I soon again grew weary of living a life of idleness, and hardening
myself against the thought of any danger, I embarked with some
merchants on another long voyage. We touched at several ports, where
we traded. One day we were overtaken by a dreadful tempest, which
drove us from our course. The storm 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. When we had
furled our sails the captain told us that this and some other
neighboring islands were inhabited by hairy savages, who would
speedily attack us; and though they were but dwarfs we must make no
resistance, for they were more in number than the locusts; and if we
happened to kill one, they would all fall upon us and destroy us.
We soon found that what the captain had told us was but too true. An
innumerable multitude of frightful savages, about two feet high,
covered all over with red hair, came swimming toward us, and
encompassed our ship. They chattered as they came near, but we
understood not their language. They climbed up the sides of the ship
with such agility as surprised us. They took down our sails, cut the
cable, and hauling to the shore, made us all get out, and afterward
carried the ship into another island, from whence they had come.
As we advanced, we perceived at a distance a vast pile of building,
and made toward it. We found it to be a palace, elegantly built, and
very lofty, with a gate of ebony of two leaves, which we opened. We
saw before us a large apartment, with a porch, having on one side a
heap of human bones, and on the other a vast number of roasting spits.
We trembled at this spectacle, and were seized with deadly
apprehension, when suddenly the gate of the apartment opened with a
loud crash, and there came out the horrible figure of a black man, as
tall as a lofty palm tree. He had but one eye, and that in the middle
of his forehead, where it blazed bright as a burning coal. His
foreteeth were very long and sharp, and stood out of his mouth, which
was as deep as 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 the sight of so frightful a genie we became
insensible, and lay like dead men.
At last we came to ourselves, and saw him sitting in the porch looking
at us. When he had considered us well, he advanced toward us, and
laying his hand upon me, took me up by the nape of my neck, and turned
me around, as a butcher would do a sheep's head. After having examined
me, and perceiving me to be so lean that I was nothing but skin and
bone, he let me go. He took up all the rest one by one, and viewed
them in the same manner. The captain being the fattest, he held him
with one hand, as I would do a sparrow, and thrust a spit through him;
he then kindled a great fire, roasted, and ate him in his apartment
for his supper. Having finished his repast, he returned to his porch,
where he lay and fell asleep, snoring louder than thunder. He slept
thus till morning. As for ourselves, it was not possible for us to
enjoy any rest, so that we passed the night in the most painful
apprehension that can be imagined. When day appeared the giant awoke,
got up, went out, and left us in the palace.
The next night we determined to revenge ourselves on the brutish
giant, and did so in the following manner. After he had again finished
his inhuman supper on another of our seamen, he lay down on his back,
and fell asleep. As soon as we heard him snore according to his
custom, nine of the boldest among us, and myself, took each of us 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[54]
him. The pain made him break out into a frightful yell: he started up,
and stretched out his hands in order to sacrifice some of us to his
rage, but we ran to such places as he could not reach; and after
having sought for us in vain, he groped for the gate, and went out,
howling in agony.
[Footnote 54: The youthful student will find in these references
passages which will remind in some degree of the incidents mentioned
in these tales: Homer's _Odyssey_, book iv, lines 350-410; _Iliad_,
book xx, line 220; book xiii, lines 20-35; Virgil, _Aeneid_, iii,
lines 356-542.]
We immediately left the palace, and came to the shore, where with some
timber that lay about in great quantities, we made some rafts, each
large enough to carry three men. We waited until day to get upon them,
for we hoped if the giant did not appear by sunrise, and give over his
howling, which we still heard, that he would prove to be dead; and if
that happened to be the case, we resolved to stay on that island, and
not to risk our lives upon the rafts. But day had scarcely appeared
when we perceived our cruel enemy, with two others, almost of the
same size, leading him; and a great number more coming before him at a
quick pace.
We did not hesitate to take to our rafts, but put to sea with all the
speed we could. The giants, who perceived this, took up great stones,
and running to the shore they entered the water up to the middle, and
threw so exactly that they sank all the rafts 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. But when we got
out to sea we were exposed to the mercy of the waves and winds, and
spent that day and the following night under the most painful
uncertainty as to our fate; but next morning we had the good fortune
to be thrown upon an island, where we landed with much joy. We found
excellent fruit, which afforded us great relief, and recruited our
strength.
