VOYAGES AND TRAVELS
SINDBAD THE SAILOR,
GIVING A FULL ACCOUNT OF HIS
S YEN WOND ERFUL VO YA GES.
Sindbad's life is full of peril,
Full of shipwrecks, lull of famine;
Full of riches of great worth,
Full of every thing but truth.
DERBY:
PUBLISHED BY THOMAS RICHARDSON;
Price Sixpence.
'i
Sindbad delivering the Present of the King of Serindib
to Haroun Alraschid.
THE
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS
SINDBAD THE SAILOR,
GIVING A FULL ACCOUNT OF HIS
SEVEN WONDERFUL VOYAGES.
Sindbad's life is full of peril,
Full of shipwrecks, full of famina;
Full of riches of great worth,
Full of every thing but truth.
DERBY:
PUBLISHED BY THOMAS RICHARDSON,
5 CHILDREN'S BOOK
COLLECTION
|*|
LIBRARY OF THE jj
* UNivERsrnr OF CALIFORNIA i
LOS ANGELES
SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
DURING the reign of the Caliph Haroun
Alraschid, there lived in the city of Bagdad
a poor porter named Hindbad. One day,
when the weather was excessively hot, Hind-
bad was employed to carry a heavy burden
to a great distance from that part of the city
where he lived. Being faint with the heat
and very weary, and having still a great way
to go, he entered a street where a refreshing
breeze blew on his face, and the pavement
was sprinkled with rose-water. Glad to find
such a resting-place, he laid down his load,
and seated himself beside it, near to a great
house.
The windows of the house were open, and
Hindbad was regaled with the smell of the
richest perfumes that came from within.
Presently he heard a delightful concert of all
kinds of musical instruments, mixed with
the finest voices, and the melodious notes of
nightingales and other rare birds. Hindbad
had never been in that quarter of the town
before, and he felt a great desire to know to
whom this magnificent house belonged.
Seeing a servant standing at the gate in a
splendid livery, he advanced towards him,
6 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
and with great humility inquired the name
of the master of the house.
" Is it possible," said the servant, " that
you are an inhabitant of Bagdad, and do not
know that this is the house of Sindbad the
Sailor, that famous traveller who has sailed
round the world !"
Poor Hindbad, who had often heard of
the wonderful riches of Sindbad the Sailor,
and whose condition he thought was as hap-
py as his own was deplorable, turned away
sorrowfully, and sitting down again beside
the great load he had to carry, he cried aloud,
" Alas ! what a difference between this for-
tunate man and me ! I am every day expo-
sed to the greatest fatigues, and all the
wretchedness of extreme poverty. Scarcely
can I earn sufficient of the coarsest barley
bread for the support of myself and family,
while happy Sindbad profusely expends im-
mense riches, and leads a life of continual
ease and pleasure. O heavens ! what has he
done to obtain a lot so fortunate ? and why
am I condemned to so much wretchedness?"
Thus saying, Hindbad, overcome with sor-
row, threw himself upon the ground and
wept bitterly.
While the poor man was thus indulging
his grief, a servant came from the house, and
taking him by the arm, told him that Sig-
nior Sindbad wished immediately to speak
to him. Hindbad was greatly alarmed at
this message, thinking that Sindbad had
S1NDBAD THE SAILOR. 7
heard his lamentations, and was going to
reproach or punish him ; he, therefore, tried
to excuse himself from entering the house,
saying, that he was in haste, anji that he
could not leave his burden in the open street.
Sindbad's servant, however, would not take
a refusal, because his master's commands had
been absolute; and calling another domestic .
to look after the goods, he led the porter into
a great hall, where a large company sat
round a table covered with all sorts of dain-
ties served in dishes of silver and gold. At
the upper end of the table sat Sindbad, a
comely, venerable gentleman with a long
white beard.
Hindbad's terror increased at the sight of
so many people, and he trembled and hung
back, till Sindbad, in the most courteous
manner imaginable, desired him to draw
-ear; and placing him in a chair on his
right hand, served him from the choicest
dishes, and gave him excellent wine in a
crystal goblet.
When the porter had made an end of his
dinner, Sindbad inquired his name and oc-
cupation. " My name, Signior," said he,
" is Hindbad, and I am nothing but a poor
porter."
" Well, Hindbad," rejoined the master of
the house, " I and my friends here are very
glad to see you : but I sent for you on ac-
count of some words I heard you utter, as I
was standing near that window."
SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
" Alas! Signior," exclaimed Hindbad, ri-
sing- from his chair, and blushing exceeding-
ly, " I confess that my weariness and the heat
of the dav put me out of humour, and made
me speak many indiscreet things, which I
beg you to pardon."
"My good friend," replied Sindbad, " I
am not so unjust as to be offended with you,
on the contrary, I pity your condition ; and
when I commanded you to be brought hi-
ther, it was that I might convince you I did
not attain to this happy condition without
enduring more sufferings, and encountering
greater dangers than can be well imagined.
Yes, gentlemen," he added, looking round
the table upon his guests, " I assure you my
difficulties were so extraordinary, that they
were sufficient to discourage the most cove-
tous man from running the same perils in
pursuit of riches ; and to convince you of the
truth of what I assert, I will, if you are dis-
posed to hear me, relate the history of the ex-
traordinary adventures 1 met with in the
course of my Seven Voyages."
This proposal was highly acceptable to the
whole company ; and Sindbad having order-
ed a servant to carry Hind bad's load to the
appointed place, commenced his narration as
follows.
THE FIRST VOYAGE OF SINDBAD.
" My father dying while 1 was very young,
SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
and leaving" me a considerable fortune, I fell
into a course of dissipation that injured my
health and destroyed my fortune. Having-
no parent to control me, and being- surround-
ed only by proflig-ate persons, I continued
my excesses till I fell into a fit of sickness.
