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.
Third Voyage
After a very short time the pleasant easy life I led made me quite forget the perils
of my two voyages. Moreover, as I was still in the prime of life, it pleased me
better to be up and doing. So once more providing myself with the rarest and
choicest merchandise of Bagdad, I conveyed it to Balsora, and set sail with other
merchants of my acquaintance for distant lands. We had touched at many ports
and made much profit, when one day upon the open sea we were caught by a
terrible wind which blew us completely out of our reckoning, and lasting for
several days finally drove us into harbour on a strange island.
"I would rather have come to anchor anywhere than here," quoth our captain.
"This island and all adjoining it are inhabited by hairy savages, who are certain to
attack us, and whatever these dwarfs may do we dare not resist, since they
swarm like locusts, and if one of them is killed the rest will fall upon us, and
speedily make an end of us."
These words caused great consternation among all the ship's company, and only
too soon we were to find out that the captain spoke truly. There appeared a vast
multitude of hideous savages, not more than two feet high and covered with
reddish fur. Throwing themselves into the waves they surrounded our vessel.
Chattering meanwhile in a language we could not understand, and clutching at
ropes and gangways, they swarmed up the ship's side with such speed and
agility that they almost seemed to fly.
You may imagine the rage and terror that seized us as we watched them, neither
daring to hinder them nor able to speak a word to deter them from their purpose,
whatever it might be. Of this we were not left long in doubt. Hoisting the sails,
and cutting the cable of the anchor, they sailed our vessel to an island which lay
a little further off, where they drove us ashore; then taking possession of her,
they made off to the place from which they had come, leaving us helpless upon a
shore avoided with horror by all mariners for a reason which you will soon learn.
Turning away from the sea we wandered miserably inland, finding as we went
various herbs and fruits which we ate, feeling that we might as well live as long
as possible though we had no hope of escape. Presently we saw in the far
distance what seemed to us to be a splendid palace, towards which we turned
our weary steps, but when we reached it we saw that it was a castle, lofty, and
strongly built. Pushing back the heavy ebony doors we entered the courtyard, but
upon the threshold of the great hall beyond it we paused, frozen with horror, at
the sight which greeted us. On one side lay a huge pile of bones--human bones,
and on the other numberless spits for roasting! Overcome with despair we sank
trembling to the ground, and lay there without speech or motion. The sun was
setting when a loud noise aroused us, the door of the hall was violently burst
open and a horrible giant entered. He was as tall as a palm tree, and perfectly
black, and had one eye, which flamed like a burning coal in the middle of his
forehead. His teeth were long and sharp and grinned horribly, while his lower lip
hung down upon his chest, and he had ears like elephant's ears, which covered
his shoulders, and nails like the claws of some fierce bird.
At this terrible sight our senses left us and we lay like dead men. When at last we
came to ourselves the giant sat examining us attentively with his fearful eye.
Presently when he had looked at us enough he came towards us, and stretching
out his hand took me by the back of the neck, turning me this way and that, but
feeling that I was mere skin and bone he set me down again and went on to the
next, whom he treated in the same fashion; at last he came to the captain, and
finding him the fattest of us all, he took him up in one hand and stuck him upon a
spit and proceeded to kindle a huge fire at which he presently roasted him. After
the giant had supped he lay down to sleep, snoring like the loudest thunder,
while we lay shivering with horror the whole night through, and when day broke
he awoke and went out, leaving us in the castle.
When we believed him to be really gone we started up bemoaning our horrible
fate, until the hall echoed with our despairing cries. Though we were many and
our enemy was alone it did not occur to us to kill him, and indeed we should have
found that a hard task, even if we had thought of it, and no plan could we devise
to deliver ourselves. So at last, submitting to our sad fate, we spent the day in
wandering up and down the island eating such fruits as we could find, and when
night came we returned to the castle, having sought in vain for any other place of
shelter. At sunset the giant returned, supped upon one of our unhappy
comrades, slept and snored till dawn, and then left us as before. Our condition
seemed to us so frightful that several of my companions thought it would be
better to leap from the cliffs and perish in the waves at once, rather than await so
miserable an end; but I had a plan of escape which I now unfolded to them, and
which they at once agreed to attempt.
