I had resolved, as you know, on my return from my first voyage, to spend
the rest of my days quietly in Bagdad, but very soon I grew tired of
such an idle life and longed once more to find myself upon the sea.
I procured, therefore, such goods as were suitable for the places I
intended to visit, and embarked for the second time in a good ship with
other merchants whom I knew to be honorable men. We went from island to
island, often making excellent bargains, until one day we landed at a
spot which, though covered with fruit-trees and abounding in springs of
excellent water, appeared to possess neither houses nor people. While my
companions wandered here and there gathering flowers and fruit I sat
down in a shady place, and, having heartily enjoyed the provisions and
the wine I had brought with me, I fell asleep, lulled by the murmur of a
clear brook which flowed close by.
How long I slept I know not, but when I opened my eyes and started to my
feet I perceived with horror that I was alone and that the ship was
gone. I rushed to and fro like one distracted, uttering cries of
despair, and when from the shore I saw the vessel under full sail just
disappearing upon the horizon, I wished bitterly enough that I had been
content to stay at home in safety. But since wishes could do me no good,
I presently took courage and looked about me for a means of escape. When
I had climbed a tall tree I first of all directed my anxious glances
towards the sea; but, finding nothing hopeful there, I turned landward,
and my curiosity was excited by a huge dazzling white object, so far off
that I could not make out what it might be.
Descending from the tree I hastily collected what remained of my
provisions and set off as fast as I could go towards it. As I drew near
it seemed to me to be a white ball of immense size and height, and when
I could touch it, I found it marvellously smooth and soft. As it was
impossible to climb it--for it presented no foothold--I walked round
about it seeking some opening, but there was none. I counted, however,
that it was at least fifty paces round. By this time the sun was near
setting, but quite suddenly it fell dark, something like a huge black
cloud came swiftly over me, and I saw with amazement that it was a bird
of extraordinary size which was hovering near. Then I remembered that I
had often heard the sailors speak of a wonderful bird called a roc, and
it occurred to me that the white object which had so puzzled me must be
its egg.
Sure enough the bird settled slowly down upon it, covering it with its
wings to keep it warm, and I cowered close beside the egg in such a
position that one of the bird's feet, which was as large as the trunk of
a tree, was just in front of me. Taking off my turban I bound myself
securely to it with the linen in the hope that the roc, when it took
flight next morning, would bear me away with it from the desolate
island. And this was precisely what did happen. As soon as the dawn
appeared the bird rose into the air carrying me up and up till I could
no longer see the earth, and then suddenly it descended so swiftly that
I almost lost consciousness. When I became aware that the roc had
settled and that I was once again upon solid ground, I hastily unbound
my turban from its foot and freed myself, and that not a moment too
soon; for the bird, pouncing upon a huge snake, killed it with a few
blows from its powerful beak, and seizing it rose up into the air once
more and soon disappeared from my view. When I had looked about me I
began to doubt if I had gained anything by quitting the desolate island.
The valley in which I found myself was deep and narrow, and surrounded
by mountains which towered into the clouds, and were so steep and rocky
that there was no way of climbing up their sides. As I wandered about,
seeking anxiously for some means of escaping from this trap, I observed
that the ground was strewed with diamonds, some of them of an
astonishing size. This sight gave me great pleasure, but my delight was
speedily dampened when I saw also numbers of horrible snakes so long and
so large that the smallest of them could have swallowed an elephant with
ease. Fortunately for me they seemed to hide in caverns of the rocks by
day, and only came out by night, probably because of their enemy the
roc.
All day long I wandered up and down the valley, and when it grew dusk I
crept into a little cave, and having blocked up the entrance to it with
a stone, I ate part of my little store of food and lay down to sleep,
but all through the night the serpents crawled to and fro, hissing
horribly, so that I could scarcely close my eyes for terror. I was
thankful when the morning light appeared, and when I judged by the
silence that the serpents had retreated to their dens I came tremblingly
out of my cave and wandered up and down the valley once more, kicking
the diamonds contemptuously out of my path, for I felt that they were
indeed vain things to a man in my situation. At last, overcome with
weariness, I sat down upon a rock, but I had hardly closed my eyes when
I was startled by something which fell to the ground with a thud close
beside me.
