The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Anonymous (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

myself, in the bottom of the valley, all those which you see in this bag; and, having spoken these words, I showed him them. I had scarcely done speaking, when the other merchants came trooping about us, very 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 carried me to the place where they staid 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 never saw any that came near them. I prayed the merchant, to whom the nest belonged whither I was carried, (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, says he, I am very well satisfied with this, which is valuable enough to save me the trouble of making any more voyages, and to raise as great a fortune as I desire.

I spent the night with these 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 myself to be 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 the first port, and came to the isle of Ropha, where trees grow that yield camphire. 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 camphire is made, runs out from a hole bored in the upper part of the tree, is received in a vessel, where it grows to a consistency, and becomes what we call camphire; and the juice being thus drawn out, the tree withers and dies. There is here also the rhinoceros, a creature less than the elephant, but greater than the buffalo: it has a horn upon its nose about a cubit long; which is solid, and cleft in the middle from one end to the other, and there are upon it white draughts, representing the figure of a man. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, runs his horn into his belly, and carries him off upon his head; but the blood and the fat of the elephant running into his eyes, and making him blind, he falls to the ground; and, what is astonishing, the roc comes and carries them both away in her claws, to be meat for her young ones.

I pass over many other things peculiar to this island, lest I should be troublesome to you. Here I exchanged some of my diamonds for good merchandise. From thence we went to other isles; and at last, having traded at several trading towns off the firm land, we lauded 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 brought, and gained with so much fatigue. Thus Sindbad ended the story of his second voyage, gave Hindbad another hundred sequins, and invited him to come next day to hear the story of the third. The rest of the guests returned to their homes, and came again the next day at—the same hour; and certainly the porter did not fail, having almost forgotten his former poverty. When dinner was over, Sindbad demanded attention, and gave them the following account of his third voyage.

Sindbad the Sailor's Third Voyage.

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 thoughts of any danger I might incur, I went from Bagdad with the richest commodities of the country to Balsora. There I embarked again with other merchants. We made a long navigation, and touched at several ports, where we drove a considerable commerce. 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, which 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 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 discourse of the captain put the whole equipage into a great consternation, and we found very soon, to our cost, that what he had told us was too true; an innumerable multitude of frightful savages, covered over with red hair, and about two feet high, came swimming towards us, and encompassed our ship in a little time. They spoke to us as they came near, but we understood not their language; they climbed up the sides of the ship with so much agility as surprised us. We beheld all this with fear, without daring to offer at defending 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 came. 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 high, with a gate of ebony of two leaves, 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, and lay a long time immoveable. The sun was set, and whilst we were in this lamentable condition 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 palm-tree. He had but one eye, and that in the middle of his forehead, where it looked as red as burning coal. His foreteeth were very long and sharp, and came without his mouth, which was deep like 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 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 the neck, turned me round as a butcher would do a sheep's head; and, 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, viewing them in the same manner: and the captain being the fattest, he held him with one hand, as I would do a sparrow, and thrusting a spit through him, kindled a great fire, and roasted him in his apartment for supper; which being done, he returned to the 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 awaked, 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. This enterprise, however, though hard to put in execution, was the only design we ought naturally to have formed. We thought upon 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 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 some of my comrades designed to throw themselves into the sea, rather than die so strange a death; and those who were of this mind argued with the rest to follow their example. Upon this, one of the company answered, that we were forbidden to destroy ourselves; but, allowing it to be 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 floats of it that may carry us, and, when they are done, leave them there till we think fit to make use of them. In the mean time 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 that may carry us out of this fatal island; but, if it happen to miscarry, we may speedily get to our floats, 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 floats 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 submit to see a number of our comrades roasted; but at last 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[Footnote: It would seem the Arabian author has taken this story from Homer's Odyssey.] according to his custom, nine of the boldest among us, with myself, took each 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 such places as 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