"Listen, my brothers," I added. "You know that plenty of driftwood lies along the
shore. Let us make several rafts, and carry them to a suitable place. If our plot
succeeds, we can wait patiently for the chance of some passing ship which
would rescue us from this fatal island. If it fails, we must quickly take to our rafts;
frail as they are, we have more chance of saving our lives with them than we
have if we remain here."
All agreed with me, and we spent the day in building rafts, each capable of
carrying three persons. At nightfall we returned to the castle, and very soon in
came the giant, and one more of our number was sacrificed. But the time of our
vengeance was at hand! As soon as he had finished his horrible repast he lay
down to sleep as before, and when we heard him begin to snore I, and nine of
the boldest of my comrades, rose softly, and took each a spit, which we made
red-hot in the fire, and then at a given signal we plunged it with one accord into
the giant's eye, completely blinding him. Uttering a terrible cry, he sprang to his
feet clutching in all directions to try to seize one of us, but we had all fled different
ways as soon as the deed was done, and thrown ourselves flat upon the ground
in corners where he was not likely to touch us with his feet.
After a vain search he fumbled about till he found the door, and fled out of it
howling frightfully. As for us, when he was gone we made haste to leave the fatal
castle, and, stationing ourselves beside our rafts, we waited to see what would
happen. Our idea was that if, when the sun rose, we saw nothing of the giant,
and no longer heard his howls, which still came faintly through the darkness,
growing more and more distant, we should conclude that he was dead, and that
we might safely stay upon the island and need not risk our lives upon the frail
rafts. But alas! morning light showed us our enemy approaching us, supported on
either hand by two giants nearly as large and fearful as himself, while a crowd of
others followed close upon their heels. Hesitating no longer we clambered upon
our rafts and rowed with all our might out to sea. The giants, seeing their prey
escaping them, seized up huge pieces of rock, and wading into the water hurled
them after us with such good aim that all the rafts except the one I was upon
were swamped, and their luckless crews drowned, without our being able to do
anything to help them. Indeed I and my two companions had all we could do to
keep our own raft beyond the reach of the giants, but by dint of hard rowing we at
last gained the open sea. Here we were at the mercy of the winds and waves,
which tossed us to and fro all that day and night, but the next morning we found
ourselves near an island, upon which we gladly landed.
There we found delicious fruits, and having satisfied our hunger we presently lay
down to rest upon the shore. Suddenly we were aroused by a loud rustling noise,
and starting up, saw that it was caused by an immense snake which was gliding
towards us over the sand. So swiftly it came that it had seized one of my
comrades before he had time to fly, and in spite of his cries and struggles
speedily crushed the life out of him in its mighty coils and proceeded to swallow
him. By this time my other companion and I were running for our lives to some
place where we might hope to be safe from this new horror, and seeing a tall tree
we climbed up into it, having first provided ourselves with a store of fruit off the
surrounding bushes. When night came I fell asleep, but only to be awakened
once more by the terrible snake, which after hissing horribly round the tree at last
reared itself up against it, and finding my sleeping comrade who was perched
just below me, it swallowed him also, and crawled away leaving me half dead
with terror.
When the sun rose I crept down from the tree with hardly a hope of escaping the
dreadful fate which had over-taken my comrades; but life is sweet, and I
determined to do all I could to save myself. All day long I toiled with frantic haste
and collected quantities of dry brushwood, reeds and thorns, which I bound with
faggots, and making a circle of them under my tree I piled them firmly one upon
another until I had a kind of tent in which I crouched like a mouse in a hole when
she sees the cat coming. You may imagine what a fearful night I passed, for the
snake returned eager to devour me, and glided round and round my frail shelter
seeking an entrance. Every moment I feared that it would succeed in pushing
aside some of the faggots, but happily for me they held together, and when it
grew light my enemy retired, baffled and hungry, to his den. As for me I was
more dead than alive! Shaking with fright and half suffocated by the poisonous
breath of the monster, I came out of my tent and crawled down to the sea, feeling
that it would be better to plunge from the cliffs and end my life at once than pass
such another night of horror. But to my joy and relief I saw a ship sailing by, and
by shouting wildly and waving my turban I managed to attract the attention of her
crew.
