IN adhering to my vow never again to fare forth from my native land in
search of strange wonders at the risk of deadly peril, I was contented
and happy in my state. While I was sitting one day thinking on this and
saying within myself, "I am here in the Abode of Peace, and Allah be
praised! I shall never quit it for the haunts of trouble;" lo! there
came a messenger summoning me to the Khalifeh. I arose and followed
him, and presently I was before his majesty, saluting him and kissing
the ground. "Welcome, O Sindbad!" he said. "Know that I have a matter
of importance for thee to execute." "Sire," I answered, "I am thy
slave."
Then the Khalifeh unfolded to me his wish: which was that I should go
to the King of Sarandib bearing a letter and a gift. "By Allah!" I
cried when I heard this. "O my lord, be not displeased, but have I not
already taken a vow that I will not go forth again upon the sea lest I
suffer worse things than have already befallen me? The bare mention of
a voyage causes my knees to shake." And I repeated to him the terrible
sufferings and perils I had encountered in my travels; whereupon the
Khalifeh raised his hands and said no man had endured worse things.
"Nevertheless," he added, smiling upon me, "thou wilt go forth once
more, for my sake, and thou wilt bear my letter and gift to the King of
Sarandib."
It was not for me to disobey the command of the Prince of the Faithful,
and I bowed my head in submission. I took from his hands the account
of the items composing the gift, together with a letter and a sum of
money for my expenses; and, bidding him farewell, went forth, saying to
myself that fate was against me.
The Khalifeh's gift to the King of Sarandib was one of great
magnificence. First there was a splendid white horse, the equal of
which was not to be found in the length and breadth of Arabia. Its
saddle and trappings were adorned with gold and set with brilliant
jewels. Then, in addition to this, there were a priceless robe, fit for
the king of all the earth; a great quantity of rich stuffs from Egypt
and Greece, and a wonderful crystal goblet of such a kind that a man's
whole lifetime would be required to make it. And the Khalifeh's letter
ran as follows:--"Peace be on thee from the King Er-Rashid, highest
in any land but thine--under God (whose name be exalted!) We rejoiced
greatly at thy letter and we have sent thee some royal trifles, thy
gracious acceptance of which will give us joy and happiness. Peace be
with thee!"
With all these things I embarked upon a large vessel and set sail from
El-Basrah with a company of merchants. We journeyed for long days and
nights until at length we came to the island of Sarandib. There I went
in to the King in his palace, and he gave me a joyous welcome.
"By Allah!" he said, "we have often thought of thee, O Sindbad; and now
we rejoice to see thy face again." Then he bade me sit beside him, and
asked with courtesy the reason of my visit. I informed him and told him
of the Khalifeh's gift, handing him the letter. When he had read it
he was overjoyed, and when at length he saw the gift and the richness
of it, he marvelled greatly and conferred upon me all the honours
befitting the ambassador of the Prince of the Faithful.
After some days of pleasure and happiness in his land, I made known to
him my desire to depart speedily to my own country, but it was with
difficulty that I obtained his permission. At last he allowed me to go,
bearing friendly messages to the Khalifeh; and I set sail for my own
land, glad that I was now free to return to the life to which I had
vowed myself.
But, O Sindbad the Landsman! the chances of long voyages upon the sea
are such as thou know'st not of. We had not been many days on our
course when, as we were passing near an island, a fleet of boats put
off from the shore and surrounded us. They were manned by a host of
men clad in suits of mail. They looked more like demons than men and
were armed with swords and daggers. They drew in on us and attacked us,
slaying those who offered resistance, and taking the rest prisoners.
They towed the ship to the island and took all the merchandise in the
hold. Then they led us away to be sold as slaves.
It fell to my lot that I was purchased by a rich man of gentle mien.
