Rich and happy as I was after my third voyage, I could not make up my
mind to stay at home altogether. My love of trading, and the pleasure I
took in anything that was new and strange, made me set my affairs in
order, and begin my journey through some of the Persian provinces,
having first sent off stores of goods to await my coming in the
different places I intended to visit. I took ship at a distant seaport,
and for some time all went well, but at last, being caught in a violent
hurricane, our vessel became a total wreck in spite of all our worthy
captain could do to save her, and many of our company perished in the
waves. I, with a few others, had the good fortune to be washed ashore
clinging to pieces of the wreck, for the storm had driven us near an
island, and scrambling up beyond the reach of the waves we threw
ourselves down quite exhausted, to wait for morning.
At daylight we wandered inland, and soon saw some huts, to which we
directed our steps. As we drew near their black inhabitants swarmed out
in great numbers and surrounded us, and we were led to their houses, and
as it were divided among our captors. I with five others was taken into
a hut, where we were made to sit upon the ground, and certain herbs were
given to us, which the blacks made signs to us to eat. Observing that
they themselves did not touch them, I was careful only to pretend to
taste my portion; but my companions, being very hungry, rashly ate up
all that was set before them, and very soon I had the horror of seeing
them become perfectly mad. Though they chattered incessantly I could not
understand a word they said, nor did they heed when I spoke to them. The
savages now produced large bowls full of rice prepared with cocoanut
oil, of which my crazy comrades ate eagerly, but I only tasted a few
grains, understanding clearly that the object of our captors was to
fatten us speedily for their own eating, and this was exactly what
happened. My unlucky companions having lost their reason, felt neither
anxiety nor fear, and ate greedily all that was offered them. So they
were soon fat and there was an end of them, but I grew leaner day by
day, for I ate but little, and even that little did me no good by reason
of my fear of what lay before me. However, as I was so far from being a
tempting morsel, I was allowed to wander about freely, and one day, when
all the blacks had gone off upon some expedition leaving only an old man
to guard me, I managed to escape from him and plunged into the forest,
running faster the more he cried to me to come back, until I had
completely distanced him.
For seven days I hurried on, resting only when the darkness stopped me,
and living chiefly upon cocoanuts, which afforded me both meat and
drink, and on the eighth day I reached the sea-shore and saw a party of
white men gathering pepper, which grew abundantly all about. Reassured
by the nature of their occupation, I advanced towards them and they
greeted me in Arabic, asking who I was and whence I came. My delight was
great on hearing this familiar speech, and I willingly satisfied their
curiosity, telling them how I had been shipwrecked, and captured by the
blacks. "But these savages devour men!" said they. "How did you escape?"
I repeated to them what I have just told you, at which they were
mightily astonished. I stayed with them until they had collected as much
pepper as they wished, and then they took me back to their own country
and presented me to their King, by whom I was hospitably received. To
him also I had to relate my adventures, which surprised him much, and
when I had finished he ordered that I should be supplied with food and
raiment and treated with consideration.
The island on which I found myself was full of people, and abounded in
all sorts of desirable things, and a great deal of traffic went on in
the capital, where I soon began to feel at home and contented. Moreover,
the King treated me with special favor, and in consequence of this
everyone, whether at the court or in the town, sought to make life
pleasant to me. One thing I remarked which I thought very strange; this
was that, from the greatest to the least, all men rode their horses
without bridle or stirrups. I one day presumed to ask his Majesty why he
did not use them, to which he replied, "You speak to me of things of
which I have never before heard!" This gave me an idea. I found a clever
workman and made him cut out under my direction the foundation of a
saddle, which I wadded and covered with choice leather, adorning it with
rich gold embroidery. I then got a locksmith to make me a bit and a pair
of spurs after a pattern that I drew for him, and when all these things
were completed I presented them to the King and showed him how to use
them. When I had saddled one of his horses he mounted it and rode about
quite delighted with the novelty, and to show his gratitude he rewarded
me with large gifts. After this I had to make saddles for all the
principal officers of the King's household, and as they all gave me rich
presents I soon became very wealthy and quite an important person in the
city.
One day the King sent for me and said, "Sindbad, I am going to ask a
favor of you. Both I and my subjects esteem you, and wish you to end
your days amongst us. Therefore I desire that you will marry a rich and
beautiful lady whom I will find for you, and think no more of your own
country."
As the King's will was law I accepted the charming bride he presented to
me, and lived happily with her. Nevertheless I had every intention of
escaping at the first opportunity, and going back to Bagdad. Things were
thus going prosperously with me when it happened that the wife of one of
my neighbors, with whom I had struck up quite a friendship, fell ill,
and presently died. I went to his house to offer my consolations, and
found him in the depths of woe.
"Heaven preserve you," said I, "and send you a long life!"
"Alas!" he replied, "what is the good of saying that when I have but an
hour left to live!"
"Come, come!" said I, "surely it is not so bad as all that. I trust that
you may be spared to me for many years."
"I hope," answered he, "that your life may be long, but as for me, all
is finished. I have set my house in order, and to-day I shall be buried
with my wife. This has been the law upon our island from the earliest
ages--the living husband goes to the grave with his dead wife, the
living wife with her dead husband. So did our fathers, and so must we
do. The law changes not, and all must submit to it!"
As he spoke the friends and relations of the unhappy pair began to
assemble. The body, decked in rich robes and sparkling with jewels, was
laid upon an open bier, and the procession started, taking its way to a
high mountain at some distance from the city, the wretched husband,
clothed from head to foot in a black mantle, following mournfully.
