheep's

head; and, after having viewed me well, and perceiving me to be

so lean that I had nothing but skin and bone, he let me go. He

took up all the rest one by one, viewing them in the same manner:

and the captain being the fattest, he held him with one hand, as

I would do a sparrow, and thrusting a spit through him, kindled a

great fire, and roasted him in his apartment for supper; which

being done, he returned to the porch, where he lay and fell

asleep, snoring louder than thunder: he slept thus till morning;

for our parts, it was not possible for us to enjoy any rest, so

that we passed the night in the most cruel fear that can be

imagined. Day being come, the giant awaked, got up, went out, and

left us in the palace. When we thought him at a distance, we

broke the melancholy silence we had kept all night; and, every

one grieving more than another, we made the palace resound with

our complaints and groans. Though there were a great many of us,

and we had but one enemy, we had not at first the presence of

mind to think of delivering ourselves from him by his death. This

enterprise, however, though hard to put in execution, was the

only design we ought naturally to have formed. We thought upon

several other things, but determined nothing; so that, submitting

to what it should please God to order concerning us, we spent the

day in running about the island for fruit and herbs to sustain

our lives. When evening came, we sought for a place to lie in,

but found none; so that we were forced, whether we would or not,

to return to the palace.

The giant failed not to come back, and supped once more upon one

of our companions; after which he slept and snored till day, and

then went out and left us as formerly. Our condition was so very

terrible, that some of my comrades designed to throw themselves

into the sea, rather than die so strange a death; and those who

were of this mind argued with the rest to follow their example.

Upon this, one of the company answered, that we were forbidden to

destroy ourselves; but, allowing it to be lawful, it was more

reasonable to think of a way to rid ourselves of the barbarous

tyrant who designed so cruel a death for us. Having thought of a

project for that end, I communicated the same to my comrades, who

approved it. Brethren, said I, you know there is a great deal of

timber floating upon the coast; if you will be advised by me, let

us make several floats of it that may carry us, and, when they

are done, leave them there till we think fit to make use of them.

In the mean time we will execute the design to deliver ourselves

from the giant; and, if it succeed, we may stay here with

patience till some ship pass by that may carry us out of this

fatal island; but, if it happen to miscarry, we may speedily get

to our floats, and put to sea. I confess, that, by exposing

ourselves to the fury of the waves, we run a risk of losing our

lives; but, if we do, is it not better to be buried in the sea

than in the entrails of this monster, who has already devoured

two of us? My advice was relished, and we made floats capable of

carrying three persons each.

We returned to the palace towards evening, and the giant arrived

a little while after. We were forced to submit to see a number of

our comrades roasted; but at last revenged ourselves on the

brutish giant thus. After he had made an end of his cursed

supper, he lay down on his back, and fell asleep. As soon as we

heard him snore[Footnote: It would seem the Arabian author has

taken this story from Homer's Odyssey.] according to his custom,

nine of the boldest among us, with myself, took each a spit, and

putting the points of them into the fire till they were burning

hot, we thrust them into his eye all at once, and blinded him.

The pain occasioned him to make a frightful cry, and to get up

and stretch out his hands, in order to sacrifice some of us to

his rage; but we ran to such places as he could not find us; and,

after having sought for us in vain, he groped for the gate, and

went out howling dreadfully. We went out of the palace after the

giant, and came to the shore, where we had left our floats, and

put them immediately into the sea. We waited till day, in order

to get upon them, in case the giant came towards us with any

guide of his own species; but we hoped, if he did not appear by

sun-rise, and give over his howling which we still heard, that he

would die; and if that happened to be the case, we resolved to

stay in the island, and not to risk our lives upon the floats.

But day had scarcely appeared when we perceived our cruel enemy,

accompanied with two others, almost of the same size, leading

him; and a great number more coming before him with a very quick

pace. When we saw this, we made no delay, but got immediately

upon our floats, and rowed off from the shore. The giants, who

perceived this, took up great stones, and running to the shore,

entered the water up to the middle, and threw so exactly, that

they sunk all the floats but that I was upon; and all my

companions, except the two with me, were drowned. We rowed with

all our might, and got out of the reach of the giants. When we

got to sea, however, we were exposed to the mercy of the waves

and the winds, tossed about sometimes on one side and sometimes

on another, and spent that night and the following day under a

cruel uncertainty as to our fate; but next morning we had the

good luck to be thrown upon an island, where we landed with much

joy. We found excellent fruit there that gave us great relief, so

that we pretty well recovered our strength. In the evening we

fell asleep on the bank of the sea, but were awaked by the noise

of a serpent as long as a palmtree, whose scales made a rustling

as he creeped along. He swallowed up one of my comrades,

notwithstanding his loud cries, and the efforts he made to rid

himself of the serpent; which, shaking him several times against

the ground, crushed him, and we could hear him gnaw and tear the

poor wretch's bones, when we had fled at a great distance from

him. Next day we saw the serpent again, to our great terror, when

I cried out, O Heaven, to what dangers are we exposed! We

rejoiced yesterday at our having escaped from the cruelty of a

giant, and the rage of the waves, and now are fallen into another

danger equally as terrible.

As we walked about, we saw a large tall tree, upon which we

intended to pass the following night for our security; and,

having satisfied our hunger with fruit, we mounted it

accordingly. A little while after, the serpent came hissing to

the root of the tree, raised itself up against the trunk of it,

and meeting with my comrade, who sat lower than I, swallowed him

at once, and went off; I staid upon the tree till it was day, and

then came down, more like a dead man than one alive, expecting

the same fate with my two companions. This filled me with horror,

so that I was going to throw myself into the sea; but as nature

prompts us to a desire to live as long as we can, I withstood

this temptation to despair, and submitted myself to the will of

God, who disposes of our lives at pleasure.

In the mean time I gathered together a quantity of small wood,

brambles, and dry thorns, and making them up into faggots, made a

great circle with them round the tree, and tied some of them to

the branches over my head. Having done this, when the evening

came, I shut myself up within the circle, with this melancholy

piece of satisfaction, that I had neglected nothing which could

preserve me from the cruel destiny with which I was threatened.

The serpent failed not to come at the usual hour, and went round

the tree, seeking for an opportunity to devour me, but was

prevented by the rampart I had made; so that he sat till day,

like a cat watching in vain for a mouse, that has retired to a

place of safety. When day appeared, he retired, but I dared not

leave my fort until the sun rose. I was fatigued with the toil he

had put me to, and suffered so much by his poisonous breath, that

death seemed more eligible to me than the horror of such a

condition. I came down from the tree and, not thinking on the

resignation I had made to the will of God the preceding day, I

ran towards the sea with a design to throw myself headlong into

it. God took compassion on my desperate state; for, just as I was

going to throw myself, into the sea, I perceived a ship at a

considerable distance. I called as loud as I could, and taking

the linen from my turban, displayed it so as they might observe

me. This had the desired effect; the crew perceived me, and the

captain sent me his boat. As soon as I came on board, the

merchants and seamen flocked about me to learn how I came into

that desert island; and after I had told them all that befell me,

the oldest among them said to me, they had several times heard of

the giants that dwelt in that island; that they were cannibals,

and ate men raw as well as roasted. As to the serpents, they

added, that there were abundance in the isle, that they hid

themselves by day, and came abroad at night.

