We went out of the palace after the giant, continued Sindbad, 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-rising, and gave
over his howling, which we still heard, that he would die; and if
that happened to be the case, we resolved to stay in that island,
and not to risk our lives upon the floats; but day had scarce
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: but when we got out to sea, we were exposed
to the mercy of the waves and winds, and 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 palm tree, whose
scales made a rustling as he crept 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 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 we fallen into another danger altogether as
terrible.
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, 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 nature prompting 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
his pleasure.
In the mean time I gathered together a great quantity of small wood,
brambles, and dry thorns, and making them up into faggots, made a
great 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 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 lay 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
arose.
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
into it headlong. --Here Scheherazade stopt, because day appeared;
and next night continued her story thus: