Stories of Arabian Nights -
One thousand one Arabian Nights
The Seventh and Last Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor
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After my sixth voyage I was quite determined
that I would go to sea no more. I was now of an age to appreciate a quiet life,
and I had run risks enough. I only wished to end my days in peace. One day,
however, when I was entertaining a number of my friends, I was told that an
officer of the Caliph wished to speak to me, and when he was admitted he bade me
follow him into the presence of Haroun al Raschid, which I accordingly did.
After I had saluted him, the Caliph said:
"I have sent for you, Sindbad, because I need your services. I have chosen you
to bear a letter and a gift to the King of Serendib in return for his message of
friendship."
The Caliph's commandment fell upon me like a thunderbolt.
"Commander of the Faithful," I answered, "I am ready to do all that your Majesty
commands, but I humbly pray you to remember that I am utterly disheartened by
the unheard of sufferings I have undergone. Indeed, I have made a vow never
again to leave Bagdad."
With this I gave him a long account of some of my strangest adventures, to which
he listened patiently.
"I admit," said he, "that you have indeed had some extraordinary experiences,
but I do not see why they should hinder you from doing as I wish. You have only
to go straight to Serendib and give my message, then you are free to come back
and do as you will. But go you must; my honour and dignity demand it."
Seeing that there was no help for it, I declared myself willing to obey; and the
Caliph, delighted at having got his own way, gave me a thousand sequins for the
expenses of the voyage. I was soon ready to start, and taking the letter and the
present I embarked at Balsora, and sailed quickly and safely to Serendib. Here,
when I had disclosed my errand, I was well received, and brought into the
presence of the king, who greeted me with joy.
"Welcome, Sindbad," he cried. "I have thought of you often, and rejoice to see
you once more."
After thanking him for the honour that he did me, I displayed the Caliph's
gifts. First a bed with complete hangings all cloth of gold, which cost a
thousand sequins, and another like to it of crimson stuff. Fifty robes of rich
embroidery, a hundred of the finest white linen from Cairo, Suez, Cufa, and
Alexandria. Then more beds of different fashion, and an agate vase carved with
the figure of a man aiming an arrow at a lion, and finally a costly table, which
had once belonged to King Solomon. The King of Serendib received with
satisfaction the assurance of the Caliph's friendliness toward him, and now my
task being accomplished I was anxious to depart, but it was some time before the
king would think of letting me go. At last, however, he dismissed me with many
presents, and I lost no time in going on board a ship, which sailed at once, and
for four days all went well. On the fifth day we had the misfortune to fall in
with pirates, who seized our vessel, killing all who resisted, and making
prisoners of those who were prudent enough to submit at once, of whom I was one.
When they had despoiled us of all we possessed, they forced us to put on vile
raiment, and sailing to a distant island there sold us for slaves. I fell into
the hands of a rich merchant, who took me home with him, and clothed and fed me
well, and after some days sent for me and questioned me as to what I could do.
I answered that I was a rich merchant who had bee captured by pirates, and
therefore I knew no trade.
"Tell me," said he, "can you shoot with a bow?"
I replied that this had been one of the pastimes of my youth, and that doubtless
with practice my skill would come back to me.
Upon this he provided me with a bow and arrows, and mounting me with him upon
his own elephant took the way to a vast forest which lay far from the town. When
we had reached the wildest part of it we stopped, and my master said to me:
"This forest swarms with elephants. Hide yourself in this great tree, and shoot
at all that pass you. When you have succeeded in killing one come and tell me."
So saying he gave me a supply of food, and returned to the town, and I perched
myself high up in the tree and kept watch. That night I saw nothing, but just
after sunrise the next morning a large herd of elephants came crashing and
trampling by. I lost no time in letting fly several arrows, and at last one of
the great animals fell to the ground dead, and the others retreated, leaving me
free to come down from my hiding place and run back to tell my master of my
success, for which I was praised and regaled with good things. Then we went back
to the forest together and dug a mighty trench in which we buried the elephant I
had killed, in order that when it became a skeleton my master might return and
secure its tusks.
