There was once a man of the people of Morocco, called
Abdurrehman the Moor, and he was known, to boot, as the
Chinaman, for his long sojourn in Cathay. He had journeyed far
and wide and traversed many seas and deserts and was wont to
relate wondrous tales of his travels. He was once cast upon an
island, where he abode a long while and returning thence to his
native country, brought with him the quill of the wing-feather
of a young roe, whilst yet unhatched and in the egg; and this
quill was big enough to hold a skinful of water, for it is said
that the length of the young roe's wing, when it comes forth of
the egg, is a thousand fathoms. The folk marvelled at this
quill, when they saw it, and Abdurrehman related to them the
following adventure.
He was on a voyage in the China seas, with a company of
merchants, when they sighted a great island so they steered
for it and casting anchor before it, saw that it was large and
spacious. The ship's people went ashore to get wood and water,
taking with them skins and ropes and axes, and presently espied
a great white gleaming dome, a hundred cubits high. So they
made towards it and drawing near, found that it was a roe's
egg and fell on it with axes and stones and sticks, till they
uncovered the young bird and found it as it were a firm-set
mountain. They went about to pluck out one of its wing-feathers,
but could not win to do so, save by helping one another, for
all the feathers were not full grown; after which they took
what they could carry of the young bird's flesh and cutting
the quill away from the feather-part, returned to the ship.
Then they spread the canvas and putting out to sea, sailed
with a fair wind all that night, till the sun rose, when they
saw the old roc come flying after them, as he were a vast
cloud, with a rock in his talons, like a great mountain, bigger
than the ship. As soon as he came over the vessel, he let fall
the rock upon it; but the ship, having great way on her,
forewent the rock, which fell into the sea with a terrible
crash. So God decreed them safety and delivered them from
destruction; and they cooked the young bird's flesh and ate it.
Now there were amongst them old grey bearded men; and when they
awoke on the morrow, they found that their beards had turned
black, nor did any who had eaten of the young roc ever grow
grey. Some held the cause of the return of youth to them and
the ceasing of hoariness from them to be that they had heated
the pot with arrow-wood, whilst others would have it that it
came of eating the young roe's flesh; and this is indeed a
wonder of wonders.