Next morning they returned with their mares to the capital of the island, took me with them, and presented me to King Mihrage. He asked me who I was, and by what adventure I came into his dominions? After I had satisfied him, he told me he was much concerned for my misfortune, and at the same time ordered that I should want nothing; which his officers were so generous and careful as to see exactly fulfilled.
Being a merchant, I frequented men of my own profession, and particularly inquired for those who were strangers, if perhaps I might hear any news from Bagdad, or find an opportunity to return thither; for King Mihrage's capital is situate on the bank of the sea, and has a fine harbour, where ships arrive daily from different quarters of the world. I frequented also the society of the learned Indians, and took delight to hear them discourse; but withal I took care to make my court regularly to the king, and conversed with the governors and petty kings, his tributaries, that were about him. They asked me a thousand questions about my country; and being willing to inform myself as to their laws and customs, I asked them every thing which I thought worth knowing. There belongs to this king an island named Cassel; they assured me, that every night a noise of drums was heard there, whence the mariners fancied that it was the residence of Degial [Footnote: Degial, to the Mahometans, is the same with antichrist to us. According to them, he is to appear about the end of the world, and will conquer all the earth, except Mecca, Medina, Tarsus, and Jerusalem, which are to be preserved by angels, whom he shall set round them.]. I had a great mind to see this wonderful place, and in my way thither saw fishes of an hundred and two hundred cubits long, that occasion more fear than hurt; for they are so fearful, that they will fly upon the rattling of two sticks or boards. I saw likewise other fishes about a cubit in length, that had heads like owls.
As I was one day at the port after my return, a ship arrived. As soon as she cast anchor, they began to unload her, and the merchants on board ordered their goods to be carried into the magazine. As I cast my eye upon some bales, and looked to the name I found my own, and perceived the bales to be the same that I had embarked at Balsora. I also knew the captain; but, being persuaded that he believed me to be drowned, I went and asked him whose bales these were? He replied, that they belonged to a merchant of Bagdad, called Sindbad, who came to sea with him; but one day, being near an island, as we thought, he went ashore, with several other passengers, upon this supposed island, which was only a monstrous whale that lay asleep upon the surface of the water; but as soon as he felt the heat of the fire they had kindled upon his back to dress some victuals, he began to move, and dived under water, when most of the persons who were upon him perished, and among them the unfortunate Sindbad. These bales belong to him, and I am resolved to trade with them, until I meet with some of his family, to whom I may return the profit. Captain, says I, I am that Sindbad whom you thought to be dead, and these bales are mine. When the captain heard me speak thus, O heaven, says he, whom can we ever trust now-a-days? There is no faith left among men. I saw Sindbad perish with my own eyes, and the passengers on board saw it as well as I, and yet you tell me that you are that Sindbad? What impudence is this? To look on you, one would take you to be a man of probity; and yet you tell a horrible falsehood, in order to possess yourself of what does not belong to you. Have patience, captain, replied I; do me the favour to hear what I have to say. Very well, says he, speak; I am ready to hear you. Then I told him how I escaped, and by what adventure I met with the grooms of King Mihrage, who brought me to his court.
The captain began to abate of his confidence upon my discourse, and was soon persuaded that I was no cheat; for there came people from his ship who knew me, made me great compliments, and testified a great deal of joy to see me alive. At last he knew me himself, and embracing me, Heaven be praised, says he, for your happy escape! I cannot enough express my joy for it; there are your goods, take and do with them what you will. I thanked him, acknowledged his probity, and in requital offered him part of my goods as a present, which he generously refused. I took out what was most valuable in my bales, and presented it to King Mihrage, who, knowing my misfortune, asked me how I came by such rarities? I acquainted him with the whole story. He was mightily pleased at my good luck, accepted my present, and gave me one much more considerable in return. Upon this, I took leave of him, and went on board the same ship, after I had exchanged my goods for the commodities of the country. I carried with me the wood of aloes, sanders, camphire, nutmegs, cloves, pepper, and ginger. We passed by several islands, and at last arrived at Balsora, from whence I came to this city, with the value of one hundred thousand sequins[Footnote: The Turkish sequin is about nine shillings sterling.]. My family and I received one another with all the transport that can arise from true and sincere friendship. I bought slaves of both sexes, fine lands, and built me a great house. Thus I settled myself, resolving to forget the miseries I had suffered, and to enjoy the pleasures of life.
Sindbad stopped here, and ordered the musicians to go on with their concert, which his story had interrupted. The company continued to eat and drink until the evening, when it was time to retire. Sindbad sent for a purse of one hundred sequins, and, giving it to the porter, says, Take this, Hindbad, return to your home, and come back to-morrow to hear some more of my adventures. The porter went home, astonished at the honour done him, and the present made him. The relation of it was very agreeable to his wife and children, who did not fail to return God thanks for what he had sent them by the hands of Sindbad. Hindbad put on his best clothes next day, and returned to the bountiful traveller, who received him with a pleasant air, and caressed him mightily. When all the guests were come, dinner was set upon the table, and continued a long time. When it was ended, Sindbad, addressing himself to the company, says, Gentlemen, be pleased to give me audience, and listen to the adventures of my second voyage; they better deserve your attention than the first. Upon this, every one held his peace, and Sindbad proceeded:
The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor.
I intended, after my first voyage, to spend the rest of my days at Bagdad, as I had the honour to tell you yesterday; but it was not long ere I grew weary of a quiet life. My inclination to travel revived. I bought goods proper for the commerce I designed, 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 upon an isle covered with several sorts of fruit-trees, but so deserted that we could see neither man nor horse 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 shade. I made a very good meal, and afterwards fell asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept, but, when I awaked, the ship was gone. I was very much surprised, but got up, looking about every where, 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 like to die of grief, cried out sadly, beat my head and breast, and threw myself down upon the ground, where I lay some time in terrible agony, one afflicting thought being succeeded by another still more afflicting. I upbraided myself an hundred times for not being content with the product of my first voyage, that might very well have served me all my life. But all this was 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 to the top of a great tree, from whence I looked about on all sides to see if there were any thing that could give me hopes. When I looked towards the sea, I could see nothing but sky and water; but, on looking towards the land, I saw something white; coming down from the tree I took up what provisions 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 it was so smooth that there was no climbing to the top of it. 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 occasioned by a bird of monstrous size, that came flying towards 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, that 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[Footnote: Mark Paul in his Travels, and Father Martini in his History of China, speak each of this bird, and say it will take up an elephant and a rhinoceros.] flew away next morning, she would carry me with her out of this desert island. After having passed the night in this condition, the bird actually flew away next morning as soon as it was day, and carried me so high that I could not see the earth; she afterwards descended all of a sudden, and with so much rapidity, that I lost my senses. But when the roc was sat, and I found myself on 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 straight away. The place where it 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 to get out of the valley. This was a new perplexity upon me; so that, when I compared this place with the desert island the roc brought me from, I found that I had gained nothing by the change.