perils I had encountered in my two former voyages; and being in
the flower of my age, I grew weary of living without business,
and hardening myself against the thought of any danger I might
incur, went from Bagdad to Bussorah with the richest commodities
of the country. There I embarked again with some merchants. We
made a long voyage, and touched at several ports, where we
carried on a considerable trade. One day, being out in the main
ocean, we were overtaken by a dreadful tempest, which drove us
from our course. The tempest continued several days, and brought
us before the port of an island, which the captain was very
unwilling to enter; but we were obliged to cast anchor. When we
had furled our sails, the captain told us, that this, and some
other neighbouring islands, were inhabited by hairy savages, who
would speedily attack us; and though they were but dwarfs, yet
our misfortune was such, that we must make no resistance, for
they were more in number than the locusts; and if we happened to
kill one of them, they would all fall upon us and destroy us.
This account of the captain, continued Sinbad put the whole
company into great consternation and we soon found that what he
had told us was but too true; an innumerable multitude of
frightful savages, about two feet high, covered all over with red
hair, came swimming towards us, and encompassed our ship. They
spoke to us as they came near, but we understood not their
language; they climbed up the sides of the ship with such agility
as surprised us. We beheld all this with dread, but without
daring to defend ourselves, or to divert them from their
mischievous design. In short, they took down our sails, cut the
cable, and hauling to the shore, made us all get out, and
afterwards carried the ship into another island from whence they
had come. All voyagers carefully avoided the island where they
left us, it being very dangerous to stay there, for a reason you
shall presently hear; but we were forced to bear our affliction
with patience.
We went forward into the island, where we gathered some fruits
and herbs to prolong our lives as long as we could; but we
expected nothing but death. As we advanced, we perceived at a
distance a vast pile of building, and made towards it. We found
it to be a palace, elegantly built, and very lofty, with a gate
of ebony of two leaves, which we forced open. We entered the
court, where we saw before us a large apartment, with a porch,
having on one side a heap of human bones, and on the other a vast
number of roasting spits. We trembled at this spectacle, and
being fatigued with travelling, fell to the ground, seized with
deadly apprehension, and lay a long time motionless.
The sun set, and whilst we were in the lamentable condition I
have described, the gate of the apartment opened with a loud
crash, and there came out the horrible figure of a black man, as
tall as a lofty palm-tree. He had but one eye, and that in the
middle of his forehead, where it looked as red as a burning coal.
His fore-teeth were very long and sharp, and stood out of his
mouth, which was as deep as that of a horse. His upper lip hung
down upon his breast. His ears resembled those of an elephant,
and covered his shoulders; and his nails were as long and crooked
as the talons of the greatest birds. At the sight of so frightful
a giant, we became insensible, and lay like dead men.
At last we came to ourselves, and saw him sitting in the porch
looking at us. When he had considered us well, he advanced
towards us, and laying his hand upon me, took me up by the nape
of my neck, and turned round as a butcher would do a sheep's
head. After having examined me, and perceiving me to be so lean
that I had nothing but skin and bone, he let me go. He took up
all the rest one by one, and viewed them in the same manner. The
captain being the fattest, he held him with one hand, as I would
do a sparrow, and thrust a spit through him; he then kindled a
great fire, roasted, and ate him in his apartment for his supper.
Having finished his repast, he returned to his porch, where he
lay and fell asleep, snoring louder than thunder. He slept thus
till morning. As to ourselves, it was not possible for us to
enjoy any rest, so that we passed the night in the most painful
apprehension that can be imagined. When day appeared the giant
awoke, got up, went out, and left us in the palace.
When we thought him at a distance, we broke the melancholy
silence we had preserved the whole of the night, and filled the
palace with our lamentations and groans. Though we were several
in number, and had but one enemy, it never occurred to us to
effect our deliverance by putting him to death. This enterprize
however, though difficult of execution, was the only design we
ought naturally to have formed.
We thought of several other expedients, but determined upon none;
and submitting ourselves to what it should please God to order
concerning us, we spent the day in traversing the island,
supporting ourselves with fruits and herbs as we had done the day
before. In the evening we sought for some place of shelter, but
found none; so that we were forced, whether we would or not, to
return to the palace.
The giant failed not to return, and supped once more upon one of
our companions, after which he slept, and snored till day, and
then went out and left us as before. Our situation appeared to us
so dreadful, that several of my comrades designed to throw
themselves into the sea, rather than die so painful a death; and
endeavoured to persuade the others to follow their example. Upon
which one of the company answered, "That we were forbidden to
destroy ourselves: but even if that were not the case, it was
much more reasonable to devise some method to rid ourselves of
the monster who had destined us to so horrible a fate."