My riotous companions then forsook me,
and I was left alone to strug-gle with my dis-
eases, and to endure the severity of remorse
fpr a mispent youth. At length I recovered
from my illness; and resolving never to re-
turn to my former course of living, I collect-
ed together the remains of my fortune, sold
my furniture by public auction, and embark-
ed with several merchants on board a ship,
which we had jointly laden with merchan-
dise, for the port of Balsora.
" In the course of our vovage we touched
at several islands, where we sold or exchang-
ed our goods. One day we were becalmed
near a small island almost level with the
surface of the water, and which resembled a
beautiful green meadow. The captain order-
ed his sails to be furled, and the merchants,
among whom was myself, and several officers
of the ship, determined to carry our provi-
sions, and dine upon the little island. While
we were in the very midst of preparation for
dinner, shouting, laughing, and had kindled
a large fire to dress our provisions, the island
began to move, and at the same moment
those who were left in the ship called to us
to re-embark instantly, or we should all be
10 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
lost, as what we had taken to be an island
was only the back of a monstrous whale.
The nimblest, sprung into the sloop ; others
jumped into the waves, and betook them-
selves to swimming; but for my part I was
^still on the back of the whale when he dived
into the sea, and had only time to catch hold
of a broad piece of wood that had been
brought out of the ship to serve as a table.
On this piece of wood I floated, but the cur-
rent carried me away from the ship ; and the
captain having received on board those who
were in the boat, and picked up one or two
of the swimmers, he concluded that I was
lost. A favourable gale just then springing
up, he hoisted the sails, and pursued his
voyage.
" I struggled to save myself all the rest of
the day and the following night. Next
inoniing I found my strength gone, and de-
spairing of my life, when happily a wave
threw me against an island. The bank was
steep, high, and rugged, yet, faint and ex-
hausted as I was, I climbed it by the means
of some roots of trees that seemed to have
been preserved in this place for my safety. I
then lay down till the sun appeared, when,
crawling on my hands and knees in search
of some herbs to eat, I found a spring of ex-
cellent water. Having refreshed myself
greatly with the water, I advanced farther
along the high shore of the island till I came
to a cave, wherein I lay down, and slept pro-
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 11
foundly during" many hours. When I awoke
again it was almost sun-set. I hastily left
my cave to search for some habitation. How-
ever I found none, but 1 soon came to a
small plain, surrounded with fine trees bear-
ing all sorts of fruit ; and what surprised me
most was to see a great number of beautiful
young colts grazing together, but no traces
of any other animals. I supped upon fruit,
and climbed the branches of a high tree for
my lodging. About midnight I was greatly
astonished and alarmed to hear the sound of
trumpets and drums, which seemed to pass
all round the island, and continued through
the night ; but when morning came, it still
appeared to be uninhabited. The next day
I discovered that the island was small and
round, and that no other land was to be seen
from it. I now gave myself up for lost.
Every part of the shore abounded with enor-
mous sea-snakes, and of fishes that are an
hundred and two hundred cubits long, some
having heads like owls, and others with hu-
man faces ; but I found these sea monsters
perfectly harmless, for on my rattling two
sticks together, they dived into the sea, and I
saw no more of them.
" I climbed my tree again that night, and
the drums and trumpets at midnight seemed
to be even louder than before. On the third
day, to my great joy, a party of men landed
on the island, who were completely astonishr-
ed to find .me there. Having related to them
12 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
the strange accident that had befallen me,
they gave me some provisions, and then in-
formed me they were the grooms of King
Mihrage, and that the island upon which I
was thrown was called Cassel, arid belonged
to the warlike geni Degial, who visited it
every night with drums and trumpets; and
that the geni being the friend of King Mih-
rage, permitted him to have his young colts
trained upon the island, which contained
such admirable pasture, that they became the
swiftest and finest horses in the world ; and
that they, the grooms of the King, were sent
at the expiration of every six months to the
island, to select such of the young horses as
were fit to be placed in the royal stables.
" The grooms carried me with them to the
capital of King Mihrage, which was a fine
harbour, where ships arrived daily from all
quarters of the world. The King allowed
me apartments in one of his palaces, and de-
lighted greatly in my conversation. '
" One day, having walked to the principal
quay, several seamen were busily employed
in unloading a ship newly arrived in the
harbour. As I cast my eye on some of the
bales of goods that were landed, I perceived
them, by the marks, to be the same that I
had put on board when I embarked for Bal-
sora. I also knew the captain : but suppos-
ing that he believed me to have perished, I
carelessly asked him to whom those bales
belonged. < To a merchant,' he replied, * of
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 13
Bagdad, who unfortunately perished at sea;
and I intend to trade with them till I meet
with some of his family, to whom I will ac-
count for the profit.'
" ' Captain,' said I, ' I am Sindbad, and
those bales are mine.' The captain started,
and lifting* up his hands and eyes with amaze-
ment, cried out aloud, ' Is there no faith left
among men ? I and many of my passengers
saw Sindbad swallowed up in the waves,
many hundred leagues from hence, and yet
you tell me you are Sindbad. What match-
less impudence! You look like an honest
man, and yet you tell a horrible falsehood to
possess yourself of that which does not belong
to you.'
" But some other persons coming from the
ship instantly knew me, and I was not long
in convincing the captain that I was the real
Sindbad, and no impostor ; upon which he
presented me my bales with a thousand con-
gratulations. I offered him a part of my
goods in requital for his probity, but this he
steadily refused.
" I then selected the most valuable articles
out of my bales, and presented them to King
Mihrage, who accepted my present, and gave
me a rich one in return. I then took leave
of him and the whole court, and went on
board the same ship, after I had exchanged
my goods for the commodities of the country,
and then came to the city with a hundred
thousand sequins. Here 1 bought slaves of
14 S1NDBAD THE SAILOR
both sexes, fine lands, and built a great house
and settled myself, determined to forget my
past dangers, and to enjoy the pleasures of
life."
