The vessel in which I arrived sailed with the merchants, who loaded her with cocoas. I expected the arrival of another, which landed speedily for the like loading. I embarked on board the same all the cocoas that belonged to me, and when she was ready to sail, I went and took leave of the merchant who had been so kind to me; but he could not embark with me, because he had not finished his affairs. We set sail towards those islands where pepper grows in great plenty. From thence we went to the isle of Comari[Footnote: This island, or peninsula, ends at the cape which we now call Cape Comorin. It is also called Comar and Comor.], where the best kind of wood of aloes grows, and whose inhabitants have made it an inviolable law to themselves to drink no wine, nor to suffer any place of debauch. I exchanged my cocoas in these two islands for pepper and wood of aloes, and went with other merchants a pearl-fishing. I hired divers, who fetched me up those that were very large and pure. I embarked joyfully in a vessel that happily arrived at Balsora; from thence I returned to Bagdad, where I made vast sums of my pepper, wood of aloes, and pearls. I gave the tenth of my gains in alms, as I had done upon my return from other voyages, and endeavoured to ease myself from my fatigues by diversions of all sorts.
When Sindbad had finished his story, he ordered one hundred sequins to Hindbad, who retired with all the other guests; but next day the same company returned to dine with rich Sindbad, who, after having treated them as formerly, demanded audience, and gave the following account of his sixth voyage.
The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor.
Gentlemen, says he, you long, without doubt, to know how, after being shipwrecked five times, and escaping so many dangers, I could resolve again to try my fortune, and expose myself to new hardships. I am astonished at it myself when I think on it, and must certainly have been induced to it by my stars. But, be that as it will, after a year's rest I prepared for a sixth voyage, notwithstanding the prayers of my kindred and friends, who did all that was possible to prevent me. Instead of taking my way by the Persian gulph, I travelled once more through several provinces of Persia and the Indies, and arrived at a sea-port, where I embarked on board a ship, the captain of which was resolved on a long voyage. It was very long, indeed, but at the same time so unfortunate, that the captain and pilot lost their course, so that they knew not where they were. They found it at last, but we had no ground to rejoice. We were all seized with extraordinary fear, when we saw the captain quit his post, and cry out. He threw off his turban, pulled the hair off his beard, and beat his head like a madman. We asked him the reason, and he answered, that he was in the most dangerous place in all the sea: a rapid current carries the ship along with it, and we shall all perish in less than a quarter of an hour. Pray to God to deliver us from this danger; we cannot escape it, if he do not take pity on us. At these words he ordered the sails to be changed; but all the ropes broke, and the ship, without any possibility of helping it, was carried by the current to the foot of an inaccessible mountain, where she was run ashore, and broken to pieces, yet so as we saved our lives, our provisions, and the best of our goods. This being over, the captain says to us, God has now done what he pleased; we may every man dig our grave here, and bid the world adieu; for we are all in so fatal a place, that none shipwrecked here did ever return to their homes again. His discourse afflicted us mortally, and we embraced one another with tears in our eyes, bewailing our deplorable lot.
The mountain at the foot of which we were cast, was the coast of a very long and large island. This coast was covered over with wrecks: and, by the vast number of men's bones we saw every where, and which filled us with horror, we concluded that abundance of people had died there. It is also incredible to tell what a quantity of goods and riches we found cast ashore there. All those objects served only to augment our grief. While, in all other places, rivers run from their channels into the sea, here a great river of fresh water runs out of the sea into a dark cave, whose entrance is very high and large. What is most remarkable in this place is, that the stones of the mountain are of crystal, rubies, or other precious stones. Here also is a sort of fountain of pitch or bitumen that runs into the sea, which the fishes swallow, and then vomit up again turned into ambergris; this the waves throw upon the beach in great quantities. Here grow also trees, most of which are wood of aloes, equal to those of Comari.