Having thought of a project for this purpose, I communicated it
to my comrades, who approved it. "Brethren," said I, "you know
there is much timber floating upon the coast; if you will be
advised by me, let us make several rafts capable of bearing us,
and when they are done, leave them there till we find it
convenient to use them. In the mean time, we will carry into
execution the design I proposed to you for our deliverance from
the giant, and if it succeed, we may remain here patiently
awaiting the arrival of some ship to carry us out of this fatal
island; but if it happen to miscarry, we will take to our rafts,
and put to sea. I admit that by exposing ourselves to the fury of
the waves, we run a risk of losing our lives; but is it not
better to be buried in the sea than in the entrails of this
monster, who has already devoured two of our number?" My advice
was approved, and we made rafts capable of carrying three persons
on each.
We returned to the palace towards the evening, and the giant
arrived shortly after. We were forced to submit to seeing another
of our comrades roasted. But at last we revenged ourselves on the
brutish giant in the following manner. After he had finished his
cursed supper, he lay down on his back, and fell asleep. As soon
as we heard him snore, according to his custom, nine of the
boldest among us, and myself, took each of us a spit, and putting
the points of them into the fire till they were burning hot, we
thrust them into his eye all at once, and blinded him. The pain
made him break out into a frightful yell: he started up, and
stretched out his hands, in order to sacrifice some of us to his
rage: but we ran to such places as he could not reach; and after
having sought for us in vain, he groped for the gate, and went
out, howling in agony.
We quitted the palace after the giant, and came to the shore,
where we had left our rafts, and put them immediately to sea. We
waited till day, in order to get upon them, in case the giant
should come 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 prove to be dead;
and if that happened to be the case, we resolved to stay in that
island, and not to risk our lives upon the rafts: but day had
scarcely 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 at a quick pace.
We did not hesitate to take to our rafts, and put to sea with all
the speed we could. 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 rafts 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 the most painful uncertainty as to our
fate; but next morning we had the good fortune to be thrown upon
an island, where we landed with much joy. We found excellent
fruit, which afforded us great relief, and recruited our
strength.
At night we went to sleep on the sea-shore but were awakened by
the noise of a serpent of surprising length and thickness, whose
scales made a rustling noise as he wound himself along. It
swallowed up one of my comrades, notwithstanding his loud cries,
and the efforts he made to extricate himself from it; dashing him
several times against the ground, it crushed him, and we could
hear it gnaw and tear the poor wretch's bones, though we had fled
to a considerable distance. The following day, to our great
terror, we saw the serpent again, when I exclaimed, "O heaven, to
what dangers are we exposed! We rejoiced yesterday at having
escaped from the cruelty of a giant and the rage of the waves,
now are we fallen into another danger equally dreadful."
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 with fruit, we mounted it according.
Shortly after, the serpent came hissing to the foot of the tree;
raised himself up against the trunk of it, and meeting with my
comrade, who sat lower than I, swallowed him at once, and went
off.
I remained 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, and I advanced
some steps to throw myself into the sea; but the natural love of
life prompting us to prolong it as long as we can, I withstood
this dictate of despair, and submitted myself to the will of God,
who disposes of our lives at his pleasure.
In the mean time I collected together a great quantity of small
wood, brambles, and dry thorns, and making them up into
faggots, made a wide 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
the melancholy 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 fortunately
reached a place of safety. When day appeared, he retired, but I
dared not to leave my fort until the sun arose.
I felt so much fatigued by the labour to which it had put me, and
suffered so much from his poisonous breath, that death seemed
more eligible to me than the horrors of such a state. I came down
from the tree, and, not thinking of the resignation I had the
preceding day resolved to exercise, I ran towards the sea, with a
design to throw myself into it.
God took compassion on my hopeless state; for just as I was going
to throw myself into the sea, I perceived a ship at a
considerable distance. I called as loud as I could, and taking
the linen from my turban, displayed it, that they might observe
me. This had the desired effect; the crew perceived me, and the
captain sent his boat for me. As soon as I came on board, the
merchants and seamen flocked about me, to know how I came into
that desert island; and after I had related to them all that had
befallen me, the oldest among them said to me, they had several
times heard of the giants that dwelt in that island, that they
were cannibals, and ate men raw as well as roasted; and as to the
serpents, they added, that there were abundance in the island
that hid themselves by day, and came abroad by night. After
having testified their joy at my escaping so many dangers, they
brought me the best of their provisions; and the captain, seeing
that I was in rags, was so generous as to give me one of his own
suits. We continued at sea for some time, touched at several
islands, and at last landed at that of Salabat, where sandal wood
is obtained, which is of great use in medicine. We entered the
port, and came to anchor. The merchants began to unload their
goods, in order to sell or exchange them. In the mean time, the
captain came to me, and said, "Brother, I have here some goods
that belonged to a merchant, who sailed some time on board this
ship, and he being dead, I design to dispose of them for the
benefit of his heirs, when I find who they are." The bales he
spoke of lay on the deck, and shewing them to me, he said, "There
are the goods; I hope you will take care to sell them, and you
shall have factorage." I thanked him for thus affording me an
opportunity of employing myself, because I hated to be idle.