It was a huge piece of fresh meat, and as I stared at it several more
pieces rolled over the cliffs in different places. I had always thought
that the stories the sailors told of the famous valley of diamonds, and
of the cunning way which some merchants had devised for getting at the
precious stones, were mere travellers' tales invented to give pleasure
to the hearers, but now I perceived that they were surely true. These
merchants came to the valley at the time when the eagles, which keep
their eyries in the rocks, had hatched their young. The merchants then
threw great lumps of meat into the valley. These, falling with so much
force upon the diamonds, were sure to take up some of the precious
stones with them, when the eagles pounced upon the meat and carried it
off to their nests to feed their hungry broods. Then the merchants,
scaring away the parent birds with shouts and outcries, would secure
their treasures. Until this moment I had looked upon the valley as my
grave, for I had seen no possibility of getting out of it alive, but now
I took courage and began to devise a means of escape. I began by picking
up all the largest diamonds I could find and storing them carefully in
the leathern wallet which had held my provisions; this I tied securely
to my belt. I then chose the piece of meat which seemed most suited to
my purpose, and with the aid of my turban bound it firmly to my back;
this done I laid down upon my face and awaited the coming of the eagles.
I soon heard the flapping of their mighty wings above me, and had the
satisfaction of feeling one of them seize upon my piece of meat, and me
with it, and rise slowly towards his nest, into which he presently
dropped me. Luckily for me the merchants were on the watch, and setting
up their usual outcries, they rushed to the nest, scaring away the
eagle. Their amazement was great when they discovered me, and also their
disappointment, and with one accord they fell to abusing me for having
robbed them of their usual profit. Addressing myself to the one who
seemed most aggrieved, I said:--
"I am sure, if you knew all that I have suffered, you would show more
kindness towards me, and as for diamonds, I have enough here of the very
best for you and me and all your company." So saying I showed them to
him. The others all crowded around me, wondering at my adventures and
admiring the device by which I had escaped from the valley, and when
they had led me to their camp and examined my diamonds, they assured me
that in all the years that they had carried on their trade they had seen
no stones to be compared with them for size and beauty.
I found that each merchant chose a particular nest, and took his chance
of what he might find in it. So I begged the one who owned the nest to
which I had been carried to take as much as he would of my treasure, but
he contented himself with one stone, and that by no means the largest,
assuring me that with such a gem his fortune was made, and he need toil
no more. I stayed with the merchants several days, and then as they were
journeying homewards I gladly accompanied them. Our way lay across high
mountains infested with frightful serpents, but we had the good luck to
escape them and came at last to the seashore. Thence we sailed to the
isle of Roha, where the camphor-trees grow to such a size that a hundred
men could shelter under one of them with ease. The sap flows from an
incision made high up in the tree into a vessel hung there to receive
it, and soon hardens into the substance called camphor, but the tree
itself withers up and dies when it has been so treated.
In this same island we saw the rhinoceros, an animal which is smaller
than the elephant and larger than the buffalo. It has one horn about a
cubit long which is solid, but has a furrow from the base to the tip.
Upon it is traced in white lines the figure of a man. The rhinoceros
fights with the elephant, and transfixing him with his horn carries him
off upon his head, but becoming blinded with the blood of his enemy, he
falls helpless to the ground, and then comes the roc, and clutches them
both up in his talons and takes them to feed his young. This doubtless
astonishes you, but if you do not believe my tale go to Roha and see for
yourself. For fear of wearying you I pass over in silence many other
wonderful things which we saw in this island. Before we left I exchanged
one of my diamonds for much goodly merchandise by which I profited
greatly on our homeward way. At last we reached Balsora, whence I
hastened to Bagdad, where my first action was to bestow large sums of
money upon the poor, after which I settled down to enjoy tranquilly the
riches I had gained with so much toil and pain.
Having thus related the adventures of his second voyage, Sindbad again
bestowed a hundred sequins upon Hindbad, inviting him to come again on
the following day and hear how he fared upon his third voyage. The other
guests also departed to their homes, but all returned at the same hour
next day, including the porter, whose former life of hard work and
poverty had already begun to seem to him like a bad dream. Again after
the feast was over did Sindbad claim the attention of his guests and
began the account of his third voyage.