Arabian Nights

by abc

  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 colou
r. 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,