The pleasures and dissipations I entered into after my third voyage,
had not charms sufficiently powerful to deter me from venturing on
the sea again. I gave way to my love for traffic and novelty; and
after having settled my affairs, and furnished myself with the
merchandize suited to the places I intended to visit, I set out, and
travelled towards Persia, some of the provinces of which I
traversed, and at last reached a port, where I embarked. We set
sail, and touched at several ports of Terra Firma, and of some
Oriental islands; but one day, making a great tack, we were
surprised by a sudden squall of wind, which obliged the captain to
lower the sails. He gave the necessary orders for preventing the
danger we were threatened with; but all our precautions were
fruitless; our exertions did not succeed; the sails were torn in a
thousand pieces; and the vessel, becoming ungovernable, was driven
on a sand-bank, and went to pieces, by which a great number of the
crew, as well as the cargo, perished.
I had the good fortune, as well as some other merchants and seamen,
to get hold of a plank; we were all drawn by the strength of the
current towards an island that lay before us. We found some fruits
and fresh water, which re-established our strength, and we laid down
to sleep in the spot where the waves had thrown us, without seeking
any farther; the grief we felt at our misfortune rendered us
careless of our fate. The next morning, when the sun was risen, we
left the shore, and advancing in the island, perceived some
habitations, towards which we bent our way. When we drew near, a
great number of blacks came out to us, and surrounding us, seized
our persons, of which they seemed to make a division, and then
conducted us to their houses.
Five of my comrades and myself were taken into the same place. They
made us sit down, and then offered us a certain herb, inviting us by
signs to eat of it. My companions without considering that they who
gave it us did not eat of it, only consulted their appetites, and
devoured it with avidity. I, who had a sort of presentiment that it
was for no good purpose, refused even to taste it, and it was well I
did, for a short time after, I perceived that my companions soon
lost all recollection of their situation, and did not know what they
said. They then served us with some rice dressed with the oil of the
cocoa-nut, and my comrades, not being sensible of what they did, eat
it ravenously. I eat some also, but very little.
The blacks had presented the herb first to affect our heads, and
thus banish the sorrow which our miserable situation would create,
and the rice was given to fatten us. As they were anthropophagi,
they designed to feast on us, when we were in good condition. My
poor companions fell victims to their barbarous custom, because they
had lost their senses, and could not foresee their destiny. As for
me, instead of fattening as the others had done, I grew thinner
every day. The fear of death, which constantly haunted me, turned
the aliments I took to poison, and I fell into a state of languor,
which was in the end very beneficial; for the blacks, having eaten
my comrades, were contented to let me remain till I was better
picking.
In the mean time I was allowed a great deal of liberty, and my
actions were scarcely observed. This afforded me the opportunity one
day of quitting the habitation of the blacks, and escaping. An old
man, who saw and guessed my intention, called me to return, but I
only quickened my pace, and soon got out of his sight. This old man
was the only person in the place; all the other blacks had absented
themselves, and were not to return till night, as was their frequent
custom. Being therefore certain that they would be too late to come
in search of me, when they returned home, I continued my flight till
evening, when I stopped to take a little rest, and satisfy my
hunger. I soon proceeded, and walked without intermission for seven
days; taking care to avoid those places which appeared inhabited;
and living on cocoa-nuts, which furnished me with drink as well as
food.
On the eighth day I came to the sea-shore; here I saw some white
people like myself, employed in gathering pepper, of which there was
in that place a great abundance. Such an occupation was a good omen
to me, and I approached them without fear of danger. They came
towards me as soon as they perceived me, and asked me in Arabic from
whence I came.
Delighted to hear my native language once more, I readily complied
with their request; and related to them the manner in which I had
been shipwrecked, and got to that island, where I had fallen into
the hands of the blacks. “But these blacks,” said they, “eat
men; by what miracle then could you escape their cruelty?” I gave
them the same account which you have been listening to, and they
were very much surprised.