After having testified their joy at my escaping so many dangers,

they brought me the best of what they had to eat; and the

captain, seeing that I was in rags, was so generous as to give me

one of his own suits. We were at sea for some time, touched at

several islands, and at last landed at that of Salabat, where

grows sanders, a wood of great use in physic. We entered the

port, and came to anchor. The merchants began to unload their

goods, in order to sell or exchange them. In the meantime the

captain came to me, and said, Brother, I have here a parcel of

goods that belonged to a merchant, who sailed some time on board

this ship; and he being dead, I design to dispose of them for the

benefit of his heirs, when I know them. The bales he spoke of lay

on the deck; and showing them to me, he says, There are the

goods; I hope you will take care to sell them, and you shall have

factorage. I thanked him for giving me an opportunity to employ

myself, because I hated to be idle. The clerk of the ship took an

account of all the bales, with the names of the merchants to whom

they belonged; and when he asked the captain in whose name he

should enter those he gave me the charge of, Enter them, says the

captain, in the name of Sindbad the sailor. I could not hear

myself named without some emotion; and looking steadfastly on the

captain, I knew him to be the person who, in my second voyage,

had left me in the island, where I fell asleep by a brook, and

set sail without me, or sending to see for me. But I could not

remember him at first, he being so much altered since I saw him.

As for him, who believed me to be dead, I could not wonder at his

not knowing me. But captain, says I, was the merchant's name, to

whom those bales belonged, Sindbad? Yes, replies he, that was his

name; he came from Bagdad, and embarked on board my ship at

Balsora. One day when we landed at an island to take in water and

other refreshments, I know not by what mistake, I set sail

without observing that he did not re- embark with us; neither I

nor the merchants perceived it till four hours after. We had the

wind in our stern, and so fresh a gale, that it was not then

possible for us to tack about for him. You believe him then to be

dead, said I? Certainly answered he. No, captain, said I; look

upon me, and you may know that I am Sindbad, whom you left in the

desert island: I fell asleep by a brook, and, when I awaked, I

found all the company gone. At these words the captain looked

steadfastly upon me; and, having considered me attentively, knew

me at last, embraced me, and said, God be praised that fortune

has supplied my defect. There are your goods, which I always took

care to preserve, and to make the best of them at every port

where I touched. I restore them to you, with the profit I have

made on them. I took them from him, and at the same time

acknowledged how much I owed to him.

From the isle of Salabat we went to another, where I furnished

myself with cloves, cinnamon, and other spices. As we sailed from

the island, we saw a tortoise that was twenty cubits in length

and breadth. We observed also a fish which looked like a crow,

and gave milk, and its skin is so hard that they usually make

bucklers of it. I saw another which had the shape and colour of a

camel. In short, after a long voyage, I arrived at Balsora, and

from thence returned to this city of Bagdad, with so great

riches, that I knew not what I had. I gave a great deal to the

poor, and added another great estate to those I had already.

Thus Sindbad finished the history of his third voyage; gave

another hundred sequins to Hindbad, and invited him to dinner

next day, to hear the history of his fourth voyage. Hindbad and

the company retired: and next day when they returned, Sindbad,

after dinner, continued the relation of his adventures.

The Fourth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor.

The pleasure, says he, and the divertisements I took after my

third voyage, had not charms enough to divert me from another. I

was again prevailed upon by my passion for traffic, and curiosity

to see new things. I therefore put my affairs in order, and

having provided a stock of goods fit for the places I designed to

trade, I set out on my journey. I took the way of Persia, of

which I travelled several provinces, and then arrived at a port,

where I embarked. We set sail, and having touched at several

ports of Terra Firma, and some of the eastern islands, we put out

to sea, and were seized by such a sudden gust of wind, as obliged

the captain to furl his sails, and to take all other necessary

precautions, to prevent the danger that threatened us; but all

was in vain; our endeavours took no effect; the sails were torn

in a thousand pieces, and the ship was stranded, so that a great

many of the merchants and seamen were drowned, and the cargo

lost. I had the good fortune, with several of the merchants and

mariners, to get a plank, and we were carried by the current to

an island which lay before us. There we found fruit and fountain

water, which preserved our lives. We staid all night near the

place where the sea cast us ashore, without consulting what we

should do, our misfortune having dispirited us so much.

Next morning, as soon as, the sun was up, we walked from the

shore, and, advancing into the island, saw some houses to which

we went; and as soon as we came thither, we were encompassed by a

great number of blacks, who seized us, shared us amongst them,

and carried us to their respective habitations. I, and five of my

comrades, were carried to one place: they made us sit down

immediately, and gave us a certain herb, which they made signs

for us to eat. My comrades, not taking notice that the blacks ate

none of it themselves, consulted only the satisfying their own

hunger, and fell to eating with greediness. But I, suspecting

some trick, would not so much as taste it, which happened well

for me; for in a little time after I perceived my companions had

lost their senses, and that when they spoke to me, they knew not

what they said. The blacks filled us afterwards with rice,

prepared with oil of cocoas; and my comrades, who had lost their

reason, ate of it greedily. I ate of it also, but very sparingly.

The blacks gave us that herb at first on purpose to deprive us of

our senses, that we might not be aware of the sad destiny

prepared for us; and they gave us rice on purpose to fatten us;

for, being cannibals, their design was to eat us as soon as we

grew fat. They accordingly ate my comrades, who were not sensible

of their condition; but my senses being entire, you may easily

guess, gentlemen, that instead of growing fat, like the rest, I

grew leaner every day. The fear of death, under which I laboured,

turned all my food into poison. I fell into a languishing

distemper, which proved my safety; for the blacks having killed

and eaten my companions, seeing me to be withered, lean, and

sick, deferred my death till another time.

Meanwhile I had a great deal of liberty, so that there was

scarcely any notice taken of what I did; and this gave me an

opportunity one day to get at a distance from the houses, and to

make my escape. An old man who saw me, and suspected my design,

called to me as loud as he could to return; but, instead of

obeying him, I redoubled my pace, and, quickly got out of sight.

At that time there was none but an old man about the houses, the

rest being abroad, and not to come home till night, which was

pretty usual with them. Therefore, being sure that they could not

come time enough to pursue me, I went on till night, when I

stopped to rest a little, and to eat some of the provisions I had

taken care of; but I speedily set forward again, and travelled

seven days, avoiding those places which seemed to be inhabited,

and lived for the most part upon cocoa nuts, which served me both

for meat and drink. On the eighth day I came near the sea, and

saw all of a sudden white people like myself gathering pepper, of

which there was great plenty in that place; this I took to be a

good omen, and went to them without any scruple. The people who

gathered pepper came to meet me, and, as soon as they saw me,

asked me in Arabic, who I was, and whence I came? I was overjoyed

to hear them speak in my own language, and willingly satisfied

their curiosity by giving them an account of my shipwreck, and

how I fell into the hands of the blacks. Those blacks, replied

they, eat men; but by what miracle did you escape their cruelty?