Sindbad then ordered the musicians to go
on with their concert, and when it was end-
ed, he gave a purse with a hundred sequins
to Hindbad, saying, " Take this, Hintlbad,
return home, and regale yourself with your
family to-night ; but come back to-morrow,
when you shall hear much more extraordina-
ry adventures that have befallen me than
those of my First Voyage."
The porter went home astonished at the
honour done him ; arid his wife and chil-
dren, at their plentiful supper, prayed to God
to grant a long life to the generous Sindbad.
On the following day Hindbad put on
his best clothes, and returned to the bounti-
ful traveller, who received him kindly, and
after a sumptuous dinner was ended, and
the company were ready to attend to him,
he began the history of his Second Voyage.
THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINDBAD
" I designed, after my first voyage, to
spend the rest of my days at Bagdad, but
ere long I grew weary of a quiet life. Ac-
cordingly I purchased rich commodities, and
went to sea a second time, with some other
'merchants. One day we landed on an unin-
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 15
habited island, almost covered with trees
bearing delicious fruits. While some divert-
ed themselves with gathering flowers, and
others with gathering fruits, I took my wine
and provisions, and sat down by a stream,
between two large trees, which formed an
agreeable shade. After I had eaten of my
provisions I fell asleep. I cannot tell how
long I had slept; but when I awoke, not
only my companions, but the ship itself was
gone. Nothing could exceed my grief and
consternation at this event. I shrieked with
agony, and threw myself upon the ground,
where I lay sometime in the deepest afflic-
tion, and bitterly upbraiding my folly in not
having been content to remain in peace and
security at home.
" After a long interval I became more re-
signed to my misfortune. I climbed to the
top of a very high tree, to see if there were
any thing that could give me hopes. When
I looked towards the sea I beheld nothing
but sky and water ; but looking toward the
island, I perceived something large and
white ; but the distance was too great to al-
low me to distinguish what it really was. I
therefore hastened down from the tree> and
taking up my provisions, 1 ran towards it,
" As I came nearer, I thought it was a
large white bowl; and when I came quite
up to it, and touched it, I found it as smooth
as ivory, I walked round it, to see if it was
[ open on any side, but it was not ; and it was
16 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
impossible to climb to the top of it, the sur-
face was so smooth and slippery. It was at
least fifty paces round.
" By this time it was near sun-set, and on
a sudden the sky became quite darkened. I
looked up to see what had occasioned this
sudden darkness, and beheld a bird of enor-
mous size moving- like a great black cloud
towards me. I immediately recollected that
I had heard mariners speak of a bird called
a Hoc, so large that it could carry away
young elephants, and I concluded that the
great white bowl which I so much admired,
must be its egg*. I was right in my suppo-
sition, for the bird alighted, and sat over the
egg. As I perceived her coming I had crept
close to the egg for shelter, so that I had be-
fore me one of the legs of the bird, which was
as large as the trunk of a tree. I tied myself
firmly to the leg of the Roc with the cloth of
my turban, in hopes that when she flew away
the next morning she would carry me out of
this desert island; and having passed the
night in this condition, the bird flew away
the next morning, and carried me so high
into the air that I could not see the earth :
and suddenly descended so swift, that I lost
my senses. On coming to myself, and find-
ing the Roc on the ground, I speedily untied
the cloth which bound me to her leg, and
scarcely was I free, when the bird, having
taken up a large serpent in her bill, again
flew away.
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 17
" The place in which the Roc left me was
a deep valley, encompassed on every side with
high mountains, whose lofty tops seemed to
reach the clouds. Their sides were so steep
that it was impossible to ascend them. This
was a new perplexity ; so that when I com-
pared this valley with the desert island from
whence the Roc had brought me, I found I
had gained nothing by the exchange.
" As I paced up and down the valley, mus-
ing on my hard fortune, I observed that the
ground was strewed with diamonds of sur-
prising large size. I took great pleasure in
looking at them, but I saw such objects as I
could not behold without terror and dismay ;
these were serpents peeping out of the holes
in the rocks.
" I got as far from them as I could, and
18 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
spent the day in considering how I should
escape from this scene of splendour and hor-
ror, and when night came I took shelter in
a cave, the entrance of which I covered with
large stones to preserve me from the snakes,
but their hissing was so incessant during the
whole night, that I could not close my eyes.
When day appeared the serpents retired to
their holes, and I came out of the cave trem-
bling.
" I walked a long time upon diamonds
without the least inclination to touch one of
them. At last I sat down, and being over-
come with fatigue I fell asleep. I was awa-
kened by the noise of something that fell
close beside me. This was a great piece of
fresh meat, and immediately I saw several
others fall from the rocks in different places.
" It immediately occurred to my mind the
account I had heard of the famous Diamond
Valley, and the stratagems used to get jew-
els from thence, but now I was convinced
what I heard was true, that the merchants
came to the top of these impassable moun-
tains, near where the eagles build their nests,
and throwing joints of raw meat down into
the valley, the diamonds upon which they fall
stick to them ; then the eagles, lured by the
smell of the meat, pounce with great fury
upon it, and carry it to their nests to feed
their young, when the merchants, being on
the watch, frighten away the eagles, and
take the diamonds.
SJNPBAD THE SAILOR.
19
" The falling of the meat into the valley
gave me hopes of getting alive out of this
dreadful abyss, which otherwise must have
been my grave. I therefore hastened to pick
up some of the largest diamonds I could
find, which I carefully put into a little bag,
and fastened it to my girdle. I then select-
ed the largest piece of meat in the valley,
which I tied to my waist with the cloth of
my turban, and then lay down upon my face
to wait the descent of the eagles. They were
not long in coming, and one of the strongest
having pounced upon the meat upon my
back, flew with me to its nest on the top of
the mountain. The merchants began shout-
ing to frighten the eagles, and when they had
obliged them to quit their prey, one of them
came to the nest where I was. At first he
20 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
was much frightened at seeing 1 me, but re-
covering himself, began to quarrel with me,
and accused me of stealing his goods. * You
will treat me/ replied I, ' with more civility
when you know me better. Do not be un-
easy, I have diamonds enough for you and
myself too, far more than all the other mer-
chants put together.'