The clerk of the ship took an account of all the bales, with the
names of the merchants to whom they belonged. And when he asked
the captain in whose name he should enter those he had given me
the charge of; "Enter them," said the captain, "in the name of
Sinbad." I could not hear myself named without some emotion; and
looking stedfastly on the captain, I knew him to be the person
who, in my second voyage, had left me in the island where I fell
asleep, and sailed without me, or sending to see for me. But I
could not recollect him at first, he was so much altered since I
had seen him.
I was not surprised that he, believing me to be dead, did not
recognize me. "Captain," said I, "was the merchant's name, to
whom those bales belonged, Sinbad?" "Yes," replied he, "that was
his name; he came from Bagdad, and embarked on board my ship at
Bussorah. One day, when we landed at an island to take in water
and other refreshments, I knew not by what mistake, I sailed
without observing that he did not re-embark with us; neither I
nor the merchants perceived it till four hours after. We had the
wind in our stern, and so fresh a gale, that it was not then
possible for us to tack about for him." "You believe him then to
be dead?" said I. "Certainly," answered he. "No, captain," I
resumed; "look at me, and you may know that I am Sinbad, whom you
left in that desert island."
The captain, continued Sinbad, having considered me attentively,
recognized me. "God be praised," said he, embracing me; "I
rejoice that fortune has rectified my fault. There are your
goods, which I always took care to preserve." I took them from
him, and made him the acknowledgments to which he was entitled.
From the isle of Salabat, we went to another, where I furnished
myself with cloves, cinnamon, and other spices. As we sailed from
this island, we saw a tortoise twenty cubits in length and
breadth. We observed also an amphibious animal like a cow, which
gave milk; its skin is so hard, that they usually make bucklers
of it. I saw another, which had the shape and colour of a camel.
In short, after a long voyage, I arrived at Bussorah, and from
thence returned to Bagdad, with so much wealth that I knew not
its extent. I gave a great deal to the poor, and bought another
considerable estate in addition to what I had already.
Thus Sinbad finished the history of his third voyage; gave
another hundred sequins to Hindbad, invited him to dinner again
the next day, to hear the story of his fourth voyage. Hindbad and
the company retired; and on the following day, when they
returned, Sinbad after dinner continued the relation of his
adventures.
The Fourth Voyage.
The pleasures and amusements which I enjoyed after my third
voyage had not charms sufficient to divert me from another. My
passion for trade, and my love of novelty, again prevailed. I
therefore settled my affairs, and having provided a stock of
goods fit for the traffic I designed to engage in, I set out on
my journey. I took the route of Persia, travelled over several
provinces, and then arrived at a port, where I embarked. We
hoisted our sails, and touched at several ports of the continent,
and some of the eastern islands, and put out to sea: we were
overtaken by such a sudden gust of wind, as obliged the captain
to lower his yards, and take all other necessary precautions to
prevent the danger that threatened us. But all was in vain our
endeavours had no effect; the sails were split in a thousand
pieces, and the ship was stranded; several of the merchants and
seamen were drowned and the cargo was lost.
I had the good fortune, with several of the merchants and
mariners, to get upon some planks, and we were carried by the
current to an island which lay before us. There we found fruit
and spring water, which preserved our lives. We staid all night
near the place where we had been cast ashore, without consulting
what we should do; our misfortune had so much dispirited us that
we could not deliberate.
Next morning, as soon as the sun was up, we walked from the
shore, and advancing into the island, saw some houses, which we
approached. As soon as we drew near, we were encompassed by a
great number of negroes, who seized us, shared us among them, and
carried us to their respective habitations.
I, and five of my comrades, were carried to one place; here they
made us sit down, and gave us a certain herb, which they made
signs to us to eat. My comrades not taking notice that the blacks
ate none of it themselves, thought only of satisfying their
hunger, and ate with greediness. But I, suspecting some trick,
would not so much as taste it, which happened well for me; for in
little time after, I perceived my companions had lost their
senses, and that when they spoke to me, they knew not what they
said.
The negroes fed us afterwards with rice, prepared with oil of
cocoa-nuts; and my comrades, who had lost their reason, ate of it
greedily. I also partook of it, but very sparingly. They gave us
that herb at first on purpose to deprive us of our senses, that
we might not be aware of the sad destiny prepared for us; and
they supplied us with rice to fatten us; for, being cannibals,
their design was to eat us as soon as we grew fat. This
accordingly happened, for they devoured my comrades, who were not
sensible of their condition; but my senses being entire, you may
easily guess that instead of growing fat, as the rest did, I grew
leaner every day. The fear of death under which I laboured,
turned all my food into poison. I fell into a languishing
distemper, which proved my safety; for the negroes, having killed
and eaten my companions, seeing me to be withered, lean, and
sick, deferred my death.