I told them the same story I now told you, at which they were

wonderfully surprised. I staid with them till they had gathered

their quantity of pepper, and then sailed with them to the island

from whence they came. They presented me to their king, who was a

good prince: He had the patience to hear the relation of my

adventures, which surprised him; and he afterwards gave me

clothes, and commanded care to be taken of me. The island was

very well peopled, plentiful of everything, and the capital was a

place of great trade. This agreeable place of retreat was very

comfortable to me after my misfortune, and the kindness of this

generous prince towards me completed my satisfaction. In a word,

there was not a person more in favour with him than myself, and

by consequence every man in court and city sought how to oblige

me; so that in a very little time I was looked upon rather as a

native than a stranger. I observed one thing which to me appeared

very extraordinary; all the people, the king himself not

excepted, rode their horses without bridles or stirrups. This

made me one day take the liberty to ask the king how that came to

pass. His majesty answered, that I talked to him of things which

nobody knew the use of in his dominions. I went immediately to a

workman, and gave him a model for making the stock of a saddle.

When that was done, I covered it myself with velvet and leather,

and embroidered it with gold. I afterwards went to a locksmith,

who made me a bridle according to the pattern I showed him, and

then he also made me some stirrups. When I had all things

completed, I presented them to the king, and put them upon one of

his horses. His majesty mounted immediately, and was so mightily

pleased with them, that he testified his satisfaction by large

presents to me. I could not avoid making several others for his

ministers and principal officers of his household, who all of

them made me presents that enriched me in a little time. I also

made for the people of quality in the city, so that I gained

great reputation and regard from everybody.

As I made my court very exactly to the king, he says to me one

day, Sindbad, I love thee; and all my subjects, who know thee,

treat thee according to my example. I have one thing to demand of

thee, which thou must grant. Sir, answered I, there is nothing

but what I will do as a mark of my obedience to your majesty,

whose power over me is absolute. I have a mind thou shouldst

marry, replies he, that thou mayst stay in my dominions, and

think no more of thy own country. I dared not resist the prince's

will, and he gave me one of the ladies of his court, a noble,

beautiful, chaste, and rich lady. The ceremonies of marriage

being over, I went and dwelt with the lady, and for some time we

lived in perfect harmony. I was not, however, very well satisfied

with my condition, and therefore designed to make my escape on

the first occasion, and to return to Bagdad, winch my present

establishment, however advantageous, could not make me forget.

While I was thinking on this, the wife of one of my neighbours,

with whom I had contracted a very strict friendship, fell sick

and died. I went to see and comfort him in his affliction; and

finding him swallowed up with sorrow, I said to him as soon as I

saw him, God preserve you, and grant you a long life. Alas!

replies he, how do you think I should obtain that favour you wish

me? I have not above an hour to live. Pray, says I, do not

entertain such a melancholy thought; I hope it will not be so,

but that I shall enjoy your company for many years. I wish you,

says he, a long life; but for me, my days are at an end, for I

must be buried this day with my wife. This is a law which our

ancestors established in this land, and always observed it

inviolably. The living husband is interred with the dead wife,

and the living wife with the dead husband. Nothing can save me;

every one must submit to this law. While he was entertaining me

with an account of this barbarous custom, the very hearing of

which frightened me cruelly, his kindred, friends, and

neighbours, came in a body to assist at the funeral. They put on

the corpse the woman's richest apparel, as if it had been her

wedding-day, and dressed her with all her jewels; then they put

her into an open coffin, and, lifting it up, began their march to

the place of burial. The husband walked at the head of the

company, and followed the corpse. They went up to an high

mountain, and, when they came thither, took up a great stone,

which covered the mouth of a very deep pit, and let down the

corpse with all its apparel and jewels. Then the husband,

embracing his kindred and friends, suffered himself to be put

into another open coffin without resistance, with a pot of water

and seven little loaves, and was let down in the same manner as

his wife. The mountain was pretty long, and reached to the sea.

The ceremony being ever, they covered the hole again with the

stone, and returned.

It is needless, gentlemen, for me to tell you that I was the only

melancholy spectator of this funeral; whereas the rest were

scarcely moved at it, the thing being customary to them. I could

not forbear speaking my thoughts of this matter to the king: Sir,

says I, I cannot enough admire the strange custom in this country

of burying the living with the dead. I have been a great

traveller, and seen many countries, but never heard of so cruel a

law. What do you mean, Sindbad? says the king; it is a common

law. I shall be interred with the queen my wife, if she die

first. But, sir, says I, may I presume to demand of your majesty,

if strangers be obliged to observe this law? Without doubt,

replies the king, (smiling at the occasion of my question,) they

are not exempted, if they be married in this island. I went home

very melancholy at this answer, from fear of my wife dying first,

and lest I should be interred alive with her, which occasioned me

very mortifying reflections. But there was no remedy; I must have

patience, and submit to the will of God. I trembled, however, at

every little indisposition of my wife: but, alas! in a little

time my fears came upon me all at once; for she fell sick, and

died in a few days. You may judge of my sorrow: to be interred

alive seemed to me as deplorable an end as to be devoured by

cannibals. But I must submit; the king and all his court would

honour the funeral with their presence, and the most considerable

people of the city would do the like. When all was ready for the

ceremony, the corpse was put into a coffin, with all the jewels

and magnificent apparel. The cavalcade was begun; and, as second

actor in this doleful tragedy, I went next the corpse, with my

eyes full of tears, bewailing my deplorable fate. Before I came

to the mountain, I made an essay on the minds of the spectators;

I addressed myself to the king in the first place, and then to

all those who were round me, and, bowing before them to the earth

to kiss the border of their garments, I prayed them to have

compassion upon me. Consider, said I, that I am a stranger, and

ought not to be subject to this rigorous law, and that I have

another wife and children in my own country[Footnote: He was a

Mahometan, and this sect allows polygamy.]. It was to no purpose

for me to speak thus, for no soul was moved at it; on the

contrary, they made haste to let down my wife's corpse into the

pit, and put me down the next moment in an open coffin, with a

vessel full of water, and seven loaves. In short, the fatal

ceremony being performed, they covered up the mouth of the pit,

notwithstanding the excess of my grief, and my lamentable cries.

As I came near the bottom, I discovered, by help of the little

light that came from above, the nature of this subterraneous

place; it was a vast long cave, and might be about fifty fathoms

deep. I immediately felt an insufferable stench, proceeding from

the multitude of dead corpses which I saw on the right and left;

nay, I fancied that I heard some of them sigh out their last.