" I had scarce done speaking when the
merchants gathered round us. I told them
my story, and they were equally surprised at
my expedient to save myself and my courage
to attempt it. Having carried me to the
place where they sheltered themselves, I
opened the bag, and they declared that in
all the courts they had been they had never
seen any diamonds of equal size and lustre.
I desired the merchant, to whose nest I had
been carried, to take as many as he pleased,
but he contented himself with taking one of
the least, declaring it was of sufficient value
to make his fortune.
" I spent the night with the merchants, to
whom I related my history a second time. I
could not moderate the joy I felt in having
escaped so imminent a clanger. Indeed at
times it appeared to me as if I were dream-
ing, and I often started, and questioned my-
self if I were in reality safely out of the inac-
cessible valley.
" The merchants having gathered together
their diamonds, we left the place on the fol-
lowing morning, and crossed the mountains
SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
till we arrived at a port where we took ship-
ping 1 , and landed on the isle of Roha, where
the trees grow that yield camphor. Here I
exchanged some of my diamonds for other
merchandise, and from thence we set sail for
Balsora, and continued my journey over land
to Bag-dad ; and once more arrived in my na-
tive city. I gave great alms to the poor, and
lived there for some time."
Thus Sindbad ended the history of his Se-
cond Voyage, presented Hindbad with ano
ther purse, and desired him to return on the
following day ; which the porter did not fail
to do, and dinner being ended, the master of
the feast resumed his narration.
THE THIRD VOYAGE O* SINDBAD,
" The pleasures and comforts I now enjoy-
ed made me forget my past difficulties. 1
was still in the prime of life, was of an active
disposition, and had a great desire to see
upon a third voyage, and with a cargo of the
richest merchandise of Egypt I once more
took shipping at the port of Balsora.
" After we had been at sea some weeks we
were overtaken by a dreadful storm, which
almost tore the vessel to pieces. We beat
about at the mercy of the winds and waves
during several days, and at last we were
obliged to cast anchor before an island, for
22 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
which the captain had vainly endeavoured to
steer. He now informed us, that this and
several other neighbouring- islands were in-
habited by savages, covered with hair, who
would speedily attack us in great numbers ;
and that if we offered to make the least re-
sistance they would come upon us in swarms
and destroy us without mercy.
" We soon found the captain's information
to be true; for a multitude of frightful sava-
ges, about two feet high, and covered all over
with red hair, came swimming towards us,
and boarded our ship, chattering a language
of which we could not comprehend a word.
In an instant they took down our sails, cut
the cable, towed the ship to land, and having
made us all get out, they carried off our ship
in triumph to another island.
" We went forward into the island on
which we were landed in deep dismay, ex-
pecting notbhig but death. When we had
got a little way we beheld a huge pile of
building, and made towards it. We found
it to be a lofty palace, with a folding gate of
ebony, which we pushed open, and entered
a spacious court, that led to a vast apartment
with a porch, having on one side a great heap
of human bones, and on the other a number
of roasting spits. At this terrible spectacle
our legs trembled under us, and we fell to
the ground, where we lay motionless with
fear, thinking we might share the same fate.
"Presently the^gate of the apartment
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 23
opened, and there came out a black monster
as tall as a palm tree. He had but one eye,
which was in the very middle of his forehead,
and looked like a ball of fire. His fore-
teeth were long and sharp, his under lip
hung down upon his breast, his ears resem-
bled those of an elephant, and covered his
shoulders, and his nails were very long and
crooked.
" At the sight of so hideous a giant we
could scarcely keep from swooning while he
sat down in the porch gazing upon us. At
length he advanced, and taking me up by
the skin of the neck, as I would take up a
kitten, and having viewed me well, and per-
ceived that I was nothing but skin and bone,
he threw me on the ground with disdain.
He took up all the rest one by one, and ex-
amined them in the same manner, and the
poor captain being the fattest amongst us,
fell the victim to his savage appetite j he was
presently killed, roasted, and eaten by the
dreadful monster.
" When the one-eyed giant had finished
his savage meal, he stretched himself upon a
great stone bench in the portico, and fell
asleep snoaring louder than thunder. In this
manner he slept till morning. For our
parts, it was impossible for us to sleep, and
we passed the night in the most distressing
fears imaginable. Day being come, the
giant awoke, got up, stretched himself, and
went out, leaving us in the palace, which
24 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
now resounded with our cries and lamenta-
tions. At length I cried to my companions
in misfortune, ' Let us not waste the hours
in useless sorrow. Let us make floats of the
timber we saw on the coast, and commit
ourselves upon them to the sea. We had
better trust ourselves to the mercy of the
winds and waves than continue here, to fall
one after the other a prey to the appetite of
that devouring" monster.'
" My advice W 7 as eagerly adopted ; we
hastened down to the sea shore, taking with
us tools from the apartment, and laboured
hard to make our floats ready to carry us out
to sea, before the giant should discover we
were gone. We had not finished them till
the evening, and before we could push them
from the beach our tyrant came in search of
us, and drove us like a flock of sheep before
him to the palace. We had the anguish to
behold another of our unfortunate comrades
'roasted for his supper ; and having glutted
himself with the brutal feast, he lay down on
his back, and began to snore so loud that the
place echoed with the noise.
" Our desperate situation now gave us
courage to attempt some means for our deli-
verance. Nine of the most resolute of us got
up softly, and taking nine spits, we held the
points of them in the fire till they were red
hot, and then thrusting them all at once into
the monster's eye, we blinded him. The
pain occasioned him to utter a frightful
SJNDBAD THE SAILOR. 25
scream, and he began to grope about with
his hands to catch us, that he might sacrifice
us to his rage, but we took care to keep out
of his reach, and having sought for us some
time in vain, he opened the ebony gate, and
went out of the palace howling dreadfully.