At night we went to sleep on the seashore; but were awakened by the
noise of a serpent of surprising length and thickness, whose scales
made a rustling noise as he wound himself along. It swallowed up one
of my comrades, notwithstanding his loud cries and the efforts he made
to extricate himself from it. Dashing him several times against the
ground, it crushed him, and we could hear it gnaw and tear the poor
fellow's bones, though we had fled to a considerable distance. The
following day, to our great terror, we saw the serpent again, when I
exclaimed, "O Heaven, to what dangers are we exposed! We rejoiced
yesterday at having escaped from the cruelty of a giant and the rage
of the waves; now are we fallen into another danger equally dreadful."
As we walked about, we saw a large tall tree, upon which we designed
to pass the following night for our security; and having satisfied our
hunger with fruit, we mounted it accordingly. Shortly after, the
serpent came hissing to the foot 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 remained upon the tree till it was day, and then came down, more
like a dead man than one alive, expecting the same fate as had
befallen my two companions. This filled me with horror, and I advanced
some steps to throw myself into the sea; but I withstood this dictate
of despair, and submitted myself to the will of God, who disposes of
our lives at His pleasure.
In the meantime I collected together a great quantity of small wood,
brambles, and dry thorns, and making them up into fagots, made a wide
circle with them round the tree, and also tied some of them to the
branches over my head. Having done this, when the evening came I shut
myself up within this circle, with the melancholy 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 lay
till day, like a cat watching in vain for a mouse that has fortunately
reached a place of safety. When day appeared, he retired, but I dared
not leave my fort until the sun arose.
God took compassion on my hopeless state; for just as I was going, in
a fit of desperation, to throw myself into the sea, I perceived a ship
in the distance. I called as loud as I could, and unfolding the linen
of my turban, displayed it, that they might observe me. This had the
desired effect. The crew perceived me, and the captain sent his boat
for me. As soon as I came on board, the merchants and seamen flocked
about me, to know how I came into that desert island; and after I had
related to them all that had befallen me, the oldest among them said
they had several times heard of the giants that dwelt on that island,
and that they were cannibals; and as to the serpents, they added that
there were abundant in the island; that they hid themselves by day,
and came abroad by night. After having testified their joy at my
escaping so many dangers, they brought me the best of their
provisions; and took me before the captain, who, seeing that I was in
rags, gave me one of his own suits. Looking steadfastly upon him, I
knew him to be the person who, on my second voyage, had left me in the
island where I fell asleep, and had sailed without me, or without
sending to seek for me.
I was not surprised that he, believing me to be dead, did not
recognize me.
"Captain," said I, "look at me, and you may know that I am Sindbad,
whom you left in that desert island."
The captain, having considered me attentively, recognized me.
"God be praised!" said he, embracing me; "I rejoice that fortune has
rectified my fault. There are your goods, which I always took care to
preserve."
I took them from him, and made him my acknowledgments for his care of
them.
We continued at sea for some time, touched at several islands, and at
last landed at that of Salabat,[55] where sandalwood is obtained,
which is much used in medicine.
[Footnote 55: Sandalwood. The wood of a low tree, the Santalum Album,
resembling the privet, and growing on the coast of Malabar, in the
Indian Archipelago, etc. The hard yellow wood in the center of the old
sandal tree is highly esteemed for its fragrant perfume and is much
used for cabinetwork, etc.]
From the isle of Salabat we went to another, where I furnished myself
with cloves, cinnamon, and other spices. As we sailed from this island
we saw a tortoise twenty cubits in length and breadth. We observed
also an amphibious animal like a cow, which gave milk;[56] its skin is
so hard, that they usually make bucklers of it. I saw another, which
had the shape and color of a camel.[57]
[Footnote 56: The hippopotamus.]
[Footnote 57: The giraffe.]
In short, after a long voyage I arrived at Bussorah, and from thence
returned to Bagdad with so much wealth that I knew not its extent. I
gave a great deal to the poor, and bought another considerable estate.
* * * * *
Thus Sindbad finished the history of his third voyage. He gave another
hundred sequins to Hindbad, and invited him to dinner again the next
day, to hear