However, when I got down, I immediately left my coffin, and

getting at a distance from the corpse, held my nose, and lay down

upon the ground, where I staid a long time, bathed in tears. Then

reflecting upon my sad lot, It is true, said I, that God disposes

all things according to the decrees of his providence; but, poor

Sindbad, art not thou thyself the cause of being brought to die

so strange a death? Would to God thou hadst perished in some of

those tempests which thou hast escaped; then thy death would not

have been so lingering and terrible in all its circumstances. But

thou hast drawn all this upon thyself by thy cursed avarice. Ah,

unfortunate wretch! shouldst thou not rather have staid at home,

and quietly enjoyed the fruits of thy labour?

Such were the vain complaints with which I made the cave to echo,

beating my head and stomach out of rage and despair, and

abandoning myself to the most afflicting thoughts. Nevertheless,

I must tell you, that instead of calling death to my assistance

in that miserable condition, I felt still an inclination to live,

and to do all I could to prolong my days. I went groping about,

with my nose stopped, for the bread and water that was in my

coffin, and took some of it. Though the darkness of the cave was

so great that I could not distinguish day and night, yet I always

found my coffin again, and the cave seemed to be more spacious

and fuller of corpses than it appeared to be at first. I lived

for some days upon my bread and water; which being all spent, at

last I prepared for death. As I was thinking of death, I heard

the stone lifted from the mouth of the cave, and immediately the

corpse of a man was let down. When men are reduced to necessity,

it is natural for them to come to extreme resolutions. While they

let down the woman, I approached the place where her coffin was

to be put, and as soon as I perceived they were covering the

mouth of the cave, I gave the unfortunate wretch two or three

great blows over the head with a large bone that I found; which

stunned, or, to say the truth, killed her. I committed this

horrid action merely for the sake of the bread and water that

were in her coffin, and thus I had provisions for some days more.

When that was spent, they let down another dead woman, and a

living man; I killed the man in the same manner; and, as good

luck would have it for me, there was then a sort of mortality in

the town, so that by this means I did not want for provisions.

One day, as I had despatched another woman, I heard something

walking, and blowing or panting as it walked. I advanced towards

that side from whence I heard the noise, and, upon my approach,

the thing puffed and blew harder, as if it had been running away

from me. I followed the noise, and the thing seemed to stop

sometimes, but always fled and blew as I approached. I followed

it so long and so far, that at last I perceived a light

resembling a star: I went on towards the light, and sometimes

lost sight of it, but always found it again; and at last

discovered that it came through a hole in the rock, large enough

for a man to get out at. Upon this, I stopped for some time to

rest myself, being much fatigued with pursuing this discovery so

fast: Afterwards coming up to the hole, I went out at it, and

found my self upon the banks of the sea. I leave you to guess at

the excess of my joy; it was such, that I could scarcely persuade

myself of its being real. But when I recovered from my surprise,

and was convinced of the truth of the matter, I found the thing

which I had followed, and heard puff and blow, to be a creature

which came out of the sea, and was accustomed to enter at that

hole to feed upon the dead carcases. I considered the mountain,

and perceived it to be situate betwixt the sea and the town, but

without any passage or way to communicate with the latter, the

rocks on the side of the sea being rugged and steep. I fell down

upon the shore to thank God for his mercy, and afterwards entered

the cave again to fetch bread and water, which I did by daylight,

with a better appetite than I had done since my interment in the

dark hole. I returned thither again, and groped about among the

biers for all the diamonds, rubies, pearls, gold, bracelets, and

rich stuffs I could find; these I brought to the shore, and tying

them up neatly into bales with the cords that let down the

coffins, I laid them together upon the bank, waiting till some

ship passed by, without any fear of rain, for it was not then the

season. After two or three days, I perceived a ship that had but

just come out of the harbour, and passed near the place where I

was. I made signs with the linen of my turban, and called to them

as loud as I could: they heard me, and sent a boat to bring me on

board. When the mariners asked by what misfortune I came thither,

I told them that I suffered shipwreck two days ago, and made

shift to get ashore with the goods they saw. It was happy for me

that these people did not consider the place where I was, nor

inquire into the probability of what I told them, but, without

any more ado, took me on board with my goods. When I came to the

ship, the captain was so well pleased to have saved me, and so

much taken up with his own affairs, that he also took the story

of my pretended shipwreck upon trust, and generously refused some

jewels which I offered him.

We passed by several islands, and, among others, that called the

isle of Bells, about ten days sail from Serendib, with a regular

wind, and six from that of Kela, where we landed. This island

produces lead mines, Indian canes, and excellent camphire. The

king of the isle of Kela is very rich and potent, and the isle of

Bells[Footnote: Now Ceylon.], which is about two days journey in

extent, is also subject to him. The inhabitants are so barbarous,

that they still eat human flesh. After we had finished our

commerce in that island, we put to sea again, and touched at

several other ports, and at last arrived happily at Bagdad with

infinite riches, of which it is needless to trouble you with the

detail. Out of thankfulness to God for his mercies, I gave great

alms for the entertainment of several mosques, and for the

subsistence of the poor, and employed myself wholly in enjoying

my kindred and friends, making good cheer with them.

Here Sindbad finished the relation of his fourth voyage, which

was more surprising to the company than all the three former. He

gave a new present of a hundred sequins to Hindbad, whom he

prayed to return next day at the same hour to dine with him, and

to hear the story of his fifth voyage. Hindbad and the rest of

his guests took leave of him, and retired. Next day, when all

met, they sat down at table; and when dinner was over, Sindbad

began the relation of his fifth voyage.

The Fifth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor.

The pleasures I enjoyed had charms enough again to make me forget

all the troubles and calamities I had undergone, without curing

me of my inclination to make new voyages; therefore I bought

goods, ordered them to be packed and loaded, and set out with

them for the best sea-ports; and there, that I might not be

obliged to depend upon a captain, but have a ship at my own

command, I staid till one was built on purpose at my own charge.

When the ship was ready, I went on board with my goods; but, not

having enough to load her, I took on board several merchants of

different nations with their merchandise. We sailed with the

first fair wind, and, after a long navigation, the first place we

touched at was a desert island, where we found the egg of a roc,

equal in bigness to that I formerly mentioned. There was a young

roc in it just ready to be hatched, and the bill of it began to

appear. The merchants whom I had taken on board my ship, and who

landed with me, broke the egg with hatches, and made a hole in

it, from whence they pulled out the young roc, piece after piece,

and roasted it. I had earnestly dissuaded them from meddling with

the egg, but they would not listen to me. Scarcely had they made

an end of their treat, when there appeared in the air, at a

considerable distance from us, two great clouds. The captain,

whom I hired to sail my ship, knowing by experience what it

meant, cried that it was the he and the she roc that belonged to

the young one, and pressed us to re-embark with all speed, to

prevent the misfortune which he saw would otherwise befall us. We

made haste to do so, and set sail with all possible diligence. In

the mean time the two rocs approached with a frightful noise,

which they redoubled when they saw the egg broken, and their

young one gone. But, having a mind to avenge themselves, they

flew back towards the place from whence they came; and

disappeared for some time, while we made all the sail we could to

prevent that which unhappily befell us. They returned, and we

observed that each of them carried between their talons stones,

or rather 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, who turned the ship with

the rudder, it missed us, and falling by the side of the ship

into the sea, divided the water so that we could almost see to

the bottom. The other roc, to our misfortune, threw the stone so

exactly upon the middle of the ship, that it split it in a

thousand pieces. The mariners and passengers were all killed by

the stone, or sunk. I myself had the last fate; but as I came up

again, I caught hold, by good fortune, of a piece of the wreck;

and swimming sometimes with one hand, and sometimes with the

other, but always holding fast my board, the wind and the tide

being for me, I came to an island whose banks were very steep; I

overcame that difficulty, however, and got ashore. I sat down

upon the grass to recover myself a little from my fatigue, after

which I got up, and went into the island to view it. It seemed to

be a delicious garden. I found trees everywhere, some of them

bearing green, and others ripe fruits, and streams of fresh pure

water, with pleasant windings and turnings. I ate the fruits,

which I found excellent, and drank of the water, which was very

pleasant.