" We did not stay long behind him, but
hastened to our floats, and only waited for
day-light to embark upon them ; but scarce-
ly was the first dawn of day visible when we
beheld our monstrous enemy approaching
the shore, led on by others of the same spe-
cies. We immediately jumped upon our
floats, and pushed them from the shore as
fast as possible, and the tide assisted us
greatly; but the giants seeing us like!} to
escape, tore great pieces of rock from the
cliffs, and wading into the water up to their
waists, hurled them at us with all their
26 SINDBAD THE SATLOR.
might, and instantly sunk every float but
the one I was upon, and all my companions
except the two with me were drowned ; and
we with great difficulty escaped the fate of
our companions.
" For two days we were tossed about at
sea, and believed we must perish for want of
food, if we were not swallowed up by the
waves. On the evening of the second day,
however, we drove upon an island, where we
found excellent fruit and good water, with
which we refreshed ourselves, and lay down
to sleep under the shade of the trees.
" We were soon awakened by the terrible
hissings of an enormous serpent, who came
gliding along the ground with incredible
swiftness. One of my unfortunate com-
rades was swallowed up in a moment, while
I and the other fled, and climbed up the
highest tree we could find to shield ourselves
from his attack. Presently the serpent came
hissing to the root of the tree, and winding
himself round the trunk, reared his head so
high that he soon reached my only remaining
companion, who sat much lower on the tree
than I did, and devoured him like the for-
mer one. I sat motionless with terror, and
already more dead than alive, the monstrous
creature unwound himself from the tree and
glided away.
" I waited on the tree till late the next
day, and perceiving nothing then of the ser-
pent, I ventured down, but my fear took
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 27
away all my strength, and I was incapable
of exploring* the island in search of a place of
safety. I could not help wishing- that my
float had been sunk by the giants along* with
the others ; for it seemed to me that my life
was only prolonged that I might endure the
most cruel of sufferings. I gathered toge-
ther a great quantity of small wood, bram-
bles, and dry thorns, and making them up
into faggots, formed a great circle with them
round the tree, and fastened the uppermost
to the branches of the tree. Having finish-
ed my work, I shut myself within the circle,
and the serpent failed not to come as I ex-
pected he would. He went round and round
the tree seeking for an entrance, but the
rampart I had made effectually secured me,
so that he lay till day-light like a cat watch-
ing a mouse. When day appeared he retir-
ed, and after the sun arose I ventured to leave
my hiding-place.
" I was so exhausted for want of sleep
and had suffered so greatly from his poison-
ous breath, that death seemed to me more
desirable than living, and I ran towards the
sea, resolving to throw myself in ; but just as
I was about to fulfil my rash determination,
I perceived a ship in full sail at a considera-
ble distance. I shouted as loud as I could
for help, and the captain sent his boat for
me. As soon as I got on board, the captain
seeing I was quite in rags, gave me some of
28 SIXDBAD THE SAILOR.
his own suits, and treated me in all respects
with great attention.
" When we came to an anchor at the port
of Jalabat, the captain calling* me to him,
said, ' Sir, I have here some bales of goods
which belonged to a merchant who sailed
with me some time since, and he being 1 dead,
I intended to dispose of them for the benefit
of his heirs. You shall sell them for me,
and shall be allowed the usual factorage.
" I eagerly inquired the name of the own-
er, and to my astonishment was told Sind-
bad.
" I could not hear myself named without
emotion, and looking earnestly at the captain,
I recollected him to be the person who, in
my second voyage, had left me in the island
where I had fallen asleep, and had set sail
without me.
" < You believe, then/ said I, < that Sind-
bad is dead ?'
"'Certainly,' he replied, 'for one day
when we landed on a small uninhabited
island to take in water, I know not by what
mistake, I set sail without observing he was
not come on board with the other passengers,
nor was his absence discovered till four hours
after, when so brisk a gale sprung up that it
was impossible to tack about and look for
him. There can be therefore no doubt that
he perished on that uninhabited island.'
"'No, Captain,' I exclaimed, 'I did not
perish. In me you behold that Sindbad, who
S1NDBAD THE SAILOR. 29
escaped that and many other perils.' The
captain being- convinced, eagerly delivered
me up the goods, and strictly accounted with
me for those he had already sold.
" I continued my voyage with the honest
captain, and sold my merchandise very ad-
vantageously, and at length returned to Bag-
dad with vast increase of riches."
Sindbad having finished the relation of his
Third Voyage, rose from the table, and giv-
ing another present to Hind bad, invited him
to dinner the next day, to hear the adven-
tures of the Fourth Voyage.
THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD.
" Having settled my affairs, I commenced
a journey over land into Persia, and having
bought a large stock of the beautiful manufac-
tures of that country, 1 loaded a vessel, and
embarked with my goods. We had not been
at sea many days when the ship struck upon
a rock, and soon beat to pieces. The cargo
went to the bottom, and many of the mer-
chants and seamen were drowned.
"I and a few others saved ourselves on
a plank, and were carried by the current to
an island that lay before us. Having got
safely on shore, we walked up the island, and
were presently surrounded by black savages,
who seized us, and shared us among them.
"I and five of my companions were taken
30 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
by one man, who ordered us to sit down,
and gave us some herbs to eat. My compa-
nions ate greedily of the herbs, but I kept
them in my hand without tasting-. 1 pre-
sently observed that my companions lost
their senses, and when they spoke, they
knew not what they said; I then threw away
the herbs, resolving never to taste them.
Rice prepared with oil of cocoa nuts, was
next given to us, and my unhappy comrades
devoured it greedily.
