The pleasures of the life which I then led soon made me forget the
risks I had run in my two former voyages; but, being then 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, I
went from Bagdad, with the richest commodities of the country, to
Balsora: there I embarked again with the merchants. We made a long
voyage, and touched at several ports, where we drove a considerable
trade. One day, being out in the main ocean, we were attacked by a
horrible tempest, which made us lose our course. The tempest
continued several days, and brought us before the port of an
island, where the captain was very unwilling to enter; but we were
obliged to cast anchor there. 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 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 discourse of the captain put the whole company into a great
consternation; and we found very soon, to our cost, that what he
had told us was but too true; an innumerable multitude of frightful
savages, covered all over with red hair, and about two feet high,
came swimming towards us, and in a little time 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 an
agility that surprised us. We beheld all this with mortal fear,
without daring to offer to defend ourselves, or to speak one word
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 travellers carefully avoided that
island where they left us, it being very dangerous to stay there,
for a reason you shall hear anon; but we were forced to bear our
affliction with patience.
We went forward into the island, where we found some fruits and
herbs to prolong our lives as long as we could; but we expected
nothing but death. As we went on we perceived at a distance a great
pile of building, and made towards it. We found it to be a palace,
well built, and very lofty, with a gate of ebony with double doors,
which we thrust open. We entered the court, where we saw before us
a vast apartment with a porch, having on one side a heap of men's
bones, and on the other a vast number of roasting spits. We
trembled at this spectacle, and, being weary with travelling, our
legs failed under us: we fell to the ground, seized with deadly
fear, and lay a long time motionless.
The sun had set, and whilst we were in the lamentable condition
just mentioned, the gate of the apartment opened with a great
noise, and there came out the horrible figure of a black man, as
high as a tall 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 lost all our senses, and lay like men dead.
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, he took me up by the nape of my
neck, and turned me round as a butcher would do a sheep's head.
After having viewed me well, 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; and the
captain being the fattest, he held him with one hand, as I might a
sparrow, and thrusting a spit through him, kindled a great fire,
roasted, and ate him in his apartment for his supper. This being
done, he returned to his porch, where he lay and fell asleep,
snoring louder than thunder. He slept thus till morning. For our
parts, it was not possible for us to enjoy any rest; so that we
passed the night in the most cruel fear that can be imagined. Day
being come, 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 kept all night, and every one grieving more than another, we
made the palace resound with our complaints and groans. Though
there were a great many of us, and we had but one enemy, we had not
at first the presence of mind to think of delivering ourselves from
him by his death.
We thought of several other things, but determined nothing; so
that, submitting to what it should please God to order concerning
us, we spent the day in running about the island for fruit and
herbs to sustain our lives. When evening came, we sought for a
place to lie down in, but found none; so that we were forced,
whether we would or not, to return to the palace.
The giant failed not to come back, 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 formerly. Our condition was so very
terrible that several of my comrades designed to throw themselves
into the sea, rather than die so strange a death. Those who were of
this mind argued with the rest to follow their example; upon which
one of the company answered that we were forbidden to destroy
ourselves; but even if it were lawful, it was more reasonable to
think of a way to rid ourselves of the barbarous tyrant who
designed so cruel a death for us.
Having thought of a project for that end, I communicated the same
to my comrades, who approved it. 'Brethren,' said I, 'you know
there is a great deal of timber floating upon the coast; if you
will be advised by me, let us make several rafts that may carry us,
and when they are done, leave them there till we think fit to make
use of them. In the meantime we will execute the design to deliver
ourselves from the giant, and if it succeed, we may stay here with
patience till some ship pass by to carry us out of this fatal
island; but if it happen to miscarry, we will speedily get to our
rafts, and put to sea. I confess, that by exposing ourselves to the
fury of the waves, we run a risk of losing our lives; but if we do,
is it not better to be buried in the sea than in the entrails of
this monster, who has already devoured two of us?' My advice was
relished, and we made rafts capable of carrying three persons each.
We returned to the palace towards evening, and the giant arrived a
little while after. We were forced to see another of our comrades
roasted. But at last we revenged ourselves on the brutish giant
thus. After he had made an end of 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 occasioned him to make a frightful cry, and
to get up and stretch out his hands in order to sacrifice some of
us to his rage, but we ran to places where he could not find us;
and after having sought for us in vain, he groped for the gate, and
went out, howling dreadfully.
We went out of the palace after the giant, and came to the shore,
where we had left our rafts, and put them immediately into the sea.
We waited till day in order to get upon them, in case the giant
came towards us with any guide of his own species; but we hoped
that if he did not appear by sunrise, and gave over his howling,
which we still heard, he would die; and if that happened to be the
case, we resolved to stay in the island, and not to risk our lives
upon the rafts. But day had scarcely appeared when we perceived our
cruel enemy, accompanied by two others almost of the same size
leading him, and a great number more coming before him with a very
quick pace.