Night being come, I lay down upon the grass, in a place

convenient enough; but I could not sleep an hour at a time, my

mind being disturbed with the fear of being alone in so desert a

place. Thus I spent the best part of the night in fretting and

reproaching myself for my imprudence in not staying at home,

rather than undertake this last voyage. These reflections carried

me so far, that I began to form a design against my own life; but

daylight dispersed those melancholy thoughts, and I got up and

walked among the trees, but not without apprehensions of danger.

When I was a little advanced into the island, I saw an old man,

who seemed very weak and feeble. He sat upon the banks of a

stream, and at first I took him to be one who had been

shipwrecked like myself. I went towards him, and saluted him; but

he only bowed his head a little. I asked him what he did there;

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

help; so I took him upon my back, and having carried him over,

bid him get down, and, for that end, stooped, that he might get

off with ease; but, instead of that, he, who to me appeared very

decrepit, clasped his legs nimbly about my neck, when I perceived

his skin to be like that of a cow. He sat astride me upon my

shoulders, and held my throat so strait, that I thought he would

have strangled me, the fright of which made me faint away 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 some 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 got up, he made me walk up under the

trees, and forced me now and then to stop to gather and eat such

fruits as we found. He never left me all day; and when I lay down

to rest me by night, he laid himself down by me, holding always

fast about my neck. Every morning he pushed me to make me awake;

and afterwards obliged me to get up and walk, and pressed me with

his feet. You may judge then, gentlemen, what trouble I was in,

to be charged with such a burden as I could no ways rid myself

from.

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 set it in a convenient place, and,

coming hither again some days after, I took up the calabash, and,

setting it to my mouth, found the wine to be so good, that it

made me presently not only forget my sorrow, but I grew vigorous,

and was so light-hearted, that I began to sing and dance as I

walked along. The old man, perceiving the effect which this drink

had upon me, and that I carried him with more ease than I did

before, made a sign for me to give him the calabash; and the

liquor pleasing his palate, he drank it all off. There being

enough of it to stupify him, he became drunk immediately; and the

fumes getting into his head, he began to sing after his manner,

and to dance with his breech upon my shoulders. His jolting made

him vomit, and he loosened his legs from me by degrees; so that,

finding he did not press me as before, I threw him upon the

ground, where he lay without motion, when I took up a great

stone, with which I crushed his head to pieces.

I was extremely rejoiced to be freed thus for ever from this

cursed old fellow, and walked upon the bank of the sea, where I

met the crew of a ship that had cast anchor to take in water and

refresh themselves. They were extremely surprised to see me, and

to hear the particulars of my adventures. You fell, said they,

into the hands of the old man of the sea, and are the first that

ever escaped strangling by him. He never left those he had once

made himself master of till he destroyed them; and he has made

this island famous by the number of men he has slain, so that the

merchants and mariners who landed upon it dared not to advance

into the island but in numbers together. After having informed me

of those things, they carried me with them to the ship; the

captain received me with great satisfaction 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, the houses

of which were built with good stone.

One of the merchants of the ship, who had taken me into his

friendship, obliged me to go along with him, and carried me to a

place appointed as a retreat for foreign merchants. He gave me a

great bag, and having recommended me to some people of the town

who used to gather cocoas, he desired them to take me with them

to do the like. Go, says he, follow them, and do as you see them

do, and do not separate from them, otherwise you endanger your

life. Having thus spoken, he gave me provisions for the journey,

and I went with them. We came to a great forest of trees,

extremely straight and tall, the trunks of which were so smooth

that it was not possible for any man to climb up the branches

that bore the fruit. All the trees were cocoa ones; and when we

entered the forest, we saw a great number of apes of several

sizes, that fled as soon as they perceived us, climbing up to the

tops of the trees with surprising swiftness. The merchants with

whom I was, gathered stones, and threw them at the apes on the

tops of 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 cocoas, 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 for us to have done otherwise.

When we had gathered our number, we returned to the city, where

the merchant who sent me to the forest gave me the value of the

cocoas I brought: Go on, says he, and do the like every day,

until you have got money enough to carry you home. I thanked him

for his good advice, and insensibly gathered together as many

cocoas as amounted to a considerable sum.

The vessel in which I arrived sailed with the merchants, who

loaded her with cocoas. I expected the arrival of another, which

landed speedily for the like loading. I embarked on board the

same all the cocoas that belonged to me, and when she was ready

to sail, I went and took leave of the merchant who had been so

kind to me; but he could not embark with me, because he had not

finished his affairs. We set sail towards those islands where

pepper grows in great plenty. From thence we went to the isle of

Comari[Footnote: This island, or peninsula, ends at the cape

which we now call Cape Comorin. It is also called Comar and

Comor.], where the best kind of wood of aloes grows, and whose

inhabitants have made it an inviolable law to themselves to drink

no wine, nor to suffer any place of debauch. I exchanged my

cocoas in these two islands for pepper and wood of aloes, and

went with other merchants a pearl-fishing. I hired divers, who

fetched me up those that were very large and pure. I embarked

joyfully in a vessel that happily arrived at Balsora; from thence

I returned to Bagdad, where I made vast sums of my pepper, wood

of aloes, and pearls. I gave the tenth of my gains in alms, as I

had done upon my return from other voyages, and endeavoured to

ease myself from my fatigues by diversions of all sorts.

When Sindbad had finished his story, he ordered one hundred

sequins to Hindbad, who retired with all the other guests; but

next day the same company returned to dine with rich Sindbad,

who, after having treated them as formerly, demanded audience,

and gave the following account of his sixth voyage.

The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor.

Gentlemen, says he, you long, without doubt, to know how, after

being shipwrecked five times, and escaping so many dangers, I

could resolve again to try my fortune, and expose myself to new

hardships. I am astonished at it myself when I think on it, and

must certainly have been induced to it by my stars. But, be that

as it will, after a year's rest I prepared for a sixth voyage,

notwithstanding the prayers of my kindred and friends, who did

all that was possible to prevent me. Instead of taking my way by

the Persian gulph, I travelled once more through several

provinces of Persia and the Indies, and arrived at a sea-port,

where I embarked on board a ship, the captain of which was

resolved on a long voyage. It was very long, indeed, but at the

same time so unfortunate, that the captain and pilot lost their

course, so that they knew not where they were. They found it at

last, but we had no ground to rejoice. We were all seized with

extraordinary fear, when we saw the captain quit his post, and

cry out. He threw off his turban, pulled the hair off 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 sea:

a rapid current carries the ship along with it, and we shall all

perish in less than a quarter of an hour. Pray to God to deliver

us from this danger; we cannot escape it, if he do not take pity

on us. At these words he ordered the sails to be changed; but all

the ropes broke, and the ship, without any possibility of helping

it, was carried by the current to the foot of an inaccessible

mountain, where she was run ashore, and broken to pieces, yet so

as we saved our lives, our provisions, and the best of our goods.

This being over, the captain says to us, God has now done what he

pleased; we may every man dig our grave here, and bid the world

adieu; for we are all in so fatal a place, that none shipwrecked

here did ever return to their homes again. His discourse

afflicted us mortally, and we embraced one another with tears in

our eyes, bewailing our deplorable lot.

The mountain at the foot of which we were cast, was the coast of

a very long and large island. This coast was covered over with

wrecks: and, by the vast number of men's bones we saw every

where, and which filled us with horror, we concluded that

abundance of people had died there. It is also incredible to tell

what a quantity of goods and riches we found cast ashore there.

All those objects served only to augment our grief. While, in all

other places, rivers run from their channels into the sea, here a

great river of fresh water runs out of the sea into a dark cave,

whose entrance is very high and large. What is most remarkable in

this place is, that the stones of the mountain are of crystal,

rubies, or other precious stones. Here also is a sort of fountain

of pitch or bitumen that runs into the sea, which the fishes

swallow, and then vomit up again turned into ambergris; this the

waves throw upon the beach in great quantities. Here grow also

trees, most of which are wood of aloes, equal to those of Comari.

To finish the description of this place, which may well be called

the gulph, as nothing ever returns from it, it is not possible

for ships to get off from it, when once they come within ft

certain distance of it. If they be driven thither by a wind from

the sea, the wind and the current ruin them; and if they come

into it when a land wind blows, which might seem to favour their

getting out again, the height of the mountain stops the wind, and

occasions a calm, so that the force of the current drives them

ashore, where they are broken in pieces, as ours was; and what

completes the misfortune, there is no possibility of getting to

the top of the mountain, or getting out in any manner of way. We

continued upon the shore like men out of their senses, and

expected death every day. At first we divided our provisions as

equally as we could, so that every one lived a longer or shorter

time, according to his temperance, and the use he made of his

provisions. Those who died first were interred by the rest; and

for my part, I paid the last duty to all my companions. Nor need

you wonder at this; for, besides that I husbanded the provision

that fell to my share better than they, I had provisions of my

own which I did not share with my comrades; yet, when I buried

the last, I had so little remaining, that I thought it could not

hold out long: So I dug a grave, resolving to lie down in it,

because there was none left alive to inter me. I must confess to

you, at the same time, that, while I was thus employed, I could

not but reflect upon myself as the cause of my own ruin, and

repented that I had ever undertaken this last voyage. Nor did I

stop at reflections only, but had well nigh hastened my own

death, and began to tear my hands with my teeth. 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 cave, where,

considering the river with great attention, I said to myself,

This river, which runs thus under the ground, must come out

somewhere or other. If I make a float, and leave myself to the

current, it will bring me to some inhabited country, or drown me.

If I be drowned, I lose nothing, but only change one kind of

death for another; and if I get out of this fatal place, I shall

not only avoid the fate of my comrades, but perhaps find some new

occasion of enriching myself. Who knows but fortune waits, upon

my getting off this dangerous shelve, to compensate my shipwreck

with usury? After this, I immediately went to work on a float. I

made it of good large pieces of timber and cables, for I had

choice of them, and tied them together so strong, that I had made

a very solid little float. When I had finished it, I loaded it

with some bales of rubies, emeralds, ambergris, rock crystal, and

rich stuffs. Having balanced all my cargo exactly, and fastened

them well to the float. I went on board it with two little oars

that I had made: and leaving it to the course of the river, I

resigned myself to the will of God.

As soon as I came into the cave, I lost all light, and the stream

carried me I knew not whither. Thus I sailed some days in perfect

darkness, and once found the arch so low, that it almost broke my

head, which made me very cautious afterwards to avoid the like

danger. All this while I ate nothing but what was just necessary

to support nature; yet, notwithstanding this frugality, all my

provisions were spent. Then a pleasant sleep seized upon me: I

cannot tell how long it continued; but when I awaked, I was

surprised to find myself in the middle of a vast country, on the

brink of a river, where my float 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 the

following words in Arabic aloud: Call upon the Almighty, and he

will help thee; thou needest not perplex thyself about any thing

else; shut thine 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 towards me, and

said, Brother, do not be surprised at us: we are inhabitants of

this country, and came hither to day to water our fields, by

digging little canals from this river, which comes out of the

neighbouring mountain. We perceived something floating upon the

water, went speedily to see what it was, and perceiving your

float, 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 gave them a true

account of all that had befallen me, which they listened to with

admiration. As soon as I had finished my discourse, they told me,

by the person who spoke Arabic, and interpreted to them what I

said, that it was one of the most surprising stories they ever

heard, and that I must go along with them, and tell it to their

king myself; for the thing was too extraordinary to be told by

any other than the person to whom it happened. I told them I was

ready to do whatever they pleased. They immediately sent for a

horse, which was brought them in a little time; and having made

me get up upon him, some of them walked before me to show me the

way, and the rest took my float and cargo, and followed me. We

marched thus all together, till we came to the city of Serendib,

for it was in that island where I 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, and kissed the earth. The prince ordered me

to rise up, received me with an obliging air, and made me come

and sit down near him. He first asked me my name: I answered,

They call me Sindbad the sailor, because of the many voyages I

had undertaken; and that I was a citizen of Bagdad. But, replies

he, how came you into my dominions, and from whence came you

last? I concealed nothing from the king; I told him all that I

have now told you; and his majesty was so surprised and charmed

with it, that he commanded my adventures to be written in letters

of gold, and laid up in the archives of the kingdom. At last my

float was brought to him, 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 came near them. Observing that he looked on my

jewels with pleasure, and viewed the most remarkable among them

one after another, 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 float, and I would beg of

you to dispose of it as your own. He answered me with a smile,

Sindbad, I will take care not to covet any thing of yours, nor to

take any thing from you that God has given you; far from

lessening your wealth, I design to augment it, and will not let

you go out of my dominions without marks of my liberality. All

the answer I returned was by praying for the prosperity of the

prince, and commendations of his generosity and bounty. He

charged one of his officers to take care of me, and ordered

people to serve me at his own charge. The officer was very

faithful in the execution of his orders, and made 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 seeing the city, and what was most worthy of my

curiosity.