" I soon understood that the savages had
given us herbs in order to rob us of our sen-
ses, to make us fat, and then devour us. Ac-
cordingly I saw the cannibals eat my com-
rades, one after the other; but I, instead of
growing fat, grew thinner daily, and I fell
into a languishing disorder, w r hich proved
my safety, for the savages did not think me
fit to be eaten. They now entirely neglect-
ed me, and one day when they were gone in-
to the woods, I determined to make my es-
cape. I took care to provide myself with as
much rice as my w 7 eak state would permit me
to carry, and stole away.
" I took a contrary way to that the sava-
ges were gone, and travelled all night, and
then I halted, and supped on my rice. Af-
ter refreshing myself with a short sleep, I
pursued my journey. I travelled in this
manner during seven days, and on the eighth,
1 came in sight of the sea shore, where I be-
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 31
held a number of white persons like myself,
gathering pepper.
"I approached them without fear, and
they ran to meet rne, and questioned me in
Arabic as to who I was, and whence I came,
and I speedily satisfied their curiosity, by giv-
ing them an account of my shipwreck and
my escape from the savage negroes. These
white people permitted me to share their
provisions, and in a few days recovered my
strength, and I sailed with them to the island
from whence they came. They presented
me to their King, who was a good Prince;
he listened tamy adventures, gave me clothes,
and commanded me to be taken care of.
" I esteemed myself very fortunate in the
kind treatment I received from this generous
Monarch.
"It appeared to me very extraordinary to
see that when the King and his nobles went
a hunting, they rode their horses without bri-
dle or saddle. I could not forbear to ques-
tion his Majesty upon the reason of his avoid-
ing the use of bridles and saddles. The
King heard me with a look of surprise, and
then assured me that he was quite at a loss to
know what I meant by the things called bri-
dle and saddle. Upon this I went to a very
skilful workman, and gave him the model of
the stock of a saddle, and under my constant
superintendence, he made it very well. I
covered it myself with embroidered velvet;
J then went to another mechanic, for whom
32 SINDBAD THE SAILOR
I drew the pattern of a bridle and stirrups.
I put them upon one of the King's horses,
and presented him to his Majesty, who was
so delighted, that he mounted immediately,
and rode about the grounds belonging to the
palace almost the whole of the day, while his
ministers, the principal officers of the court,
and others of the nobility gathered round me,
entreating that I would furnish them. I re-
ceived such magnificent presents for my sad-
dles and bridles, that I presently grew rich.
"I made my court very constantly to the
King, who one day said to me, ' Sindbad, I
love thee, and all my subjects follow my ex-
ample, and value thee according to thy merits.
I wish to make thee one of my subjects.
Thou must marry and settle in my domi-
nions.' He then gave me one of his ladies of
the court, who was young, noble, rich, beau-
tiful, and virtuous. The marriage ceremo-
nies being over, we retired to a place belong-
ing to my wife, where we lived in great har-
mony and contentment.
"I had contracted a strict intimacy with
one of my neighbours, and one day as I was
sitting down to dinner, I was informed his
wife had just died. I immediately hasten-
ed to afford him some consolation under his
misfortune. *AlasP said he, 'what comfort
can I take who have not above an hour to
live? It is the established law of this
country, that the living husband should be
interred with the dead wife, and the
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 33
wife with the dead husband. Nothing,
therefore can save me: and every one must
submit to this law.'
"I was ready to sink with dismay on hear-
ing- of this cruel law, and before I had reco-
vered from my consternation, his kindred,
friends, and neighbours came to assist at this
barbarous ceremony. They dressed the wo-
man in her richest apparel, and adorned her
with all her jewels, and then putting her in-
to an open coffin, began their march towards
the place of burial. The husband followed
next the corpse, and after him a long train of
relations and friends, among' whom I was a
spectator. They went up an exceedingly
high mountain, on the summit of which the
procession halted, and a great stone was re-
moved, which covered the mouth of a very
deep pit. The corpse was let down into the
pit, and then the husband, embracing his kin-
dred and friends, suffered himself to be put
into another open coffin, in which was pla-
ced a pot of water and seven little loaves, and
was then let down in the same manner, and
the ceremony being ended, they covered the
hole again, and returned to their respective
homes.
" I went home deeply affected, and day
and night I thought of nothing but how to
effect my escape. But while I was forming
a thousand projects to escape this evil, my
worst fears were verified my wife fell sick
and died. You may easily judge of my sor-
34 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
row when I beheld the preparations for my
own funeral, at which the king and his whole
court, to show their regard for me, intended
to assist.
" The corpse, in her most magnificent ap-
parel, was put into her coffin, and the caval-
cade began. I went next the corpse, with
my eyes full of tears, and my heart bursting
with despair. When we arrived at the moun-
tain, I could no longer contain my anguish,
and throwing myself at the feet of the King,
I besought him in the most moving terms, to
have compassion on me and spare my life, and
suffer me to return to my native country.
But all I said was to no effect, they only
made the greater haste to let my wife into the
pit, and the next moment I was put down af-
ter her in an open coffin, with a vessel of wa-
ter and seven loaves. In short, they covered
up the mouth of the pit, in despite of my grief
and lamentable cries.
"As I came near the bottom, I discovered
by the aid of a little light that came from
above, the nature of this subterraneous place.
It was a long cave, many fathoms deep. I
immediately smelt an insufferable stench from
the multitude of dead bodies I saw on the
right and left; nay, I fancied I heard some
of them sigh and groan. I made haste to
leave my coffin, and, getting at a distance
from the dead bodies, lay down upon the
ground, where I sat a long time bathed in
tears, and reproaching myself for leaving my
happy home.
S1NDBAD THE SAILOR. 35
"With these vain complaints I made the
cave to echo. Yet I still felt an inclination
to live, and groped my way back to the cof-
fin for some of the bread and water in it, on
which I lived for some days, and it being" all
spent, I prepared for death.