A boat was sent to rescue me, and very soon I found myself on board
surrounded by a wondering crowd of sailors and merchants eager to know by
what chance I found myself in that desolate island. After I had told my story they
regaled me with the choicest food the ship afforded, and the captain, seeing that
I was in rags, generously bestowed upon me one of his own coats. After sailing
about for some time and touching at many ports we came at last to the island of
Salahat, where sandal wood grows in great abundance. Here we anchored, and
as I stood watching the merchants disembarking their goods and preparing to sell
or exchange them, the captain came up to me and said,
"I have here, brother, some merchandise belonging to a passenger of mine who
is dead. Will you do me the favour to trade with it, and when I meet with his heirs
I shall be able to give them the money, though it will be only just that you shall
have a portion for your trouble."
I consented gladly, for I did not like standing by idle. Whereupon he pointed the
bales out to me, and sent for the person whose duty it was to keep a list of the
goods that were upon the ship. When this man came he asked in what name the
merchandise was to be registered.
"In the name of Sindbad the Sailor," replied the captain.
At this I was greatly surprised, but looking carefully at him I recognised him to be
the captain of the ship upon which I had made my second voyage, though he had
altered much since that time. As for him, believing me to be dead it was no
wonder that he had not recognised me.
"So, captain," said I, "the merchant who owned those bales was called Sindbad?"
"Yes," he replied. "He was so named. He belonged to Bagdad, and joined my
ship at Balsora, but by mischance he was left behind upon a desert island where
we had landed to fill up our water-casks, and it was not until four hours later that
he was missed. By that time the wind had freshened, and it was impossible to put
back for him."
"You suppose him to have perished then?" said I.
"Alas! yes," he answered.
"Why, captain!" I cried, "look well at me. I am that Sindbad who fell asleep upon
the island and awoke to find himself abandoned!"
The captain stared at me in amazement, but was presently convinced that I was
indeed speaking the truth, and rejoiced greatly at my escape.
"I am glad to have that piece of carelessness off my conscience at any rate," said
he. "Now take your goods, and the profit I have made for you upon them, and
may you prosper in future."
I took them gratefully, and as we went from one island to another I laid in stores
of cloves, cinnamon, and other spices. In one place I saw a tortoise which was
twenty cubits long and as many broad, also a fish that was like a cow and had
skin so thick that it was used to make shields. Another I saw that was like a
camel in shape and colour. So by degrees we came back to Balsora, and I
returned to Bagdad with so much money that I could not myself count it, besides
treasures without end. I gave largely to the poor, and bought much land to add to
what I already possessed, and thus ended my third voyage.
When Sindbad had finished his story he gave another hundred sequins to
Hindbad, who then departed with the other guests, but next day when they had
all reassembled, and the banquet was ended, their host continued his
adventures.
Fourth Voyage
Rich and happy as I was after my third voyage, I could not make up my mind to
stay at home altogether. My love of trading, and the pleasure I took in anything
that was new and strange, made me set my affairs in order, and begin my
journey through some of the Persian provinces, having first sent off stores of
goods to await my coming in the different places I intended to visit. I took ship at
a distant seaport, and for some time all went well, but at last, being caught in a
violent hurricane, our vessel became a total wreck in spite of all our worthy
captain could do to save her, and many of our company perished in the waves. I,
with a few others, had the good fortune to be washed ashore clinging to pieces of
the wreck, for the storm had driven us near an island, and scrambling up beyond
the reach of the waves we threw ourselves down quite exhausted, to wait for
morning.
At daylight we wandered inland, and soon saw some huts, to which we directed
our steps. As we drew near their black inhabitants swarmed out in great numbers
and surrounded us, and we were led to their houses, and as it were divided
among our captors. I with five others was taken into a hut, where we were made
to sit upon the ground, and certain herbs were given to us, which the blacks
made signs to us to eat. Observing that they themselves did not touch them, I
was careful only to pretend to taste my portion; but my companions, being very
hungry, rashly ate up all that was set before them, and very soon I had the horror
of seeing them become perfectly mad. Though they chattered incessantly I could
not understand a word they said, nor did they heed when I spoke to them. The
savages now produced large bowls full of rice prepared with cocoanut oil, of
which my crazy comrades ate eagerly, but I only tasted a few grains,
understanding clearly that the object of our captors was to fatten us speedily for
their own eating, and this was exactly what happened. My unlucky companions
having lost their reason, felt neither anxiety nor fear, and ate greedily all that was
offered them. So they were soon fat and there was an end of them, but I grew
leaner day by day, for I ate but little, and even that little did me no good by
reason of my fear of what lay before me. However, as I was so far from being a
tempting morsel, I was allowed to wander about freely, and one day, when all the
blacks had gone off upon some expedition leaving only an old man to guard me, I
managed to escape from him and plunged into the forest, running faster the more
he cried to me to come back, until I had completely distanced him.
