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THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINBAD THE SAILOR
I DESIGNED,
after my first voyage, to spend the rest of my days at Bagdad; but it
was not
long ere I grew weary of a quiet life. My inclination to trade revived.
I
bought goods suited to the commerce I intended, and put to sea a second
time,
with merchants of known probity. We embarked on board a good ship, and
after
recommending ourselves to God, set sail. We traded from island to
island, and
exchanged commodities with great profit. One day we landed on an island
covered
with several sorts of fruit trees, but so unpeopled, that we could see
neither
man nor beast upon it. We went to take a little fresh air in the
meadows, and
along the streams that watered them. Whilst some diverted themselves
with
gathering flowers, and others with gathering fruits, I took my wine and
provisions, and sat down by a stream betwixt two great trees, which
formed a
curious shape. I made a very good meal, and afterwards fell asleep. I
cannot
tell how long I slept, but when I awoke the ship was gone. I was
very much surprised to find the ship gone. I got up and looked about
everywhere, and could not see one of the merchants who landed with me.
At last
I perceived the ship under sail, but at such a distance that I lost
sight of
her in a very little time. I leave
you to guess at my melancholy reflections in this sad condition. I was
ready to
die with grief: I cried out sadly, beat my head and breast, and threw
myself
down upon the ground, where I lay some time in a terrible agony. I
upbraided
myself a hundred times for not being content with the produce of my
first
voyage, that might well have served me all my life. But all this was in
vain,
and my repentance out of season. At last
I resigned myself to the will of God; and not knowing what to do, I
climbed up
to the top of a great tree, from whence I looked about on all sides to
see if
there was anything that could give me hope. When I looked towards the
sea, I
could see nothing but sky and water, but looking towards the land I saw
something white; and, coming down from the tree, I took up what
provision I had
left and went towards it, the distance being so great that I could not
distinguish what it was. When I
came nearer, I thought it to be a white bowl of a prodigious height and
bigness; and when I came up to it I touched it, and found it to be very
smooth.
I went round to see if it was open on any side, but saw it was not, and
that
there was no climbing up to the top of it, it was so smooth. It was at
least
fifty paces round. By this time the sun was ready to set, and all of a sudden the sky became as dark as if it had been covered with a thick cloud. I was much astonished at this sudden darkness, but much more when I found it was occasioned by a bird, of a monstrous size, that came flying toward me. I remembered a fowl, called roc, that I had often heard mariners speak of, and conceived that the great bowl, which I so much admired, must needs be its egg. In short, the bird lighted, and sat over the egg to hatch it. As I perceived her coming, I crept close to the egg, so that I had before me one of the legs of the bird, which was as big as the trunk of a tree. I tied myself strongly to it with the cloth that went round my turban, in hopes that when the roc flew away next morning she would carry me with her out of this desert island. And after having passed the night in this condition, the bird really flew away next morning, as soon as it was day, and carried me so high that I could not see the earth. Then she descended all of a sudden, with so much rapidity that I lost my senses; but when the roc was settled, and I found myself upon the ground, I speedily untied the knot, and had scarcely done so when the bird, having taken up a serpent of a monstrous length in her bill, flew away. "ONE OF THEM CAME TO THE NEST WHERE I WAS" The
place where she left me was a very deep valley, encompassed on all
sides with
mountains, so high that they seemed to reach above the clouds, and so
full of
steep rocks that there was no possibility of getting out of the valley.
This
was a new perplexity, so that when I compared this place with the
desert island
from which the roc brought me, I found that I had gained nothing by the
change.