When the place of interment was reached the corpse was lowered, just as
it was, into a deep pit. Then the husband, bidding farewell to all his
friends, stretched himself upon another bier, upon which were laid seven
little loaves of bread and a pitcher of water, and he also was let
down-down-down to the depths of the horrible cavern, and then a stone
was laid over the opening, and the melancholy company wended its way
back to the city.
You may imagine that I was no unmoved spectator of these proceedings; to
all the others it was a thing to which they had been accustomed from
their youth up; but I was so horrified that I could not help telling the
King how it struck me.
"Sire," I said, "I am more astonished than I can express to you at the
strange custom which exists in your dominions of burying the living with
the dead. In all my travels I have never before met with so cruel and
horrible a law."
"What would you have, Sindbad?" he replied. "It is the law for
everybody. I myself should be buried with the Queen if she were the
first to die."
"But, your Majesty," said I, "dare I ask if this law applies to
foreigners also?"
"Why, yes," replied the king smiling, in what I could but consider a
very heartless manner: "they are no exception to the rule if they have
married in the country."
When I heard this I went home much cast down, and from that time forward
my mind was never easy. If only my wife's little finger ached I fancied
she was going to die, and sure enough before very long she fell really
ill and in a few days breathed her last. My dismay was great, for it
seemed to me that to be buried alive was even a worse fate than to be
devoured by cannibals, nevertheless there was no escape. The body of my
wife, arrayed in her richest robes and decked with all her jewels, was
laid upon the bier. I followed it, and after me came a great procession,
headed by the king and all his nobles, and in this order we reached the
fatal mountain, which was one of a lofty chain bordering the sea.
Here I made one more frantic effort to excite the pity of the King and
those who stood by, hoping to save myself even at this last moment, but
it was of no avail. No one spoke to me, they even appeared to hasten
over their dreadful task, and I speedily found myself descending into
the gloomy pit, with my seven loaves and pitcher of water beside me.
Almost before I reached the bottom the stone was rolled into its place
above my head, and I was left to my fate. A feeble ray of light shone
into the cavern through some chink, and when I had the courage to look
about me I could see that I was in a vast vault, bestrewn with bones and
bodies of the dead. I even fancied that I heard the expiring sighs of
those who, like myself, had come into this dismal place alive. All in
vain did I shriek aloud with rage and despair, reproaching myself for
the love of gain and adventure which had brought me to such a pass, but
at length, growing calmer, I took up my bread and water, and wrapping my
face in my mantle I groped my way towards the end of the cavern, where
the air was fresher.
Here I lived in darkness and misery until my provisions were exhausted,
but just as I was nearly dead from starvation the rock was rolled away
overhead and I saw that a bier was being lowered into the cavern, and
that the corpse upon it was a man. In a moment my mind was made up, the
woman who followed had nothing to expect but a lingering death; I should
be doing her a service if I shortened her misery. Therefore when she
descended, already insensible from terror, I was ready armed with a huge
bone, one blow from which left her dead, and I secured the bread and
water which gave me a hope of life. Several times did I have recourse to
this desperate expedient, and I know not how long I had been a prisoner
when one day I fancied that I heard something near me, which breathed
loudly. Turning to the place from which the sound came I dimly saw a
shadowy form which fled at my movement, squeezing itself through a
cranny in the wall. I pursued it as fast as I could, and found myself in
a narrow crack among the rocks, along which I was just able to force my
way. I followed it for what seemed to me many miles, and at last saw
before me a glimmer of light which grew clearer every moment until I
emerged upon the sea-shore with a joy which I cannot describe. When I
was sure that I was not dreaming, I realized that it was doubtless some
little animal which had found its way into the cavern from the sea, and
when disturbed had fled, showing me a means of escape which I could
never have discovered for myself. I hastily surveyed my surroundings,
and saw that I was safe from all pursuit from the town.
The mountains sloped sheer down to the sea, and there was no road across
them. Being assured of this I returned to the cavern, and amassed a rich
treasure of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and jewels of all kinds, which
strewed the ground. These I made up into bales, and stored them into a
safe place upon the beach, and then waited hopefully for the passing of
a ship. I had looked out for two days, however, before a single sail
appeared, so it was with much delight that I at last saw a vessel not
very far from the shore, and by waving my arms and uttering loud cries
succeeded in attracting the attention of her crew. A boat was sent off
to me, and in answer to the questions of the sailors as to how I came to
be in such a plight, I replied that I had been shipwrecked two days
before, but had managed to scramble ashore with the bales which I
pointed out to them. Luckily for me they believed my story, and without
even looking at the place where they found me, took up my bundles, and
rowed me back to the ship. Once on board, I soon saw that the captain
was too much occupied with the difficulties of navigation to pay much
heed to me, though he generously made me welcome, and would not even
accept the jewels with which I offered to pay my passage. Our voyage was
prosperous, and after visiting many lands, and collecting in each place
great store of goodly merchandise, I found myself at last in Bagdad once
more with unheard-of riches of every description. Again I gave large
sums of money to the poor, and enriched all the mosques in the city,
after which I gave myself up to my friends and relations, with whom I
passed my time in feasting and merriment.
Here Sindbad paused, and all his hearers declared that the adventures of
his fourth voyage had pleased them better than anything they had heard
before. They then took their leave, followed by Hindbad, who had once
more received a hundred sequins, and with the rest had been bidden to
return next day for the story of the fifth voyage.
When the time came all were in their places, and when they had eaten and
drunk of all that was set before them Sindbad began his tale.