For seven days I hurried on, resting only when the darkness stopped me, and
living chiefly upon cocoanuts, which afforded me both meat and drink, and on the
eighth day I reached the seashore and saw a party of white men gathering
pepper, which grew abundantly all about. Reassured by the nature of their
occupation, I advanced towards them and they greeted me in Arabic, asking who
I was and whence I came. My delight was great on hearing this familiar speech,
and I willingly satisfied their curiosity, telling them how I had been shipwrecked,
and captured by the blacks. "But these savages devour men!" said they. "How
did you escape?" I repeated to them what I have just told you, at which they were
mightily astonished. I stayed with them until they had collected as much pepper
as they wished, and then they took me back to their own country and presented
me to their king, by whom I was hospitably received. To him also I had to relate
my adventures, which surprised him much, and when I had finished he ordered
that I should be supplied with food and raiment and treated with consideration.
The island on which I found myself was full of people, and abounded in all sorts
of desirable things, and a great deal of traffic went on in the capital, where I soon
began to feel at home and contented. Moreover, the king treated me with special
favour, and in consequence of this everyone, whether at the court or in the town,
sought to make life pleasant to me. One thing I remarked which I thought very
strange; this was that, from the greatest to the least, all men rode their horses
without bridle or stirrups. I one day presumed to ask his majesty why he did not
use them, to which he replied, "You speak to me of things of which I have never
before heard!" This gave me an idea. I found a clever workman, and made him
cut out under my direction the foundation of a saddle, which I wadded and
covered with choice leather, adorning it with rich gold embroidery. I then got a
lock-smith to make me a bit and a pair of spurs after a pattern that I drew for him,
and when all these things were completed I presented them to the king and
showed him how to use them. When I had saddled one of his horses he mounted
it and rode about quite delighted with the novelty, and to show his gratitude he
rewarded me with large gifts. After this I had to make saddles for all the principal
officers of the king's household, and as they all gave me rich presents I soon
became very wealthy and quite an important person in the city.
One day the king sent for me and said, "Sindbad, I am going to ask a favour of
you. Both I and my subjects esteem you, and wish you to end your days amongst
us. Therefore I desire that you will marry a rich and beautiful lady whom I will find
for you, and think no more of your own country."
As the king's will was law I accepted the charming bride he presented to me, and
lived happily with her. Nevertheless I had every intention of escaping at the first
opportunity, and going back to Bagdad. Things were thus going prosperously
with me when it happened that the wife of one of my neighbours, with whom I
had struck up quite a friendship, fell ill, and presently died. I went to his house to
offer my consolations, and found him in the depths of woe.
"Heaven preserve you," said I, "and send you a long life!"
"Alas!" he replied, "what is the good of saying that when I have but an hour left to
live!"
"Come, come!" said I, "surely it is not so bad as all that. I trust that you may be
spared to me for many years."
"I hope," answered he, "that your life may be long, but as for me, all is finished. I
have set my house in order, and to-day I shall be buried with my wife. This has
been the law upon our island from the earliest ages--the living husband goes to
the grave with his dead wife, the living wife with her dead husband. So did our
fathers, and so must we do. The law changes not, and all must submit to it!"
As he spoke the friends and relations of the unhappy pair began to assemble.
The body, decked in rich robes and sparkling with jewels, was laid upon an open
bier, and the procession started, taking its way to a high mountain at some
distance from the city, the wretched husband, clothed from head to foot in a black
mantle, following mournfully.
When the place of interment was reached the corpse was lowered, just as it was,
into a deep pit. Then the husband, bidding farewell to all his friends, stretched
himself upon another bier, upon which were laid seven little loaves of bread and
a pitcher of water, and he also was let down-down-down to the depths of the
horrible cavern, and then a stone was laid over the opening, and the melancholy
company wended its way back to the city.
You may imagine that I was no unmoved spectator of these proceedings; to all
the others it was a thing to which they had been accustomed from their youth up;
but I was so horrified that I could not help telling the king how it struck me.
"Sire," I said, "I am more astonished than I can express to you at the strange
custom which exists in your domi