I remained with them, until they had collected as much pepper as
they chose, after which they made me embark with them in the vessel
which had conveyed them, and we soon reached another island, from
whence they had come. They presented me to their king, who was a
good prince. He had the patience to listen to the recital of my
adventures, which astonished him; and he ordered me some new
clothes, and desired I might be taken care of. This island was very
populous, and abounded in all sorts of articles for commerce, which
was carried on to a great extent in the town, where the king
resided. This agreeable retreat began to console me for my
misfortunes, and the kindness of this generous prince made me
completely happy. Indeed I appeared to be his greatest favourite;
consequently all ranks of people endeavoured to please me, so that I
was soon considered more as a native than a stranger.
I remarked one thing, which appeared to me very singular; every one,
the king not excepted, rode on horseback without either bridle or
stirrups. I one day took the liberty to ask his majesty, why such
things were excluded; he replied, that he was entirely ignorant of
what I meant.
I immediately went to a workman, and gave him a model to make the
tree of a saddle from: that finished, I covered it myself with
leather, richly embroidered in gold, and stuffed it with hair. I
then applied to a locksmith, who made me a bit, according to the
pattern I gave him, and some stirrups also.
When these things were completed, I presented them to the king, and
tried them on one of his horses: the prince then mounted it, and was
so pleased with the invention, that he testified his approbation by
making me considerable presents. I was then obliged to make several
saddles for his ministers and the principal officers of his
household, who all rewarded me with very rich and handsome presents.
I also made some for the most respectable inhabitants of the town,
by which I gained great reputation and credit.
As I constantly attended at court, the king said to me one day,
“Sindbad, I love you; and I know that all my subjects, who have
any knowledge of you, follow my example, and entertain a high regard
for you. I have one request to make, which you must not deny me.”
--“Sire,” replied I, “there is nothing your majesty can
command, which I will not undertake to prove my obedience to your
orders. Your power over me is absolute.”--“I wish you to
marry,” resumed the prince, “that you may have a more tender tie
to attach you to my dominions, and prevent your returning to your
native country.”--As I did not dare to refuse the king’s offer,
he married me to a lady of his court, who was noble, beautiful,
rich, and accomplished. After the ceremony of the nuptials I took up
my abode in the house of my wife, and lived with her for some time
in perfect harmony. Nevertheless, I was discontented with my
situation, and designed to make my escape the first convenient
opportunity, and return to Bagdad, which the splendid establishment
I was then in possession of could not obliterate from my mind.
These were my sentiments, when the wife of one of my neighbours,
with whom I was very intimate, fell sick and died. I went to console
him, and finding him in the deepest affliction, ‘‘May God
preserve you,” said I to him, “and grant you a long life.”
--“Alas,” replied he, “how can I obtain what you wish me? I
have only one hour to live.”--“Oh,” resumed I, “do not
suffer such dismal ideas to take possession of your mind; I hope
that will not be the case, and that I shall enjoy your friendship
for many years.”--“I wish, with all my heart,” said he,
“that your life may be of long duration: as for me, the die is
cast, and this day I shall be buried with my wife: such is the
custom which our ancestors have established in this island, and
which is still inviolably observed; the husband is interred alive
with his deceased wife, the wife with the husband, in the same way:
nothing can save me, and every one submits to this law.”
Whilst he was relating to me this singular species of barbarity,
which filled me with terror, his relations, friends, and neighbours
arrived to be present at the funeral. They dressed the corpse of the
woman in the richest attire, as on the day of her nuptials, and
decorated her with all her jewels. They then placed her uncovered on
a bier, and the procession set out. The husband, drest in mourning,
went immediately after the body of his wife, and the rest followed.
They bent their course towards a high mountain, and when they were
arrived, a large stone, which covered a deep pit, was raised, and
the body let down into it, without taking off any of the ornaments.
