I had resolved, after my first voyage, to pass the rest of my days
in tranquillity at Bagdad, as I had the honour to tell you
yesterday. But I soon grew weary of an idle life; the desire of
seeing foreign countries, and carrying on some negociation by sea,
returned: I bought some merchandize, which I thought likely to
answer in the traffic I meditated; and I set off a second time with
some merchants, whose probity I could rely on. We embarked in a good
vessel, and having recommended ourselves to the care of the
Almighty, we began our voyage.
We went from island to island, and made some very advantageous
exchanges. One day we landed on one, which was covered with a
variety of fruit-trees, but so wild, that we could not discover any
habitation, or the trace of a human being. We walked in the meadows,
and along the brooks that watered them, and whilst some of my
companions were amusing themselves with gathering fruits and
flowers, I took out some of the wine and provisions I had brought
with me, and seated myself by a little stream under some trees,
which afforded a delightful shade. I made a good meal of what I had
with me, and having satisfied my hunger, sleep gradually stole over
my senses. I cannot say how long I slept, but when I awoke, the ship
was no longer in view. I was much surprised at this circumstance,
and got up to seek for my companions, but they were all gone and I
could only perceive the vessel in full sail, and such a distance
that I soon lost sight of it.
You may easily imagine the reflections that occurred to me in this
dismal state. I thought I should have died with grief; I groaned and
cried aloud; I beat my head, and threw myself on the ground, where I
remained a long time, overwhelmed with a variety of thoughts, each
more distressing than the other: I reproached myself a thousand
times for my folly in not being contented with my first voyage,
which ought to have satisfied my desire of seeking adventures; but
all my regrets were of no avail, and my repentance came too late. At
length I resigned myself to the will of Heaven; and not knowing what
would become of me, I ascended a high tree, from whence I looked on
all sides, to see if I could not discover some object to inspire me
with hope. Casting my eyes towards the sea, I could discern only
water and sky; but perceiving on the land side something white, I
descended from the tree, and taking with me the remainder of my
provisions, I walked towards the object, which was so distant that
at first I could not distinguish what it was. As I approached, I
perceived it to be a white ball of a prodigious size, and when I got
near enough to touch it, I found it was soft. I walked round it, to
see if there was an opening, but could find none; and it appeared so
even, that it was impossible to get up it. The circumference might
be about fifty paces.
The sun was then near setting; the air grew suddenly dark, as if
obscured by a thick cloud. I was surprised at this change, but much
more so, when I perceived it to be occasioned by a bird of a most
extraordinary size, which was flying towards me. I recollected
having heard sailors speak of a bird called a roc; and I conceived
that the great white ball which had drawn my attention, must be the
egg of this bird. I was not mistaken; for, shortly after, it lighted
on it, and placed itself as if to sit upon it. When I saw it coming
I drew near to the egg, so that I had one of the claws of the bird
just before me; this claw was as big as the trunk of a large tree. I
tied myself to it with the linen of my turban, in hopes that the
roc, when it took its flight the next morning, would carry me with
it out of that desert island. My project succeeded, for at break of
day the roc flew away, and carried me to such a height, that I could
not distinguish the earth; then it descended with such rapidity,
that I almost lost my senses. When the roc had alighted, I quickly
untied the knot, that confined me to its foot, and had scarcely
loosed myself, when it darted on a serpent of an immeasurable
length, and seizing it in its beak, flew away.
The place in which the roc left me, was a very deep valley,
surrounded on all sides with mountains of such a height, that the
tops of them were lost in the clouds, and so steep that there was no
possibility of climbing them. This was a fresh embarrassment; for I
had no reason to be satisfied with my change of situation, when I
compared it with the island I had left.
In walking along this valley, I remarked that it was strewed with
diamonds, some of which were of an astonishing size. I amused myself
for some time in examining them, but soon perceived from afar, some
objects which destroyed my pleasure, and created in me great fear;
these were a great number of serpents, so long and large, that the
smallest of them would have swallowed an elephant with ease. They
hid themselves in caves during the day on account of the roc, their
mortal enemy, and only came out when it was dark. I passed the day
in walking about the valley, resting myself occasionally where an
opportunity offered, and when the sun set, I retired into a small
cave, where I thought I should be in safety. I closed the entrance,
which was low and narrow, with a stone large enough to insure me
from the serpents, but which yet admitted a little light. I supped
on part of my provisions, accompanied by the sound of the serpents,
which began to make their appearance. Their hissings caused me
excessive fear, and as you may suppose, I did not pass the night
very quietly. The day appearing, the serpents retired; I left my
cave with trembling, and may truly say that I walked a long time
upon diamonds, without feeling the least desire for them. At last I
sat down, and notwithstanding my agitation, for I had not closed my
eyes during the whole night, I fell asleep, after having made
another meal on my provisions. I had scarcely began to dose, when
something tumbling near me, with a great noise, awoke me. It was a
large piece of fresh meat, and at the same moment I saw a number of
them rolling down the rocks from above.