The isle of Serendib[Footnote: Geographers place it on this side

of the line, in the first climate.] is situate just under the

equinoctial line; so that the days and nights there are always

twelve hours each, and the island is eighty[Footnote: The eastern

geographers make a parasang longer than a French league.]

parasangs in length, and as many in breadth. The capital city

stands in the middle of a fine valley formed by a mountain, in

the middle of the island, which is the highest in the world. It

is seen three days sail off at sea. There are rubies and several

sorts of minerals in it, and all the rocks for the most part

emerald, a metal line stone made use of to cut and smooth other

precious stones. Here grow all kinds of rare plants and trees,

especially cedars and cocoas. There is also pearl-fishing in the

mouth of its river, and in some of its vallies there 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 it.

When I came back to the city, I prayed the king to allow me to

return to my country, which he granted me in the most obliging

and honourable manner. He would needs force a rich present upon

me; and when I went to take leave of him, he gave me one much

more considerable, at the same time charging me with a letter for

the commander of the faithful, our sovereign, and said, I pray

you give this present from me, and this letter, to Caliph Haroun

Alraschid, and assure him of my friendship. I took the present

and letter in a very respectful manner, and promised his majesty

punctually to execute the commission with which he was pleased to

honour me. Before I embarked, this prince sent to seek for the

captain and the merchants who were to go with me, and ordered

them to treat me with all possible respect.

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 thus: "The King of the Indies, before

whom march 100 elephants, who lives in a palace that shines with

100,000 rubies, and who has in his treasury 20,000 crowns

enriched with diamonds, to Caliph Haroun Alraschid. Though the

present which we send you be inconsiderable, receive it, as a

brother and a friend, in consideration of the hearty friendship

which we bear 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 thus in the quality of a brother.

Adieu." The present consisted, in the first place, of one single

ruby made into a cup, about half a foot high, an inch thick, and

filled with round pearls of half a dram each. 2. Of 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. In 50,000 drams of the best wood of aloes, with 30 grains

of camphire as big as pistachios. And, 4. A female slave of

ravishing beauty, whose apparel was covered with jewels.

The ship set sail, and, after a very long and successful

navigation, we landed at Balsora, from whence 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, continued

Sindbad, 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 presents. I gave an account of the

reason of my coming, and was immediately conducted to the throne

of the caliph. I made my reverence by prostration, 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 that

prince was really so rich and potent as he had said in his

letter? I prostrated myself a second time, and rising again,

Commander of the faithful, says I, I can assure your majesty he

does not exceed the truth on that head; I am witness of it. There

is nothing more capable of raising a man's 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 there is an emerald half a foot long, and an inch thick;

before him there marches 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 100,000

rubies, and who possesses 20,000 crowns of diamonds. Behold the

crowned monarch, greater than the great Solima[Footnote:

Solomon.] and the great Mihrage[Footnote: An ancient king of a

great island, of the same name, in the Indies, and much famed

among the Arabians for his power and wisdom.]. After he has

pronounced these 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

that lives for ever. Further, 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 exactly of

themselves. The caliph was much pleased with my discourse. The

wisdom of that king, says 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 discharged me, and sent me home with a rich present.

Sindbad left off speaking, 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 of Sindbad the Sailor.

Being returned from my sixth voyage, I absolutely laid aside all

thoughts of travelling any further. For, besides that my years

did now require rest, I was resolved no more to expose myself to

such risks as I had run: So that I thought of nothing but to pass

the rest of my days in quiet. One day, as I was treating some of

my friends, one of my servants came and told me that an officer

of the caliph asked for me. I rose from the table, and went to

him. The caliph, says 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. Sindbad, says he to me, I stand in need of you; you

must do me the service to carry my answer and present to the king

of Serendib. It is but just I should return his civility. This

command of the caliph to me was like a clap of thunder. Commander

of the faithful, replied I, I am ready to do whatever your

majesty shall think fit to command me; 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

large and particular account of all my adventures, which he had

the patience to hear out. As soon as I had finished, I confess,

says 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 have nothing to do but to go to the isle of Serendib,

and deliver the commission which I give you; after that, you are

at liberty to return. But you must go; for you know it would be

indecent, and not suitable to my dignity, to be indebted to the

king of the island. Perceiving that the caliph insisted upon it,

I submitted, and told him that I was willing to obey. He was very

well pleased at it, and ordered me a thousand sequins for the

charge 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

Balsora, where I embarked, and had a very happy voyage. I arrived

at the isle of Serendib, where I acquainted the king's ministers

with my commission, and prayed them to get me a speedy audience.

They did so, and I was conducted to the palace in an honourable

manner, where I saluted the king by prostration, according to

custom. The prince knew me immediately, and testified very great

joy to see me. O Sindbad, says he, you are welcome; I swear to

you I have many times thought of you since you went hence. I

bless the day upon which we see one another once more. I made my

compliment to him; and, after having thanked him for his kindness

to me, I delivered him the caliph's letter and present, which he

received with all imaginable satisfaction.

The caliph's present was a complete set of cloth of gold, valued

at a thousand sequins; fifty robes of rich stuff, a hundred

others of white cloth, the finest of Cairo, Suez[Footnote: A port

on the Red Sea.], Cusa[Footnote: A town of Arabia.], and

Alexandria; a royal crimson bed, with a second of another

fashion; a vessel of agate, broader than deep, of an inch thick,

and half a foot wide, the bottom of which represented, in bass-

relief, a man with one knee on the ground, who held a bow and

arrow, ready to let fly at a lion. He sent him also a rich table,

which, according to tradition, belonged to the great Solomon. The

caliph's letter was as follows: "Greeting, in the name of the

sovereign guide of the right way, to the potent and happy sultan

from Abdallah Haroun Alraschid, whom God hath set in the place of

honour after his ancestors of happy memory. We received your

letter with joy, and send you this from the council of our port,

the garden of superior wits. We hope, when you look upon it, you

will find our good intention, and be pleased with it. Adieu."

The king of Serendib was mightily pleased that the caliph

answered his friendship. A little time after this audience, I

solicited leave to depart, and obtained the same with much

difficulty. I got it, however, at last; and the king, when he

discharged me, made me a very considerable present. I embarked

immediately to return to Bagdad, but had not the good fortune to

arrive there as I hoped. God ordered it otherwise; for, three or

four days after my departure, we were attacked by corsairs, who

easily seized upon our ship, because it was no vessel of force.

Some of the crew offered resistance, which cost them their lives.

