Stories of Arabian Nights -
One thousand one Arabian Nights
The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
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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 honourable 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 foot-hold-- 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 up rose
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 damped 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 round 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 Rohat 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 Rohat 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.
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