For two months I hunted thus, and no day passed without my securing, an
elephant. Of course I did not always station myself in the same tree, but
sometimes in one place, sometimes in another. One morning as I watched the
coming of the elephants I was surprised to see that, instead of passing the tree
I was in, as they usually did, they paused, and completely surrounded it,
trumpeting horribly, and shaking the very ground with their heavy tread, and
when I saw that their eyes were fixed upon me I was terrified, and my arrows
dropped from my trembling hand. I had indeed good reason for my terror when, an
instant later, the largest of the animals wound his trunk round the stem of my
tree, and with one mighty effort tore it up by the roots, bringing me to the
ground entangled in its branches. I thought now that my last hour was surely
come; but the huge creature, picking me up gently enough, set me upon its back,
where I clung more dead than alive, and followed by the whole herd turned and
crashed off into the dense forest. It seemed to me a long time before I was once
more set upon my feet by the elephant, and I stood as if in a dream watching the
herd, which turned and trampled off in another direction, and were soon hidden
in the dense underwood. Then, recovering myself, I looked about me, and found
that I was standing upon the side of a great hill, strewn as far as I could see
on either hand with bones and tusks of elephants. "This then must be the
elephants' burying place," I said to myself, "and they must have brought me here
that I might cease to persecute them, seeing that I want nothing but their
tusks, and here lie more than I could carry away in a lifetime."
Whereupon I turned and made for the city as fast as I could go, not seeing a
single elephant by the way, which convinced me that they had retired deeper into
the forest to leave the way open to the Ivory Hill, and I did not know how
sufficiently to admire their sagacity. After a day and a night I reached my
master's house, and was received by him with joyful surprise.
"Ah! poor Sindbad," he cried, "I was wondering what could have become of you.
When I went to the forest I found the tree newly uprooted, and the arrows lying
beside it, and I feared I should never see you again. Pray tell me how you
escaped death."
I soon satisfied his curiosity, and the next day we went together to the Ivory
Hill, and he was overjoyed to find that I had told him nothing but the truth.
When we had loaded our elephant with as many tusks as it could carry and were on
our way back to the city, he said:
"My brother--since I can no longer treat as a slave one who has enriched me
thus--take your liberty and may Heaven prosper you. I will no longer conceal
from you that these wild elephants have killed numbers of our slaves every year.
No matter what good advice we gave them, they were caught sooner or later. You
alone have escaped the wiles of these animals, therefore you must be under the
special protection of Heaven. Now through you the whole town will be enriched
without further loss of life, therefore you shall not only receive your liberty,
but I will also bestow a fortune upon you."
To which I replied, "Master, I thank you, and wish you all prosperity. For
myself I only ask liberty to return to my own country."
"It is well," he answered, "the monsoon will soon bring the ivory ships hither,
then I will send you on your way with somewhat to pay your passage."
So I stayed with him till the time of the monsoon, and every day we added to our
store of ivory till all his ware-houses were overflowing with it. By this time
the other merchants knew the secret, but there was enough and to spare for all.
When the ships at last arrived my master himself chose the one in which I was to
sail, and put on board for me a great store of choice provisions, also ivory in
abundance, and all the costliest curiosities of the country, for which I could
not thank him enough, and so we parted. I left the ship at the first port we
came to, not feeling at ease upon the sea after all that had happened to me by
reason of it, and having disposed of my ivory for much gold, and bought many
rare and costly presents, I loaded my pack animals, and joined a caravan of
merchants. Our journey was long and tedious, but I bore it patiently, reflecting
that at least I had not to fear tempests, nor pirates, nor serpents, nor any of
the other perils from which I had suffered before, and at length we reached
Bagdad. My first care was to present myself before the Caliph, and give him an
account of my embassy. He assured me that my long absence had disquieted him
much, but he had nevertheless hoped for the best. As to my adventure among the
elephants he heard it with amazement, declaring that he could not have believed
it had not my truthfulness been well known to him.
By his orders this story and the others I had told him were written by his
scribes in letters of gold, and laid up among his treasures. I took my leave of
him, well satisfied with the honours and rewards he bestowed upon me; and since
that time I have rested from my labours, and given myself up wholly to my family
and my friends.
Thus Sindbad ended the story of his seventh and last voyage, and turning to
Hindbad he added:
"Well, my friend, and what do you think now? Have you ever heard of anyone who
has suffered more, or had more narrow escapes than I have? Is it not just that I
should now enjoy a life of ease and tranquillity?"
Hindbad drew near, and kissing his hand respectfully, replied, "Sir, you have
indeed known fearful perils; my troubles have been nothing compared to yours.
Moreover, the generous use you make of your wealth proves that you deserve it
May you live long and happily in the enjoyment in it."
Sindbad then gave him a hundred sequins, and hence-forward counted him among his
friends; also he caused him to give up his profession as a porter, and to eat
daily at his table that he might all his life remember Sindbad the Sailor.
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