HAVING rested for a space in Baghdad, where I lived surrounded by every
happiness and delight, I began again to experience that restless desire
for travel and commerce which had drawn me forth on my former voyages.
When the desire grew so great that I could no longer withstand it,
I set out with a large stock of merchandise and arrived at the city
of El-Basrah, where I took ship, together with a goodly company of
merchants, and others of high standing and repute.
For many days we sailed outwards, buying and selling among the
islands; until, one day, while we were in the midst of the ocean, a
storm descended upon us and blew the ship out of its course. The wind
continued from one quarter with great violence, and for a day and night
we were hurled before it. When morning came it abated, and the master
of the ship looked forth on every hand to ascertain where we were.
Suddenly he uttered a loud cry and plucked his beard. "God preserve
us!" he said. "The gale hath driven us to an evil fate. See! yonder is
the Mountain of Apes! None hath ever come near it and escaped."
We looked and beheld a high mountain on an island, and, while we
were gazing at it, and wondering where lay the danger at so great a
distance, behold, the sea around us was swarming with apes which had
swum out from the island. They were hideous black beasts, not of large
size, but of malignant aspect; and so great was their number that we
were powerless to stand against them. They climbed up the sides of the
ship and seized upon the ropes, which they severed with their sharp
teeth so that the sails were powerless and the vessel drifted with tide
and wind to the shore. There we were seized by the apes and set on
the land, after which they returned to the ship and bent fresh ropes
and set the sails and departed over the sea we knew not whither. But
we ceased to wonder at the manner of their going, for we were in a
desperate plight, since all sailors feared the Mountain of Apes and no
ship would ever approach the island to rescue us.
In our wanderings through the island, eating of its fruits and drinking
of its streams, we came at length to an open space in which stood a
house of gigantic size. The walls and the folding doors of ebony were
very lofty, and, when we walked into an immense apartment--for the
doors were open--we found everything within it of a corresponding size.
The cooking utensils were large enough to cook an ox whole, and, on the
couch at the upper end, a hundred men might sit with comfort. But no
occupant could we find, so we seated ourselves and rested for a while,
and then we slept.
It was about sunset when we were awakened suddenly by a loud noise and
a trembling of the earth; and lo, we beheld coming from the further
end of the apartment a gigantic being in the shape of a man. His skin
was black, and his eyes blazed like fire; two gleaming tusks protruded
from his great mouth, his enormous ears drooped to his shoulders,
and his nails were like the sharp claws of a beast of prey. We were
stricken with great fear at the approach of this frightful being so
that we could neither move nor cry out while he advanced to the couch
and disposed his huge limbs thereon. Then, on turning his head, he
caught sight of us and arose and came towards us. As I was nearest to
his hand he seized me, and, taking me from the ground, turned me over
and over in his palm, feeling my limbs to see if they were fat. But, by
the grace of God (whose name be exalted!) I was lean and wasted with
fatigue and affliction; so he set me down and seized another, whom he
turned over and felt in the same manner. He, too, was lean, and he let
him go; but he took one after another until he came to the master of
ship--a big man and fat. With him he was satisfied. Then, seeing what
he was about to do, we hid our eyes, and did not look again until the
ogre, having cooked and eaten our master, threw his bones upon a heap
of others on one side of the apartment. Afterwards he arose and laid
himself down upon the couch and slept, and his snoring was like the
roll of thunder.
[Illustration: The Episode of the Rokh. Page 17]
We crept forth from that house in terror, feeling that it were happier
to be killed by apes or drowned in the sea than to be roasted on live
coals--a terrible death for a man! We then considered means of hiding,
or escaping from the place. But there was no place to hide, and the
ship, our only way of escape, was gone. While we were lamenting, a
spell seemed to be cast over us, so that our very excess of fear drew
us back to the ogre's house, wherein we sat as before, and slept.
Again we were awakened by the thunder of the ogre's approach, and
again he came and selected one of our number. When, having eaten, he
slept upon the couch, we conversed together, thinking to find some way
of escape. One said, "By Allah! by Allah! let us kill him!" and he
proposed a plan. "Listen, O my brothers!" I said on hearing this; "if
we seek to kill him let us first prepare some rafts on which to escape,
for we may fail of our purpose; and on these rafts we can at worst be
drowned, which is better than being roasted." They answered me, "Thou
art right!" So we set to work and gathered stout pieces of wood and
carried them to the seashore, where we constructed rafts and stowed
food upon them in readiness for a hasty departure. Then we returned to
the giant's house to carry out our plan.
The sound of his snoring told us he still slept, so we took two
sharp-pointed iron spits and heated the points red-hot in the fire.
Then we approached him cautiously, and, at a given signal, thrust the
red-hot points one into each of his eyes, and bore upon the spits with
our combined weight. He arose with a mighty roar, and we fled right and
left; for, his sight being destroyed, we feared his blind rage. He
searched for us, but, not finding us, he groped for the door, and went
forth uttering loud cries which shook the earth.