To finish the description of this place, which may well be called the gulph, as nothing ever returns from it, it is not possible for ships to get off from it, when once they come within ft certain distance of it. If they be driven thither by a wind from the sea, the wind and the current ruin them; and if they come into it when a land wind blows, which might seem to favour their getting out again, the height of the mountain stops the wind, and occasions a calm, so that the force of the current drives them ashore, where they are broken in pieces, as ours was; and what completes the misfortune, there is no possibility of getting to the top of the mountain, or getting out in any manner of way. We continued upon the shore like men out of their senses, and expected death every day. At first we divided our provisions as equally as we could, so that every one lived a longer or shorter time, according to his temperance, and the use he made of his provisions. Those who died first were interred by the rest; and for my part, I paid the last duty to all my companions. Nor need you wonder at this; for, besides that I husbanded the provision that fell to my share better than they, I had provisions of my own which I did not share with my comrades; yet, when I buried the last, I had so little remaining, that I thought it could not hold out long: So I dug a grave, resolving to lie down in it, because there was none left alive to inter me. I must confess to you, at the same time, that, while I was thus employed, I could not but reflect upon myself as the cause of my own ruin, and repented that I had ever undertaken this last voyage. Nor did I stop at reflections only, but had well nigh hastened my own death, and began to tear my hands with my teeth. But it pleased God once more to take compassion on me, and put it in my mind to go to the bank of the river which ran into the great cave, where, considering the river with great attention, I said to myself, This river, which runs thus under the ground, must come out somewhere or other. If I make a float, and leave myself to the current, it will bring me to some inhabited country, or drown me. If I be drowned, I lose nothing, but only change one kind of death for another; and if I get out of this fatal place, I shall not only avoid the fate of my comrades, but perhaps find some new occasion of enriching myself. Who knows but fortune waits, upon my getting off this dangerous shelve, to compensate my shipwreck with usury? After this, I immediately went to work on a float. I made it of good large pieces of timber and cables, for I had choice of them, and tied them together so strong, that I had made a very solid little float. When I had finished it, I loaded it with some bales of rubies, emeralds, ambergris, rock crystal, and rich stuffs. Having balanced all my cargo exactly, and fastened them well to the float. I went on board it with two little oars that I had made: and leaving it to the course of the river, I resigned myself to the will of God.
As soon as I came into the cave, I lost all light, and the stream carried me I knew not whither. Thus I sailed some days in perfect darkness, and once found the arch so low, that it almost broke my head, which made me very cautious afterwards to avoid the like danger. All this while I ate nothing but what was just necessary to support nature; yet, notwithstanding this frugality, all my provisions were spent. Then a pleasant sleep seized upon me: I cannot tell how long it continued; but when I awaked, I was surprised to find myself in the middle of a vast country, on the brink of a river, where my float was tied amidst a great number of negroes. I got up as soon as I saw them, and saluted them. They spoke to me, but I did not understand their language. I was so transported with joy, that I knew not whether I was asleep or awake; but being persuaded that I was not asleep, I recited the following words in Arabic aloud: Call upon the Almighty, and he will help thee; thou needest not perplex thyself about any thing else; shut thine eyes, and, while thou art asleep, God will change thy bad fortune into good. One of the blacks who understood Arabic, hearing me speak thus, came towards me, and said, Brother, do not be surprised at us: we are inhabitants of this country, and came hither to day to water our fields, by digging little canals from this river, which comes out of the neighbouring mountain. We perceived something floating upon the water, went speedily to see what it was, and perceiving your float, one of us swam into the river, and brought it hither, where we fastened it as you see until you should awake. Pray tell us your history, for it must be extraordinary; how did you venture yourself into this river, and whence did you come? I begged of them first to give me something to eat, and then I would satisfy their curiosity. They gave me several sorts of food; and when I had satisfied my hunger, I gave them a true account of all that had befallen me, which they listened to with admiration. As soon as I had finished my discourse, they told me, by the person who spoke Arabic, and interpreted to them what I said, that it was one of the most surprising stories they ever heard, and that I must go along with them, and tell it to their king myself; for the thing was too extraordinary to be told by any other than the person to whom it happened. I told them I was ready to do whatever they pleased. They immediately sent for a horse, which was brought them in a little time; and