"Having 1 wandered very far into the cave,
on a sudden I heard something* panting* very
hard close beside me; I started up, upon
which the thing* ran away. I pursued it,
and continued this chace so long that at last
I saw a glimmering light. This redoubled
my eagerness. I went on, and sometimes
lost sight of it, but always found it again, and
at last discovered that it came from a hole in
the rock, just large enough for a man to get
out at. I crept through the hole, and found
myself on the sea-shore. I leave vou to judge
36 SIXDBAD THE SAILOR,
of the excess of my joy. When I recovered
from my surprise, I perceived I had been
pursuing 1 a sea monster.
"I examined the mountain, and found that
it extended for some miles between the town
and sea. I fell on my knees to thank God
for my deliverance, and having feasted on
some shell-fish I found on the shore, I re-
turned to the cave, and groped about among
the coffins for all the diamonds, rubies,
pearls, gold bracelets, and rich stuff I could
find. These I carried to the shore, and ty-
ing them up together into bales with the
cords that let down the coffins, I laid them
on the beach, waiting till some ship should
sail by.
"In two days a ship came out of the har-
bour, and passed bv that part of the coast. I
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 37
made a signal with my turban, and they sent
a boat to take me on board. I told the
mariners I had been wrecked, and had just
been able to get on shore with the bales they
saw. The captain questioned me no further.
"I found a ship ready to sail for Balsora,
on board of which I embarked.
"The rest of my voyage was prosperous,
and I arrived at Bagdad with a vast increase
of riches."
Sindbad made another present to Hind-
bad, with the usual charge of returning the
day to hear more surprising adventures.
THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD.
" Forgetting the perils I had suffered, I
built me a ship at my own expense, loaded
hf;r with a rich cargo, and we set sail with a
fair wind.
"After being at sea several weeks, we
landed upon a desert island in search of fresh
water, where we found a Roc's egg, equal in
size to that I formerly mentioned. The mer-
chants and sailors gathered around it in
great amazement, and though I entreated
and conjured them not to meddle with the
egg, they would not forbear, but making a
hole in it with their hatchets, they picked
out the young Roc, piece after piece, and
roasted it.
" Scarcely had they made an end of theii
38 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
treat, when there appeared in the air, at a
distance, two great clouds. I knew it was
the Rocs belonging to the young bird, and
calling the people together, I made them
embark and set sail.
" The two Rocs alighted, and seeing their
egg destroyed made a most frightful noise.
Presently they took flight and disappeared.
It was not long before they returned with
stones, or rather rocks, between their talons
of a monstrous size. When they came di-
rectly over my ship, they hovered, and one
let its stone drop, but it missed us and fell
into the sea. The other Roc threw the stone
so exactly in the very middle of the ship,
that it split into a thousand pieces. The
mariners and passengers were all killed or
thrown into the sea. The latter was my fate,
but I fortunately caught hold of a piece of
the wreck, which carried me to an island
whose shore was very steep.
"This island seemed to be a delicious gar-
den, abounding in the finest fruit trees of
every description.
" On advancing further into the island, I
saw a little old man sitting upon the bank
of a rivulet. I supposed him to be some
unfortunate person shipwrecked like myself,
and going nearer I saluted him, but he only
bowed his head in return. He entreated by
signs that I would carry him on my back
over the brook. I had no doubt that he was
infirm, and destitute of help, and I readily
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 39
took him on my back, and crossed the
brook, when instead of getting down he
clasped his legs so firmly round my throat,
that I was almost strangled, and being una-
ble to relieve myself, I swooned away with
pain and affright. Notwithstanding my
fainting, the old fellow held fast to my neck,
and when I recovered my senses again, he
struck me so rudely on the side, that I was
forced to rise up against my will.
"He then compelled me to walk under
the trees, while he diverted himself with
gathering the fruit. He never quitted me
a moment. When I laid down at night he
lay down with me, his legs always fast about
my neck; and every morning he compelled
me to get up as soon as the day dawned,
from which time till sunset I was forced to
bear about this odious burthen.
40 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
"One day I found in my way several dry
calabashes; I picked up a large one, and af-
ter cleaning" it, pressed into it some juice of
grapes which abounded in the island. Hav-
ing filled the calabash, I set it aside for seve-
ral days, and on coming to it again, I found
it to be most excellent wine.
"The old man perceiving the effect which
this drink had upon me, made a sign for me
to give him some of it. I gave him the cala-
bash, and the liquor pleasing his palate, he
drank the whole of it, and became complete-
ly drunk, and by degrees loosened his legs
from my neck, so that I w 7 as able to throw
him upon the ground, where he soon fell into
convulsions, and I had the satisfaction to wit-
ness his death.
"I was extremely glad to be freed from
this detestable old fellow. I hastened to the
sea-side, where I found the crew of a ship
who had just cast anchor. They were great-
ly surprised to see me, and to hear of my ad-
ventures. 'You fell,' said they, 'into the
hands of the old man of the sea, and you are
the first person who ever escaped being stran-
gled by him.'
" They took me on board their vessel, and
when we came to the harbour of a great city,
one of the merchants carried me to some per-
sons in the town, whose employment was to
gather cocoa nuts, and recommended me to
their care. He gave me also a great bag
and provisions for the journey.
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 41
"I followed them, and we came to a great
forest of tall straight cocoa trees, whose bark
was so perfectly smooth that it was impossi-
ble for any man to climb up to the branches.
When we entered the forest, we saw a sur-
prising number of apes, who instantly ran to
the top of the trees with the utmost swiftness.
" The merchants with whom I was, pick-
ed up stones and pelted the apes, who, to re-
venge themselves, gathered cocoa nuts and
threw at us. We secured the cocoa nuts,
and continued throwing 1 stones to provoke
the apes, till we possessed ourselves of as ma-
ny nuts as we could carry. We then return-
ed to the city, where the merchants gave me
the value of my nuts, and advised me to do
the same every day till I had got money
enough to carry me home. I soon amassed
a considerable sum: and taking leave of all
the kind merchants, I embarked joyfully on
board a vessel, and returned safe home
again."