After that, the husband took his leave of his relations and friends,
and without making any resistance, suffered himself to be placed on
a bier with a jug of water, and seven small loaves by his side; he
was then let down as his wife had been. This mountain extended a
great way, and served as a boundary to the ocean: and the pit was
very deep. When the ceremony was completed the stone was replaced,
and the company retired. I need scarcely add, gentlemen, that I was
particularly affected with this ceremony. All the others, who were
present, did not appear to feel it, from their being habituated to
see the same kind of scene so frequently. I could not avoid telling
the king my sentiments on this subject. “Sire,” said I, “I
cannot express my astonishment at the strange custom which subsists
in your dominions, of interring the living with the dead; I have
visited many nations, but in the whole course of my travels I never
heard of so cruel a law.”--“What can I do, Sindbad,” replied
the king, “it is a law common to all ranks, and even I submit to
its decree; I shall be interred alive with the queen, my consort, if
she happens to die first.”--“Sire,” resumed I, “will your
majesty allow me to ask, if foreigners are obliged to observe this
custom?”--“Certainly,” said the king, smiling at the motive
of my question; “they are not exempted when they marry in the
island.”
I returned home thoughtful and sad at this reply. The fear that my
wife might die first, and that I must be interred with her, was a
reflection of the most distressing nature. Yet how could I remedy
this evil? I must have patience, and submit to the will of God.
Nevertheless I trembled at the slightest indisposition of my wife,
and alas! I soon had good reason to fear; she was taken dangerously
ill, and died in a few days. Judge of my sorrow. To be interred
alive did not appear to me a more desirable end than that of being
devoured by the anthropophagi; yet I was obliged to comply. The
king, accompanied by his whole court, would honour the procession
with his presence; and the principal inhabitants of the city also,
out of respect to me, were present at my interment.
When all was in readiness for the ceremony, the corpse of my wife,
decorated with her jewels, and most magnificent clothes, was placed
on a bier, and the procession set out. Being the second personage in
this woeful tragedy, I followed the body of my wife, my eyes bathed
in tears, and deploring my miserable destiny. Before we arrived at
the mountain, I wished to make trial of the compassion of the
spectators. I first addressed myself to the king, then to those who
were near me, and bowing to the ground to kiss the hem of their
garment, I entreated them to have pity on me. “Consider,” said
I, “that I am a stranger, who ought not to be subject to so
rigorous a law; and that I have another wife and children in my own
country.” I pronounced these words in an affecting tone, but no
one seemed moved; on the contrary, they hastened to put the corpse
in the pit, and soon after I was let down also on another bier, with
a jug of water and seven loaves. At last, this fatal ceremony being
completed, they re-placed the stone over the mouth of the pit,
notwithstanding the excess of my grief, and my piteous lamentation.
As I approached the bottom, I discovered by the little light that
shone from above, the shape of this subterraneous abode. It was a
vast cavern, which might be about fifty cubits deep. I soon smelt an
insupportable stench, which arose from the carcases, that were
spread around. I even fancied I heard the last sighs of some, who
had lately fallen victims to this inhuman law. I had no sooner
reached the bottom than I left the bier, and stopping my nostrils,
went to a distance from the dead bodies. I threw myself on the
ground, where I remained a long time bathed in tears; then
reflecting on my cruel fate, “It is true,” said I, “that God
disposes of us as seems best to his all-seeing Providence; but,
unhappy Sindbad, is it not your own fault that you are now brought
to this singular death? Would to Heaven I had perished in some of
the dreadful wrecks, from which I have been saved! I should not have
had to languish in this miserable abode of lingering death. But have
I not brought it on myself by my accursed avarice? Ah, wretch! I
ought to have remained with my family, and enjoyed peaceably the
fruits of my former labours.”
Such were the useless expressions of rage and despair with which I
made the cavern re-echo. I beat my head and breast, and gave way to
the most violent grief. Nevertheless, shall I confess to you, that
instead of calling on death to release me from this habitation of
despair, the love of life still glowed within me, and induced me to
prolong my days. I felt my way to the bier on which I had been
placed; notwithstanding the intense obscurity which prevailed, I
found my bread and water, and eat of it. The cave now appeared to be
more spacious, and to contain more bodies than I had at first
supposed. I subsisted for some days on my provisions, but as soon as
they were exhausted I prepared to die. I was resigned to my fate,
when I heard the stone above raised. A corpse and living person were
let down. The deceased was a man. It is natural to have recourse to
violent methods, when reduced to the last extremity. While the woman
was descending, I approached the spot where the bier was to be
placed, and when I perceived the aperture above to be closed, I gave
the unhappy female two or three great blows on the head with a large
bone. She was stunned, or more properly speaking, I killed her, and
as I only committed this inhuman action to obtain the bread and
water, which had been allowed her, I had now provisions for some
days. At the end of that time a dead woman and her living husband
were let down. I killed the man in the same manner; and as at that
time there happened, fortunately for me, to be a mortality in the
city, I was not in want of food; employing always the same means to
obtain it.