Meanwhile I had much liberty, so that scarcely any notice was taken of
what I did, and this gave me an opportunity one day to get at a
distance from the houses, and to make my escape. An old man, who saw
me, and suspected my design, called to me as loud as he could to
return; but instead of obeying him, I redoubled my speed, and quickly
got out of sight. At that time there was none but the old man about
the houses, the rest being abroad, and not to return till night, which
was usual with them. Therefore, being sure that they could not arrive
time enough to pursue me, I went on till night, when I stopped to rest
a little, and to eat some of the provisions I had secured; but I
speedily set forward again, and travelled seven days, avoiding those
places which seemed to be inhabited, and lived for the most part upon
cocoa-nuts, which served me both for meat and drink. On the eighth day
I came near the sea, and saw some white people like myself, gathering
pepper, of which there was great plenty in that place. This I took to
be a good omen, and went to them without any scruple.
The people who gathered pepper came to meet me as soon as they
saw me, and asked me in Arabic who I was, and whence I came? I
was overjoyed to hear them speak in my own language, and
satisfied their curiosity, by giving them an account of my
shipwreck, and how I fell into the hands of the negroes. "Those
negroes," replied they, "eat men, and by what miracle did you
escape their cruelty?" I related to them the circumstances I have
just mentioned, at which they were wonderfully surprised.
I staid with them till they had gathered their quantity of
pepper, and then sailed with them to the island from whence they
had come. They presented me to their king, who was a good prince.
He had the patience to hear the relation of my adventures, which
surprised him; and he afterwards gave me clothes, and commanded
care to be taken of me.
The island was very well peopled, plentiful in everything, and
the capital a place of great trade. This agreeable retreat was
very comfortable to me after my misfortunes, and the kindness of
this generous prince completed my satisfaction. In a word, there
was not a person more in favour with him than myself; and,
consequently, every man in court and city sought to oblige me; so
that in a very little time I was looked upon rather as a native
than a stranger.
I observed one thing, which to me appeared very extraordinary.
All the people, the king himself not excepted, rode their horses
without saddle, bridle, or stirrups. This made me one day take
the liberty to ask the king how it came to pass? His majesty
answered, that I talked to him of things which nobody knew the
use of in his dominions.
I went immediately to a workman, and gave him a model for making
the stock of a saddle. When that was done, I covered it myself
with velvet and leather, and embroidered it with gold. I
afterwards went to a smith, who made me a bit, according to the
pattern I shewed him, and also some stirrups. When I had all
things completed, I presented them to the king, and put them upon
one of his horses. His majesty mounted immediately, and was so
pleased with them, that he testified his satisfaction by large
presents. I could not avoid making several others for the
ministers and principal officers of his household, who all of
them made me presents that enriched me in a little time. I also
made some for the people of best quality in the city, which
gained me great reputation and regard.
As I paid my court very constantly to the king, he said to me one
day, "Sinbad, I love thee; and all my subjects who know thee,
treat thee according to my example. I have one thing to demand of
thee, which thou must grant." "Sir," answered I, "there is
nothing but I will do, as a mark of my obedience to your majesty,
whose power over me is absolute." "I have a mind thou shouldst
marry," replied he, "that so thou mayst stay in my dominions, and
think no more of thy own country." I durst not resist the
prince's will, and he gave me one of the ladies of his court,
noble, beautiful, and rich. The ceremonies of marriage being
over, I went and dwelt with my wife, and for some time we lived
together in perfect harmony. I was not, however, satisfied with
my banishment, therefore designed to make my escape the first
opportunity, and to return to Bagdad; which my present
settlement, how advantageous soever, could not make me forget.
At this time the wife of one of my neighbours, with whom I had
contrasted a very strict friendship, fell sick, and died. I went
to see and comfort him in his affliction, and finding him
absorbed in sorrow, I said to him as soon as I saw him, "God
preserve you and grant you a long life." "Alas!" replied he, "how
do you think I should obtain the favour you wish me? I have not
above an hour to live." "Pray," said I, "do not entertain such a
melancholy thought; I hope I shall enjoy your company many
years." "I wish you," he replied, "a long life; but my days are
at an end, for I must be buried this day with my wife. This is a
law which our ancestors established in this island, and it is
always observed inviolably. The living husband is interred with
the dead wife, and the living wife with the dead husband. Nothing
can save me; every one must submit to this law."