When Sindbad had finished, he ordered
Hindbad his usual present, and they return-
ed to dinner the next day, when Sindbad gave
them an account of his Sixth Voyage.
THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD.
" At the expiration of one year, I prepared
for a sixth voyage, against the entreaties of
my kindred. I began my voyage, which
42 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
proved very long- and most unfortunate, f jr
the pilot lost his course, and knew not which
way to steer. At length he discovered whe ^
he was, and exclaimed that we must all in-
evitably perish, for within a quarter of an
hour the ship would be dashed to pieces
against a mountain. It was true; the sails
presently split, the ropes burst asunder with
the force with which the ship drove against
the foot of an inaccessible mountain, yet we
saved our lives, most of our provisions, and
our goods.
"We looked around us, and saw the coast
covered all over with pieces of wrecks of
ships, and great heaps of men's bones, with
incredible quantities of rich goods, which
proved how many unfortunate persons must
have perished there. To climb the moun-
tain, which almost reached the skies, w r as im-
possible.
" In this wretched place we continued till
my comrades died one after the other. I
survived them all, and my stock of food be-
ing exhausted, I suddenly made a desperate
resolution to trust myself to the current of a
broad black river which entered a cavern in
the mountain.
" I made a float, and I loaded it with bales
of rich stuffs, and fastening my cargo with
ropes, I went on board my float with two
little oars I had made, and left it to the
mercy of the current.
"As soon as I was in the cavern, I lost
S1NDEAD THE SAILOR.
43
all light. I floated for some days, at length
a pleasing sleep seized upon me; when I
awoke I found myself in a vast country, at
the brink of a river, where my float was tied
up, amidst a great number of negroes. I
exclaimed aloud, ' Alia, be praised!' and one
of the blacks, who understood Arabic, came
towards me and said, 'Brother, we came
hither to-day to dig canals from this river,
which comes out of yonder mountain, to wa-
ter our fields, when we found you floating in
this manner/
" I begged of them to give me food, which
they did, and after I had appeased my hun-
ger, I gave them an account of all that had
befallen me. They requested I would go
with them to their King, and they placed me
44 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
on a fine horse, bringing my cargo and float
after me.
" We marched thus till we came to Serin-
dib, for it was in that island I landed. I
prostrated myself before the monarch, to
whom I related my story, with which he w r as
so surprised and pleased, that he ordered it
to be written in letters of gold. He then
ordered one of his officers to take care of me.
"When I paid my next visit to the King,
I presented him with the choicest pieces of
my rock crystal, and then prayed him to
allow me to return to my own country, which
request he granted, and sent by me a letter
and a brilliant present to the sovereign, the
Caliph Haroun Alraschid, with many rich
gifts for myself. I returned to Bagdad,
where my first care was to present myself to
the Caliph, who received the letter and
present of the King of Serindib with the
greatest satisfaction."
Sindbad here left off speaking, and they all
returned the following day to hear the rela-
tion of the last voyage.
SEVENTH AND LAST VOYAGE OF SINDBAD.
" Being returned from my sixth voyage, I
absolutely laid aside all thoughts of travelling
any farther. But one day as I was entertain-
ing a party of my friends, I was sent for by
the Caliph. ' Sindbad/ said the monarch, 1 1
SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 45
stand in need of your services, you must bear
an answer and present from me to the King
of Serindib.' I used my endeavours to be
excused, but the King- would take no denial,
but ordered me one thousand sequins for the
expenses of my journey.
" I embarked and had a favourable voyage.
When I arrived at Serindib I delivered the
Caliph's letter and present, which he receiv-
ed with satisfaction.
"A little time afterwards I solicited leave
to depart. We had not been long at sea be-
fore we were attacked by corsairs, who seized
upon our ship and carried us into slavery.
"We were all sold for slaves; and I was
bought by a rich merchant. He inquired
if I understood the use of the bow; I assured
him I did. He then gave me a bow and
arrows, and taking me behind him upon an
elephant, carried me to a forest. We stop-
ped near an exceeding high tree. My mas-
ter bid me alight, and climb that tree; tell-
ing me I must wait there till a troop of ele-
phants pass by, and then shoot at them, and
if any one fell, I was to hasten back to the
city to give him notice of it. Having given
me proper directions, he left me a bag of pro-
visions, and returned to the town.
"As soon as the sun arose on the following
morning, I beheld a great number; I shot
several arrows among them, and at last one
of the elephants fell; the rest retired immedi-
ately, and left me at liberty to go and ac-
46
S1NDBAD THE SAILOR.
quaint my patron with my success. He com-
mended my diligence, and we went back to
the forest, and dug a hole to bury the ele-
phant in, till he decayed, when the merchant
intended to take his teeth, for he traded in
ivory.
"1 continued this course for two months.
One morning- one of the largest of them
wound his trunk round the stem of the tree
on which I was, and tore it up by the roots.
I fell with the tree, and the same elephant,
taking me up with his trunk, laid me on his
back, and carried me to a hill and left me. I
ventured to get up, and discovered the hill
covered all over with the bones and teeth of
elephants. I did not stay, but returned to
my master, who concluded I was destroyed.
I conducted him to the hill, and we loaded
SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
47
the elephant on which we rode, with as many
as he could carry.
" My master then gave me liberty to return
to my own country. He loaded a ship with
a valuable cargo for me, and abundance of
provisions.
"We set sail, and at last I came safe to
Bagdad, and presented myself to the Caliph."
Sindbad then gave Hind bad a hundred
sequins, and desired him to quit his porter's
employment, and come every day to dine
with him, that he might have reason to re-
member SindbaJ the Sailor.
Printed by Thonias Richardson, Derby.
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