One day, when I had just put an end to an unfortunate woman, I heard
a sound like breathing, and a footstep. I advanced to the part from
whence the sound proceeded; I heard a louder breathing at my
approach, and I fancied I saw something fleeing from me. I followed
this species of shadow, which occasionally stopped, and then again
retreated panting, as I drew near. I pursued it so long, and went so
far, that at last I perceived a small speck of light, resembling a
star. I continued to walk towards this light, sometimes losing it,
according to the obstacles which arose, but always recovering it
again, till I arrived at an opening in the rock, large enough to
allow me to pass.
At this discovery I stopped for some time to recover from the
violent emotion occasioned by my walking quick; then passing through
the crevice I found myself on the sea-shore. You may imagine the
excess of my joy; it was so great, that I could scarcely be
satisfied that my imagination did not deceive me. When I became
convinced that it was a reality, and that my senses were still
sound, I perceived, that the thing which I had heard pant, and which
I had followed, was an animal that lived in the sea, and was in the
habit of going into that cave to devour the dead bodies.
I examined the mountain, and observed, that it was situated between
the city and the sea, without any communication between them, for it
was so steep, that it was not practicable. I prostrated myself on
the shore, to thank God for the mercy he had shown me. I then
returned to the cave to get some bread, which I brought out and eat
with much better appetite than I had enjoyed since my interment in
that gloomy mansion.
I returned again to collect, as well as I could, by feeling on the
different biers, all the diamonds, rubies, pearls, golden bracelets,
in short, every thing of value that I could find, and brought it all
to the shore. I tied them up in several packets, with the cords
which had served to let down the biers, of which there was a great
quantity. I left them in a convenient place, till a proper
opportunity should offer, without fear of their being spoiled by the
rain; for it was not the season for wet weather.
At the end of two or three days, I perceived a vessel just sailing
out of the harbour, and passing by the spot where I was. I made
signs with the linen of my turban, and cried aloud with all my
strength. They heard me on board, and dispatched the boat to fetch
me. When the sailors inquired by what misfortune I had got in that
place, I replied, that I had been wrecked two days since on that
shore, with all my merchandize. Fortunately for me, these people did
not consider whether my story was probable, but satisfied with my
answer, they took me on board, with my bales.
When we had reached the vessel, the captain, happy in being
instrumental to my safety, and occupied with the management of the
ship, believed, without any difficulty, the tale of the wreck; to
convince him of which, I offered him some precious stones, but he
refused them.
We passed several islands, amongst others, the island of Bells,
distant about ten days sail from that of Serendib, [6] sailing with
a fair wind, and six days from the isle of Kela, where we landed.
Here there were some lead mines, some Indian canes, and excellent
camphor.
The king of the isle of Kela is very rich, and powerful. His
authority extends over the island of Bells, which is two days
journey in extent; the inhabitants are still so uncivilized, as to
eat human flesh. After we had made an advantageous traffic in this
island, we again set sail, and touched at several ports. At length,
I arrived happily at Bagdad, with immense riches, of which it is
needless to give you a detail. To show my gratitude to Heaven for
the mercies shown me, I spent a great deal in charity, some for the
support of mosques, and some for the subsistence of the poor. I then
entirely gave myself up to the society of my relations and friends,
and passed my time in feasting and entertainments.
Sindbad here concluded the relation of his fourth voyage, which
occasioned still more surprise in his audience than the three
preceding ones had done. He repeated his present of an hundred
sequins to Hindbad, whom he requested, with the rest of the company,
to return the following day to dine, and hear the detail of his
fifth voyage. Hindbad and the others took their leave and retired.
The next day, when all were assembled, they sat down to table, and
when the repast was over, Sindbad began the account of his fifth
voyage, as follows.