The Arabian Nights, Volume I of IV

by Unknown

THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINDBAD, THE SAILOR.

I had resolved, after my first voyage, to pass the rest of my days in tranquillity at Bagdad, as I had the honour to tell you yesterday. But I soon grew weary of an idle life; the desire of seeing foreign countries, and carrying on some negociation by sea, returned: I bought some merchandize, which I thought likely to answer in the traffic I meditated; and I set off a second time with some merchants, whose probity I could rely on. We embarked in a good vessel, and having recommended ourselves to the care of the Almighty, we began our voyage.

We went from island to island, and made some very advantageous exchanges. One day we landed on one, which was covered with a variety of fruit-trees, but so wild, that we could not discover any habitation, or the trace of a human being. We walked in the meadows, and along the brooks that watered them, and whilst some of my companions were amusing themselves with gathering fruits and flowers, I took out some of the wine and provisions I had brought with me, and seated myself by a little stream under some trees, which afforded a delightful shade. I made a good meal of what I had with me, and having satisfied my hunger, sleep gradually stole over my senses. I cannot say how long I slept, but when I awoke, the ship was no longer in view. I was much surprised at this circumstance, and got up to seek for my companions, but they were all gone and I could only perceive the vessel in full sail, and such a distance that I soon lost sight of it.

You may easily imagine the reflections that occurred to me in this dismal state. I thought I should have died with grief; I groaned and cried aloud; I beat my head, and threw myself on the ground, where I remained a long time, overwhelmed with a variety of thoughts, each more distressing than the other: I reproached myself a thousand times for my folly in not being contented with my first voyage, which ought to have satisfied my desire of seeking adventures; but all my regrets were of no avail, and my repentance came too late. At length I resigned myself to the will of Heaven; and not knowing what would become of me, I ascended a high tree, from whence I looked on all sides, to see if I could not discover some object to inspire me with hope. Casting my eyes towards the sea, I could discern only water and sky; but perceiving on the land side something white, I descended from the tree, and taking with me the remainder of my provisions, I walked towards the object, which was so distant that at first I could not distinguish what it was. As I approached, I perceived it to be a white ball of a prodigious size, and when I got near enough to touch it, I found it was soft. I walked round it, to see if there was an opening, but could find none; and it appeared so even, that it was impossible to get up it. The circumference might be about fifty paces.

The sun was then near setting; the air grew suddenly dark, as if obscured by a thick cloud. I was surprised at this change, but much more so, when I perceived it to be occasioned by a bird of a most extraordinary size, which was flying towards me. I recollected having heard sailors speak of a bird called a roc; and I conceived that the great white ball which had drawn my attention, must be the egg of this bird. I was not mistaken; for, shortly after, it lighted on it, and placed itself as if to sit upon it. When I saw it coming I drew near to the egg, so that I had one of the claws of the bird just before me; this claw was as big as the trunk of a large tree. I tied myself to it with the linen of my turban, in hopes that the roc, when it took its flight the next morning, would carry me with it out of that desert island. My project succeeded, for at break of day the roc flew away, and carried me to such a height, that I could not distinguish the earth; then it descended with such rapidity, that I almost lost my senses. When the roc had alighted, I quickly untied the knot, that confined me to its foot, and had scarcely loosed myself, when it darted on a serpent of an immeasurable length, and seizing it in its beak, flew away.

The place in which the roc left me, was a very deep valley, surrounded on all sides with mountains of such a height, that the tops of them were lost in the clouds, and so steep that there was no possibility of climbing them. This was a fresh embarrassment; for I had no reason to be satisfied with my change of situation, when I compared it with the island I had left.

In walking along this valley, I remarked that it was strewed with diamonds, some of which were of an astonishing size. I amused myself for some time in examining them, but soon perceived from afar, some objects which destroyed my pleasure, and created in me great fear; these were a great number of serpents, so long and large, that the smallest of them would have swallowed an elephant with ease. They hid themselves in caves during the day on account of the roc, their mortal enemy, and only came out when it was dark. I passed the day in walking about the valley, resting myself occasionally where an opportunity offered, and when the sun set, I retired into a small cave, where I thought I should be in safety. I closed the entrance, which was low and narrow, with a stone large enough to insure me from the serpents, but which yet admitted a little light. I supped on part of my provisions, accompanied by the sound of the serpents, which began to make their appearance. Their hissings caused me excessive fear, and as you may suppose, I did not pass the night very quietly. The day appearing, the serpents retired; I left my cave with trembling, and may truly say that I walked a long time upon diamonds, without feeling the least desire for them. At last I sat down, and notwithstanding my agitation, for I had not closed my eyes during the whole night, I fell asleep, after having made another meal on my provisions. I had scarcely began to dose, when something tumbling near me, with a great noise, awoke me. It was a large piece of fresh meat, and at the same moment I saw a number of them rolling down the rocks from above.