I had always supposed the account, which I had heard related by
seamen and others, of the valley of diamonds, and of the means by
which merchants procured them, to be fictitious: I now knew it to be
true. The method is this; the merchants go to the mountains, which
surround the valley, about the time that the eagles hatch their
young. They cut large pieces of meat, and throw them into the
valley; and the diamonds, on which they fall, stick to them. The
eagles, which are larger and stronger in that country than in any
other, seize these pieces of meat, to carry to their young at the
top of the rocks. The merchants then run to their nests, and by
various noises oblige the eagles to retreat; and then take the
diamonds that have stuck to the pieces of meat. This is the method
they employ to procure the diamonds out of the valley, which is
inaccessible on every side. I had supposed it impossible ever to
leave this valley, and began to look on it as my tomb; but on seeing
this I changed my opinion, and turned my thoughts to the
preservation of my life. I began by collecting the largest diamonds
I could find, and with them filled my leather bag in which I had
carried my provisions. I then took one of the largest pieces of
meat, and tied it tight round me with the linen of my turban; in
this state I laid myself on the ground, having first fastened on my
leather bag in a secure manner.
I had not been long in this situation, before the eagles began to
descend, and each seized a piece of meat, with which it flew away.
One of the strongest having darted on the piece to which I was
attached, carried me up with it to its nest. The merchants then
began their cries to frighten away the eagles, and when they had
obliged them to quit their prey, one of them approached me, but was
much surprised and alarmed on seeing me. He soon, however, recovered
from his fear, and instead of inquiring by what means I came there,
began to quarrel with me for trespassing on what he called his
property. “You will speak to me with pity instead of anger,”
said I, “when you learn by what means I reached this place.
Console yourself; for I have diamonds for you as well as for myself,
which are more valuable than those of all the other merchants added
together; I have myself chosen some of the finest at the bottom of
the valley, and have them in this bag.” On saying this I showed it
to him. I had scarcely finished speaking, when the other merchants
perceiving me, flocked around me with great astonishment, which I
increased not a little by the recital of my history. They were less
surprised at the stratagem I had conceived to save myself, than at
my courage in attempting to put it in execution.
They conducted me to the place where they lived together; and on
seeing my diamonds they all expressed their admiration, and declared
they had never seen any to equal them in size or quality. I
entreated the merchant to whom the nest into which I had been
transported belonged, for each merchant has his own; I entreated
him, I say, to choose for himself as many as he pleased. He
contented himself with taking only one, and that too of the smallest
size; and as I pressed him to take more, without fear of depriving
me, “No,” replied he, “I am very well satisfied with this,
which is sufficiently valuable to spare me the trouble of making any
more voyages to complete my little fortune.”
I passed the night with these merchants, to whom I recounted my
history a second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not
heard it before. I could scarcely moderate my joy, when I reflected
on the perils I had gone through; it appeared as if my present state
was but a dream, and I could not believe that I had nothing more to
fear.
The merchants had been for some days in that spot, and as they now
appeared to be contented with the diamonds they had collected, we
set off the following day altogether, and travelled over high
mountains, which were infested by prodigious serpents, but we had
the good fortune to avoid them. We reached the nearest port in
safety, and from thence embarked for the isle of Roha, which
produces the tree whence camphor is extracted; a tree so large and
thick that a hundred men may be shaded by it with ease. The juice of
which the camphor is formed, runs out at a wound made at the top of
the tree, and is received in a vessel, where it remains till it
acquires a proper consistence, and becomes what is called camphor.
The juice being thus extracted, the tree withers and dies.
The rhinoceros is a native of this island: it is a smaller animal
than the elephant, yet larger than the buffalo. It has a horn on the
nose, about a cubit in length; this horn is solid, and cut through
the middle from one extremity to the other, and on it are several
white lines, which represent the figure of a man. The rhinoceros
fights with the elephant, and piercing him in his belly with his
horn, carries him off on his head; but as the fat and blood of the
elephant run down on his eyes and blind him, he falls on the ground,
and what will astonish you, the roc comes and seizes them both in
his claws, and flies away with them to feed its young.
I will pass over several other peculiarities of this island, lest I
should tire you. I exchanged some of my diamonds for valuable
merchandize: from thence we went to other islands, and at last,
after having touched at several ports, we reached Balsora, from
which place I returned to Bagdad. The first thing I did was to
distribute a great deal of money amongst the poor, and I enjoyed
with credit and honour the rest of my immense riches, which I had
acquired with so much labour and fatigue.
Here Sindbad completed the relation of his second voyage. He again
ordered a hundred sequins to be given to Hindbad, whom he invited to
come on the morrow to hear the history of the third.
The guests returned home, and the following day repaired at the same
hour to the house of Sindbad; where the porter, who had almost
forgotten his misery, also made his appearance. They sat down to
table, and after the repast was ended, Sindbad requested the company
to attend to him, and he began the detail of his third voyage.