He took me to his house, gave me food and drink, clothed me well and
treated me in a friendly fashion. Somewhat comforted I rested, giving
my hands to light tasks about his house. After some days he called me
to him and said, "Art thou skilled in any art or trade?" I answered him
that I was a merchant, and was skilled only in the art of buying and
selling. "Canst thou not use the bow?" he asked. Now, I was skilled in
archery, and I offered to give him proof in the matter. He then placed
a bow and arrow in my hands and I pierced a mark at fifty paces. "It is
well," he said; "thou art skilled."
The next day he sat me behind him on an elephant, and, at nightfall, we
journeyed to a place where there were some high trees. One of these he
bade me climb and sit there with arrow on bowstring till the elephants
came at dawn, when I was to shoot; and, if I was so fortunate as to
kill one, I was to run to him in all haste and inform him of it. He
then went away on his elephant, leaving me in the tree, full of terror.
When at last the sun rose, a great number of elephants came straying
about among the trees, and when one came beneath mine I sent my arrows
at him. Late in the morning a well-aimed shaft pierced the brain of a
monstrous beast, and, with loud roarings, he fell and died. At evening
time, when the other elephants had retired from the spot, I descended
from the tree and ran with all haste to my master, who rejoiced at my
news and sent his slaves to bring the beast in.
Day after day I continued at this sport, each day securing at least one
elephant. But a day came when trouble gathered round that tree in which
I sat. It appeared in the form of countless elephants of large size and
ferocious aspect. One who seemed to be king among them led the others
to my tree. After he had thundered round it many times until the whole
world trembled, he made a dash at it, and, winding his trunk round it,
tore it up by the roots and threw it down. When, half stunned, I found
my way out from among the broken branches, the great elephant came upon
me bellowing loudly, and, seizing me with his trunk, bore me aloft.
In this manner he led the whole herd of elephants in a wild stampede
that made the earth shake; and they ceased not in their career until
they came to a valley in which were a great number of elephants' bones
and teeth and tusks. On a heap of these the king-elephant set me down
very gently; and, after that, he and the others turned and walked away,
leaving me there.
I looked about in the valley and saw a wealth of gleaming white tusks
on every hand, and I said within myself, "The elephants liked not the
death of one of their number every day, and they have done this to show
how I may come by an abundance of tusks without further slaughter."
Then I found my way back over a great distance to the abode of my
master. He welcomed me as one returned from the dead, for, when he
had found the tree torn up by the roots, he had concluded that the
elephants had made an end of me. I told him what had befallen me and
described the position of the valley where the tusks lay. When he heard
this he was greatly excited and lost no time in mounting me behind him
on an elephant and setting forth to find the spot where so much wealth
was stored. We reached the valley without mishap and I showed my master
the ivory, at sight of which his joy knew no bounds. We then laded the
elephant with as much as he could carry and returned with it to the
house.
This adventure of mine placed me in a most favourable light in my
master's eyes; and, because I had been the means of revealing to him
a source of enormous wealth, he set me free and gave me permission to
return to my own country. He was even better than his word, for, not
many days later, he set me on board a vessel bound for El-Basrah and
presented me with a large sum of money for my passage and expenses,
together with many bales of merchandise. And my return journey was very
fortunate. The traffic I did at the different cities on the way brought
me great profit, and I bought many rare things suitable for gifts.
On my arrival at Baghdad I went in to the Khalifeh and told him
all that had befallen me; and he was so astonished thereat, and so
delighted at my return, that he commanded his scribes to write my story
in letters of gold. And he said to me, "O Sindbad, my son; thou hast
done well, and now thou shalt have the wish of thine heart and keep thy
vow; for, unless thou so desirest, thou shalt go forth no more upon the
sea."
* * * * *
This, O Sindbad the Landsman, is the end of the story of my voyages;
and now, as I have conceived an affection for thee, thou shalt dwell
with me and be my boon companion; and we shall pass our lives together
in a state of the utmost joy and happiness, strengthened by God (whose
name be exalted!) the Great! the Omnipotent Creator of sea and land!