As I
walked through this valley I perceived it was strewn with diamonds,
some of
which were of surprising bigness. I took a great deal of pleasure in
looking at
them; but speedily I saw at a distance such objects as very much
diminished my
satisfaction, and which I could not look upon without terror; they were
a great
number of serpents, so big and so long that the least of them was
capable of
swallowing an elephant: They retired in the day-time to their dens,
where they
hid themselves from the roc, their enemy, and did not come out but in
the
night-time. I spent
the day in walking about the valley, resting myself at times in such
places as
I thought most suitable. When night came on I went into a cave, where I
thought
I might be in safety. I stopped the mouth of it, which was low and
straight,
with a great stone, to preserve me from the serpents, but not so
exactly fitted
as to hinder light from coming in. I supped on part of my provisions,
but the
serpents, which began to appear, hissing about in the meantime, put me
into
such extreme fear that you may easily imagine I did not sleep. When day
appeared the serpents retired, and I came out of the cave trembling. I
can
justly say that I walked a long time upon diamonds without feeling an
inclination to touch any of them. At last I sat down, and
notwithstanding my
uneasiness, not having shut my eyes during the night, I fell asleep,
after
having eaten a little more of my provisions; but I had scarcely shut my
eyes,
when something that fell by me with great noise awakened me. This was a
great
piece of fresh meat, and at the same time I saw several others fall
down from
the rocks in different places. I had
always looked upon it as a fable when I heard mariners and others
discourse of
the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagems made use of by some
merchants to
get jewels from thence; but now I found it to be true. For, in reality,
those
merchants come to the neighbourhood of this valley when the eagles have
young
ones, and throwing great joints of meat into the valley, the diamonds,
upon
whose points they fall, stick to them; the eagles, which are stronger
in this
country than anywhere else, pounce with great force upon those pieces
of meat,
and carry them to their nests upon the top of the rocks to feed their
young
with, at which time the merchants, running to their nests, frighten the
eagles
by their noise, and take away the diamonds that stick to the meat. And
this
stratagem they make use of to get the diamonds out of the valley, which
is
surrounded with such precipices that nobody can enter it. I
believed till then that it was not possible for me to get out of this
abyss,
which I looked upon as my grave; but now I changed my mind, for the
falling in
of those pieces of meat put me in hopes of a way of saving my life. I began to gather together the largest diamonds that I could see, and put them into the leathern bag in which I used to carry my provisions. I afterwards took the largest piece of meat I could find, tied it close round me with the cloth of my turban, and then laid myself upon the ground, with my face downward, the bag of diamonds being tied fast to my girdle, so that it could not possibly drop off. I had
scarcely laid me down before the eagles came. Each of them seized a
piece of
meat, and one of the strongest having taken me up, with a piece of meat
on my
back, carried me to his nest on the top of the mountain. The merchants
fell
straightway to shouting, to frighten the eagles; and when they had
obliged them
to quit their prey, one of them came to the nest where I was. He was
very much
afraid when he saw me, but recovering himself, instead of inquiring how
I came
thither, he began to quarrel with me, and asked why I stole his goods.
"You will treat the," replied I, "with more civility when you
know me better. Do not trouble yourself; I have diamonds enough for you
and
myself too, more than all the other merchants together. If they have
any, it is
by chance; but I chose myself in the bottom of the valley all those
which you
see in this bag"; and having spoken those words, I showed them to him.
I
had scarcely done speaking, when the other merchants came trooping
about us,
much astonished to see me; but they were much more surprised when I
told them
my story. Yet they did not so much admire my stratagem to save myself
as my
courage to attempt it. They
took me to the place where they were staying all together, and there
having
opened my bag, they were surprised at the largeness of my diamonds, and
confessed that in all the courts where they had been they had never
seen any
that came near them. I prayed the merchant to whom the nest belonged
(for every
merchant had his own), to take as many for his share as he pleased. He
contented
himself with one, and that too the least of them; and when I pressed
him to
take more, without fear of doing me any injury, "No," said he,
"I am very well satisfied with this, which is valuable enough to save
me
the trouble of making any more voyages to raise as great a fortune as I
desire." I spent
the night with those merchants, to whom I told my story a second time,
for the
satisfaction of those who had not heard it. I could not moderate my joy
when I
found myself delivered from the danger I have mentioned. I thought I
was in a
dream, and could scarcely believe myself to be out of danger. The
merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for several
days, and
each of them being satisfied with the diamonds that had fallen to his
lot, we
left the place next morning all together, and travelled near high
mountains,
where there were serpents of a prodigious length, which we had the good
fortune
to escape. We took ship at the nearest port and came to the Isle of
Roha, where
the trees grow that yield camphor. This tree is so large, and its
branches so
thick, that a hundred men may easily sit under its shade. The juice of
which
the camphor is made runs out from a hole bored in the upper part of the
tree,
is received in a vessel, where it grows thick, and becomes what we call
camphor; and the juice thus drawn out the tree withers and dies. There is
in this island the rhinoceros, a creature less than the elephant, but
greater
than the buffalo; it has a horn upon its nose about a cubit long; this
horn is
solid, and cleft in the middle from one end to the other, and there are
upon it
white lines, representing the figure of a man. The rhinoceros fights
with the
elephant, runs his horn into him, and carries him off upon his head;
but the
blood of the elephant running into his eyes and making him blind, he
falls to
the ground, and then, strange to relate, the roc comes and carries them
both
away in her claws to be food for her young ones. Here I
exchanged some of my diamonds for good merchandise. From thence we went
to
other isles, and at last, having touched at several trading towns of
the main
land, we landed at Balsora, from whence I went to Bagdad. There I
immediately
gave great alms to the poor, and lived honourably upon the vast riches
I had
gained with so much fatigue. |