In great haste, and lashed by mortal fear, we gained the seashore and
launched the rafts; but, scarcely had we gained the water, when we saw
the ogre approaching, led by a female more gigantic and more hideous
than himself. We swam out, pushing the rafts before us; but they hurled
great rocks after us, and many of our number were killed. Three alone,
including myself, escaped, and, after much stress and peril, reached
another island.
We had gained at length what seemed to us a place of safety, high and
dry above the wave and far from the ogre's domain; and there, when
night came on, we slept, but only to awaken to fresh terrors. Lo! in
the act of coiling round us was a serpent of enormous size, its folds
contracting and its head raised to strike. At sight of this, another
and myself were more nimble than our companion, for we sprang clear
of the serpent's embrace while he was seized in the huge jaws and
slowly swallowed with a horrible crackling of bones. And we mourned our
companion and went thenceforth in fear for ourselves. Dreading to sleep
again on the ground we climbed a high tree, and, binding ourselves
each in a safe position with our turbans, we slept fitfully. But alas!
God hath given to all serpents the wisdom of the Evil One. That night
the serpent mounted the tree, and, seizing my companion, proceeded to
swallow him, while I looked on in helpless fear. Then, in descending
the tree, it coiled its vast bulk round the trunk and I heard my
companion's bones crack within its paunch.
When morning had come I descended from the tree feeling that my
safest course was to drown myself in the waves, for where else could
I hide that the serpent could not find me? But life is sweet, and I
pondered long upon a cunning plan to protect myself. Then, repairing to
the seashore, I selected some pieces of wood from the raft, and took
them to a dry place. Towards evening, when I had eaten of the fruits
of the island and drunk of its streams, I bound a long piece of wood
crosswise upon the soles of my feet and another crosswise upon my head;
I secured a wide flat piece to my right side, another to my left side,
and another to the front of my body; and there, having thrust my arms
under the side pieces, I lay encased. And, as the evening wore on, the
serpent saw me, and drew near; but it could not swallow me because
of the pieces of wood. All through the night it tried to come at me,
attempting in all ways to effect its purpose; but in every way it
failed, while I lay like a dead man, gazing in speechless horror at the
terrible creature. And it ceased not in its efforts to engulf me till
morning broke, when it went its way consumed with rage and vexation.
Then I freed myself from the pieces of wood and arose, trembling in
every limb, but thanking God for my deliverance; for, look you, I was
sorely tried by what I had endured from that serpent.
Not many hours later I had the good fortune to espy a ship far out
upon the sea, and, as it was making as if to pass a headland of the
island somewhat closely, I ran with all speed and established myself
on the furthest point. There I waved my unfolded turban to attract the
notice of those on the vessel. At last they saw me, and came and took
me on board. They listened to my story with great astonishment, and
congratulated me on my escape. Then they gave me clean raiment, and
set food and drink before me, so that I was revived and comforted. And,
as we proceeded on our way I was emboldened to look back on all I had
suffered as nothing more than a terrible dream.
In the course of our journey we came to an island where the sandal
wood grows, and here I landed with the other merchants. But they had
goods to sell, while I, alas! had none. Then, strange to relate, the
same kind Providence that had befriended me on my first voyage was at
my service once more, and in the same guise. The master of the ship,
seeing me without merchandise, came to me, and, taking compassion upon
my poor condition, told me of some goods in the hold which belonged to
a man whom they had lost during the voyage. He offered me these goods
to sell upon the island so that, when an account had been rendered
to the owner's family in Baghdad, there would be a recompense for my
trouble and service. I thanked him gladly for this, and he ordered the
goods to be brought up and landed on the island. And lo! when I saw the
bales, I knew them, and showed how they were marked with the name of
Sindbad the Sailor. Then, seeing that they were perplexed, I shouted
in my excitement, "Do you not hear me? _I_ am Sindbad the Sailor, and
these are my goods!"
While some believed and others doubted I related my story from the
time I had awakened upon the island to find myself alone; and, when I
mentioned the valley of diamonds, a merchant came forward and confirmed
my words, for it was he whose slaughtered beast had helped me to
safety. "Hear me, ye doubters!" he said. "When I related this very
thing to you, you believed me not; but see--this is the man I spoke of,
and now you have it independently from his own mouth. Learn from this,
O my brothers, never while living, doubt a true tale because it is
marvellous." Then the master asked me what was the distinguishing mark
of my goods, and I replied that it was such and such a mark, and I also
called to his mind some conversation between him and me before the ship
left El-Basrah. He was then convinced that I was Sindbad the Sailor,
and he congratulated me and embraced me, saying that my story was most
extraordinary.
The remainder of this, my third voyage, was occupied in buying and
selling among the islands on the way to El-Basrah, whence, in good
time, laden with wealth and rich merchandise, I proceeded to Baghdad to
dwell in peace again, surrounded by my family and friends. Here, for
a season, charmed with every delight, I forgot the perils and horrors
I had endured. But the longing for travel and adventure found me out
again, impelling me to undertake a fourth voyage; and the events of
this--more marvellous than those of the preceding voyages, O Sindbad,
the Landsman--I will narrate to you to-morrow.