When we saw this, we made no delay, but got immediately upon our
rafts, and rowed off from the shore. The giants, who perceived
this, took up great stones, and running to the shore entered the
water up to their waists, and threw so exactly that they sank 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 a cruel uncertainty as to our
fate; but next morning we had the good luck to be thrown upon an
island, where we landed with much joy. We found excellent fruit
there, that gave us great relief, so that we pretty well recovered
our strength.
In the evening we fell asleep on the bank of the sea, but were
awaked by the noise of a serpent as long as a palm tree, whose
scales made a rustling as he crept along. He swallowed up one of my
comrades, notwithstanding his loud cries and the efforts he made to
rid himself from the serpent, which shook him several times against
the ground, and crushed him; and we could hear him gnaw and tear
the poor wretch's bones, when we had fled a great distance from
him. Next day we saw the serpent again, to our great terror, and I
cried out, '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, and now are we fallen into another danger
altogether as terrible.'
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 accordingly. A little while
after, the serpent came hissing to the root of the tree, raised
itself up against the trunk of it, and meeting with my comrade, who
sat lower than I, swallowed him at once, and went off.
I staid upon the tree till it was day, and then came down, more
like a dead man than one alive, expecting the same fate as my two
companions. This filled me with horror, so that I was going to
throw myself into the sea; but nature prompting us to a desire to
live as long as we can, I withstood this temptation to despair, and
submitted myself to the will of God, who disposes of our lives at
His pleasure.
In the meantime I gathered together a great quantity of small wood,
brambles, and dry thorns, and making them up into faggots made a
great circle with them round the tree, and also tied some of them
to the branches over my head. Having done thus, when the evening
came I shut myself up within this circle, with this melancholy
piece of 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 retreated to a place of
safety. When day appeared he retired, but I dared not to leave my
fort until the sun arose.
I was fatigued with the toil he had put me to, and suffered so much
from his poisonous breath that, death seeming preferable to me than
the horror of such a condition. I came down from the tree, and not
thinking on the resignation I had made to the will of God the
preceding day, I ran towards the sea, with a design to throw myself
into it headlong.
God took compassion on my desperate 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; all the crew perceived me, and the captain sent his
boat for me. As soon as I came aboard, the merchants and seamen
flocked about me to know how I came to that desert island; and
after I had told them of all that befell me, the oldest among them
said 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, he added, there were abundance in
the isle 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 what they had to eat; and the captain,
seeing that I was all in rags, was so generous as to give me one of
his own suits.
We were at sea for some time, touched at several islands, and at
last landed at that of Salabat, where there grows sanders, a wood
of great use in physic. We entered the port, and came to anchor.
The merchants began to unload their goods, in order to sell or
exchange them. In the meantime the captain came to me, and said,
'Brother, I have here a parcel of goods that belonged to a merchant
who sailed some time on board this ship; and he being dead, I
intend to dispose of them for the benefit of his heirs, when I know
them.' The bales he spoke of lay on the deck, and showing them to
me, he said, 'There are the goods; I hope you will take care to
sell them, and you shall have a commission.' I thanked him that he
gave me an opportunity to employ 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 gave me the charge
of, 'Enter them,' said the captain, 'in the name of Sinbad the
sailor.' I could not hear myself named without some emotion, and
looking steadfastly 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 by a brook, and set sail without me, and without sending to
look for me. But I could not remember him at first, he was so much
altered since I saw him.
And as for him, who believed me to be dead, I could not wonder at
his not knowing me. 'But, captain,' said I, 'was the merchant's
name to whom those goods belonged Sinbad?'
'Yes,' replied he, 'that was his name; he came from Bagdad, and
embarked on board my ship at Balsora. One day, when we landed at an
island to take in water and other refreshments, I know not by what
mistake I set sail 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,' said I; 'look upon me, and you may know that I am
Sinbad, whom you left in that desert island. I fell asleep by a
brook, and when I awoke I found all the company gone.'
The captain, having considered me attentively, knew me at last
embraced me, and said, 'God be praised that fortune has supplied my
defect. There are your goods, which I always took care to preserve
and to make the best of at every port where I touched. I restore
them to you, with the profit I have made on them.' I took them from
him, and at the same time acknowledged how much I owed to him.
From the Isle of Salabat we went to another, where I furnished
myself with cloves, cinnamon, and other spices. As we sailed from
that island we saw a tortoise that was twenty cubits in length and
breadth. We observed also a fish which looked like a cow, and gave
milk, and 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 Balsora, and from thence
returned to this city of Bagdad, with so much riches that I knew
not what I had. I gave a great deal to the poor, and bought another
great estate in addition to what I had already.