But for me and the rest, who were not so imprudent, the corsairs

saved us on purpose to make slaves of us. We were all stripped;

and, instead of our own clothes, they gave us sorry rags, and

carried us into a remote island, where they sold us. I fell into

the hands of a rich merchant, who, as soon as he bought me,

carried me to his house, treated me well, and clad me handsomely

for a slave. Some days after, not knowing who I was, he asked me

if I knew any trade? I answered, that I was no mechanic, but a

merchant; and that the corsairs, who sold me, robbed me of all I

had. But tell me, replies he, Can you shoot with a bow? I

answered, that the bow was one of the exercises of my youth, and

I had not forgotten it. Then he gave me a bow and arrows, and

taking me behind him upon an elephant, carried me to a vast

forest some leagues from the town. We went a great way into the

forest, and when he thought to stop, he bid me alight: then

showing me a great tree, Climb up that tree, says he, and shoot

at the elephants as you see them pass by; for there is a

prodigious number of them in this forest, and if any of them

fall, come and give me notice of it. Having spoken thus, he left

me victuals, and returned to the town and I continued upon the

tree all night, during which I saw no elephants, but next

morning, as soon as the sun was up, I saw a great number; I shot

several arrows among them, and at last one of the elephants fell;

the rest retired immediately, and left me at liberty to go and

acquaint my patron with my booty. When I had told him the news,

he gave me a good, meal, commended my dexterity, and caressed me

mightily. We went afterwards together to the forest, where we dug

a hole for the elephant; my patron designing to return when it

was rotten, and to take his teeth, &c. to trade with. I continued

this game for two months, and killed an elephant every day,

getting sometimes upon one tree, sometimes upon another. One

morning, as I looked for the elephants, I perceived, with extreme

amazement, that, instead of passing by me across the forest, as

usual, they stopped, and came to me, with a horrible noise, in

such a number that the earth was covered with them, and shook

under them. They encompassed the tree where I was, with their

trunks extended, and their eyes all fixed upon me. At this

frightful spectacle I continued immovable, and was so much

frightened, that my bow and arrows fell out of my hands. My fears

were not vain; for, after the elephants had stared upon me some

time, one of the largest of them put his trunk round the root of

the tree, and pulled so strong, that he plucked it up, and threw

it on the ground: I fell with the tree, and the elephant, taking

me up with his trunk, laid me on his back, where I sat more like

one dead than alive, with my quiver on my shoulder. He put

himself afterwards at the head of the rest, who followed him in

troops, and carried me to a place where he laid me down on the

ground, and retired with all his companions. Conceive, if you

can, the condition I was in: I thought myself to be in a dream;

at last, after having lain some time, and seeing the elephants

gone, I got up, and found I was upon a long and broad hill,

covered all over with the bones and teeth of elephants. I confess

to you that this object furnished me with abundance of

reflections. I admired the instinct of those animals; I doubted

not but that was their burying-place, and they carried me thither

on purpose to tell me that I should forbear to persecute them,

since I did it only for their teeth. I did not stay on the hill,

but turned towards the city, and, after having travelled a day

and a night, I came to my patron. I met no elephant in my way,

which made me think they had retired further into the forest, to

leave me at liberty to come back to the hill without any

obstacle.

As soon as my patron saw me, Ah, poor Sindbad, says he, I was in

great trouble to know what was become of you. I have been at the

forest, where I found a tree newly pulled up, and a bow and

arrows on the ground; and, after having sought for you in vain, I

despaired of ever seeing you more. Pray tell me what befel you,

and by what good hap thou art still alive. I satisfied his

curiosity; and going both of us next morning to the hill, he

found, to his great joy, that what I had told him was true. We

loaded the elephant upon which we came with as many teeth as he

could carry; and when we were returned, Brother, says my patron,

(for I will treat you no more as a slave, after having made such

a discovery as will enrich me,) God bless you with all happiness

and prosperity. I declare before him, that I give you your

liberty. I concealed from you what I am now going to tell you.

The elephants of our forest have every year killed us a great

many slaves whom we sent to seek ivory. For all the cautions we

gave them, these crafty animals killed them one time or other.

God has delivered you from their fury, and has bestowed that

favour upon you only. It is a sign that he loves you, and has use

for your services in the world. You have procured me incredible

gain. We could not have ivory formerly, but by exposing the lives

of our slaves; and now our whole city is enriched by your means.

Do not think I pretend to have rewarded you by giving you

liberty; I will also give you considerable riches. I could engage

all our city to contribute towards making your fortune, but will

have the glory of doing it myself.

To this obliging discourse, I replied, Patron, God preserve you.

Your giving me liberty is enough to discharge what you owe me;

and I desire no other reward for the service I have had the good

fortune to do to you and your city, but leave to return to my own

country. Very well, says he, the Mocon [Footnote: A regular wind

that comes six months from the east, and as many from the west.]

will in a little time bring ships for ivory. I will send you home

then, and give you wherewith to bear your charges. I thanked him

for my liberty, and his good intention towards me. I staid with

him, expecting the Mocon; and during that time we made so many

journies to the hill, that we filled our warehouses with ivory.

The other merchants, who traded in it, did the same thing, for it

could not be long concealed from them. The ships arrived at last,

and my patron himself, having made choice of the ship wherein I

was to embark, loaded half of it with ivory on my account; he

laid in provisions in abundance for my passage; and besides

obliged me to accept a present of the curiosities of the country,

of great value. After I had returned him a thousand thanks for

all his favours, I went on board. We set sail; and as the

adventure which procured me this liberty was very extraordinary,

I had it continually in my thoughts. We stopped at some islands

to take in fresh provisions; our vessel being come to a port on

the Terra Firma in the Indies, we touched there, and not being

willing to venture by sea to Balsora, I landed my proportion of

the ivory, resolving to proceed on my journey by land. I made

vast sums of my ivory, bought several rarities which I intended

for presents, and, when my equipage was got ready, I set out in

company with a large caravan of merchants. I was a long time on

the way, and suffered very much; but endured all with patience,

when I considered that I had nothing to fear from the seas, from

pirates, from serpents, nor of the other perils I had undergone.

All these fatigues, however, ended at last, and I came safe to

Bagdad. I went immediately to call upon the caliph, and gave him

an account of my embassy. That prince told me he had been uneasy

because I was so long of returning, but he always hoped God would

preserve me. When I told him the adventure of the elephants, he

seemed to be much surprised at it, and would never have given any

credit to it, had he not known my sincerity. He reckoned this

story, and the other relations I had given him, to be so curious,

that he ordered one of his secretaries to write them in

characters of gold, and lay them up in his treasury. I retired

very well satisfied with the honours I had received, and the

presents which he gave me; and after that I gave myself up wholly

to my family, kindred, and friends.

Sindbad here finished the relation of his seventh and last

voyage; and then addressing himself to Hindbad, Well, friend,

says he, did you ever hear of any person that suffered so much as

I have done, or of any mortal that has gone through so many

perplexities? Is it not reasonable, that, after all this, I

should enjoy a quiet and pleasant life? As he said this, Hindbad

drew near to him, and, kissing his hand, said, I must

acknowledge, sir, that you have gone through terrible dangers; my

troubles are not comparable to yours; if they afflict me for a

time, I comfort myself with the thoughts of the profit I get by

them. You not only deserve a quiet life, but are worthy besides

of all the riches you enjoy, because you make such a good use of

them. May you therefore continue to live in happiness and joy

till the day of your death. Sindbad gave him a hundred sequins

more, received him into the number of his friends, and desired

him to quit his porter's employment, and come and dine every day

with him, that he might all his days have reason to remember

Sindbad the sailor.

Scheherazade, perceiving it was not yet day, continued her

discourse, and began another story.