I had always supposed the account, which I had heard related by seamen and others, of the valley of diamonds, and of the means by which merchants procured them, to be fictitious: I now knew it to be true. The method is this; the merchants go to the mountains, which surround the valley, about the time that the eagles hatch their young. They cut large pieces of meat, and throw them into the valley; and the diamonds, on which they fall, stick to them. The eagles, which are larger and stronger in that country than in any other, seize these pieces of meat, to carry to their young at the top of the rocks. The merchants then run to their nests, and by various noises oblige the eagles to retreat; and then take the diamonds that have stuck to the pieces of meat. This is the method they employ to procure the diamonds out of the valley, which is inaccessible on every side. I had supposed it impossible ever to leave this valley, and began to look on it as my tomb; but on seeing this I changed my opinion, and turned my thoughts to the preservation of my life. I began by collecting the largest diamonds I could find, and with them filled my leather bag in which I had carried my provisions. I then took one of the largest pieces of meat, and tied it tight round me with the linen of my turban; in this state I laid myself on the ground, having first fastened on my leather bag in a secure manner.

I had not been long in this situation, before the eagles began to descend, and each seized a piece of meat, with which it flew away. One of the strongest having darted on the piece to which I was attached, carried me up with it to its nest. The merchants then began their cries to frighten away the eagles, and when they had obliged them to quit their prey, one of them approached me, but was much surprised and alarmed on seeing me. He soon, however, recovered from his fear, and instead of inquiring by what means I came there, began to quarrel with me for trespassing on what he called his property. “You will speak to me with pity instead of anger,” said I, “when you learn by what means I reached this place. Console yourself; for I have diamonds for you as well as for myself, which are more valuable than those of all the other merchants added together; I have myself chosen some of the finest at the bottom of the valley, and have them in this bag.” On saying this I showed it to him. I had scarcely finished speaking, when the other merchants perceiving me, flocked around me with great astonishment, which I increased not a little by the recital of my history. They were less surprised at the stratagem I had conceived to save myself, than at my courage in attempting to put it in execution.

They conducted me to the place where they lived together; and on seeing my diamonds they all expressed their admiration, and declared they had never seen any to equal them in size or quality. I entreated the merchant to whom the nest into which I had been transported belonged, for each merchant has his own; I entreated him, I say, to choose for himself as many as he pleased. He contented himself with taking only one, and that too of the smallest size; and as I pressed him to take more, without fear of depriving me, “No,” replied he, “I am very well satisfied with this, which is sufficiently valuable to spare me the trouble of making any more voyages to complete my little fortune.”

I passed the night with these merchants, to whom I recounted my history a second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it before. I could scarcely moderate my joy, when I reflected on the perils I had gone through; it appeared as if my present state was but a dream, and I could not believe that I had nothing more to fear.

The merchants had been for some days in that spot, and as they now appeared to be contented with the diamonds they had collected, we set off the following day altogether, and travelled over high mountains, which were infested by prodigious serpents, but we had the good fortune to avoid them. We reached the nearest port in safety, and from thence embarked for the isle of Roha, which produces the tree whence camphor is extracted; a tree so large and thick that a hundred men may be shaded by it with ease. The juice of which the camphor is formed, runs out at a wound made at the top of the tree, and is received in a vessel, where it remains till it acquires a proper consistence, and becomes what is called camphor. The juice being thus extracted, the tree withers and dies.

The rhinoceros is a native of this island: it is a smaller animal than the elephant, yet larger than the buffalo. It has a horn on the nose, about a cubit in length; this horn is solid, and cut through the middle from one extremity to the other, and on it are several white lines, which represent the figure of a man. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, and piercing him in his belly with his horn, carries him off on his head; but as the fat and blood of the elephant run down on his eyes and blind him, he falls on the ground, and what will astonish you, the roc comes and seizes them both in his claws, and flies away with them to feed its young.

I will pass over several other peculiarities of this island, lest I should tire you. I exchanged some of my diamonds for valuable merchandize: from thence we went to other islands, and at last, after having touched at several ports, we reached Balsora, from which place I returned to Bagdad. The first thing I did was to distribute a great deal of money amongst the poor, and I enjoyed with credit and honour the rest of my immense riches, which I had acquired with so much labour and fatigue.

Here Sindbad completed the relation of his second voyage. He again ordered a hundred sequins to be given to Hindbad, whom he invited to come on the morrow to hear the history of the third.

The guests returned home, and the following day repaired at the same hour to the house of Sindbad; where the porter, who had almost forgotten his misery, also made his appearance. They sat down to table, and after the repast was ended, Sindbad requested the company to attend to him, and he began the detail of his third voyage.