having made me get up upon him, some of them walked before me to show me the way, and the rest took my float and cargo, and followed me. We marched thus all together, till we came to the city of Serendib, for it was in that island where I landed. The blacks presented me to their king. I approached his throne, and saluted him as I used to do the kings of the Indies; that is to say, I prostrated myself at his feet, and kissed the earth. The prince ordered me to rise up, received me with an obliging air, and made me come and sit down near him. He first asked me my name: I answered, They call me Sindbad the sailor, because of the many voyages I had undertaken; and that I was a citizen of Bagdad. But, replies he, how came you into my dominions, and from whence came you last? I concealed nothing from the king; I told him all that I have now told you; and his majesty was so surprised and charmed with it, that he commanded my adventures to be written in letters of gold, and laid up in the archives of the kingdom. At last my float was brought to him, and the bales opened in his presence; he admired the quantity of wood of aloes and ambergris, but, above all, the rubies and emeralds; for he had none in his treasury that came near them. Observing that he looked on my jewels with pleasure, and viewed the most remarkable among them one after another, I fell prostrate at his feet, and took the liberty to say to him, Sir, not only my person is at your majesty's service, but the cargo of the float, and I would beg of you to dispose of it as your own. He answered me with a smile, Sindbad, I will take care not to covet any thing of yours, nor to take any thing from you that God has given you; far from lessening your wealth, I design to augment it, and will not let you go out of my dominions without marks of my liberality. All the answer I returned was by praying for the prosperity of the prince, and commendations of his generosity and bounty. He charged one of his officers to take care of me, and ordered people to serve me at his own charge. The officer was very faithful in the execution of his orders, and made all the goods to be carried to the lodgings provided for me. I went every day at a set hour to make my court to the king, and spent the rest of my time in seeing the city, and what was most worthy of my curiosity.
The isle of Serendib[Footnote: Geographers place it on this side of the line, in the first climate.] is situate just under the equinoctial line; so that the days and nights there are always twelve hours each, and the island is eighty[Footnote: The eastern geographers make a parasang longer than a French league.] parasangs in length, and as many in breadth. The capital city stands in the middle of a fine valley formed by a mountain, in the middle of the island, which is the highest in the world. It is seen three days sail off at sea. There are rubies and several sorts of minerals in it, and all the rocks for the most part emerald, a metal line stone made use of to cut and smooth other precious stones. Here grow all kinds of rare plants and trees, especially cedars and cocoas. There is also pearl-fishing in the mouth of its river, and in some of its vallies there are found diamonds. I made, by way of devotion, a pilgrimage to the place where Adam was confined after his banishment from Paradise, and had the curiosity to go to the top of it.
When I came back to the city, I prayed the king to allow me to return to my country, which he granted me in the most obliging and honourable manner. He would needs force a rich present upon me; and when I went to take leave of him, he gave me one much more considerable, at the same time charging me with a letter for the commander of the faithful, our sovereign, and said, I pray you give this present from me, and this letter, to Caliph Haroun Alraschid, and assure him of my friendship. I took the present and letter in a very respectful manner, and promised his majesty punctually to execute the commission with which he was pleased to honour me. Before I embarked, this prince sent to seek for the captain and the merchants who were to go with me, and ordered them to treat me with all possible respect.
The letter from the king of Serendib was written on the skin of a certain animal of great value, because of its being so scarce, and of a yellowish colour. The characters of this letter were of azure, and the contents thus: "The King of the Indies, before whom march 100 elephants, who lives in a palace that shines with 100,000 rubies, and who has in his treasury 20,000 crowns enriched with diamonds, to Caliph Haroun Alraschid. Though the present which we send you be inconsiderable, receive it, as a brother and a friend, in consideration of the hearty friendship which we bear you, and of which we are willing to give you proof. We desire the same part in your friendship, considering that we believe it to be our merit, being of the same dignity with yourself. We conjure you thus in the quality of a brother. Adieu." The present consisted, in the first place, of one single ruby made into a cup, about half a foot high, an inch thick, and filled with round pearls of half a dram each. 2. Of the skin of a serpent, whose scales were as large as an ordinary piece of gold, and had the virtue to preserve from sickness those who lay upon it. 3. In 50,000 drams of the best wood of aloes, with 30 grains of camphire as big as pistachios. And, 4. A female slave of ravishing beauty, whose apparel was covered with jewels.