The Fifth Voyage of Es-Sindiead of the Sea

Know, O my brothers, that when I returned from the
fourth voyage, and became immersed in sport and merri-
ment and joy, and had forgotten all that I had experienced,
and what had befallen me, and what I had suffered, by
reason of my excessive joy at the gain and profit and bene-
fits that I had obtained, my mind again suggested to me to
travel, and to divert myself with the sight of the countries
of other people,, and the islands. So I arose and meditated
upon that subject, and bought precious goods, suited for a
sea-voyage. I packed up the bales, and departed from the
city of Baghdad to the city of El-Basrah ; and, walking along
the bank of the river, I saw a great, handsome, lofty vessel,
and it pleased me; wherefore I purchased it. Its apparatus
was new, and I hired for it a master and sailors, over whom
I set my black slaves and my pages as superintendents, and
I embarked in it my bales. And there came to me a com-
pany of merchants, who also embarked their bales in it, and
paid me hire. We set sail in the utmost joy and happiness,
and rejoicing in the prospect of safety and gain, and ceased
not to pursue our voyage from island to island and from sea
to sea, diverting ourselves with viewing the islands and
towns, and landing at them and selling and buying. Thus
we continued to do until we arrived one day at a large
island, destitute of inhabitants. There was no person upon
it: it was deserted and desolate; but on it was an enormous
white dome, of great bulk; and we landed to amuse ourselves
with a sight of it, and, lo, it was a great egg of a rukh.
Now when the merchants had landed, and were diverting
themselves with viewing it, not knowing that it was the egg
of a rukh, they struck it with stones ; whereupon it broke,
and there poured down from it a great quantity of liquid,
and the young rukh appeared within it. So they pulled
it and drew it forth from the shell, and killed it, and took
from it abundance of meat. I was then in the ship, and
knew not of it, and they acquainted me not with that which
they did. But in the mean time one of the passengers said
to me, O my master, arise and divert thyself with the sight
of this egg which we imagined to be a dome. I therefore
arose to take a view of it, and found the merchants striking
the egg. I called out to them. Do not this deed; for the
rukh will come and demolish our ship, and destroy us. But
they would not hear my words.

And while they were doing as above related, behold, the
sun became concealed from us, and the day grew dark, and
there came over us a cloud by which the sky was obscured.
So we raised our heads to see what had intervened between
us and the sun, and saw that the wings of the rukh were
what veiled from us the sun's light, so that the sky was
darkened. And when the rukh came, and beheld its egg
broken, it cried out at us; whereupon its mate, the female
bird, came to it, and they flew in circles over the ship, cry-
ing out at us with a voice more vehement than thunder.
So I called out to the master and the sailors, and said to
them. Push off the vessel, and seek safety before we perish.
The master therefore hastened, and, the merchants having
embarked, he loosed the ship, and we departed from that
island. And when the rukhs saw that we had put fo'-th to
sea, they absented themselves from us for a while. We
proceeded, and made speed, desiring to escape from them,
and to quit their country; but, lo, they had followed us,
and they now approached us, each of them having in its
claws a huge mass of rock from a mountain; and the male
bird threw the rock that he had brought upon us. The
master, however, steered away the ship, and the mass of
rock missed her by a little space. It descended into the
sea by the ship, and the ship went up with us, and down, by
reason of the mighty plunging of the rock, and we beheld
the bottom of the sea in consequence of its vehement force.
Then the mate of the male rukh threw upon us the rock
that she had brought, which was smaller than the former
one, and, as destiny had ordained, it fell upon the stern of
the ship, and crushed it, making the rudder fly into twenty
pieces, and all that was in the ship became submerged in
the sea.

I strove to save myself, impelled by the sweetness of life,
and God (whose name be exalted!) placed within my reach
one of the planks of the ship; so I caught hold of it. and,
having got upon it, began to row upon it with my feet, and
the wind and the waves helped me forward. The vessel
had sunk near an island in the midst of the sea, and destiny
cast me, by permission of God (whose name be exalted!),
to that island. I therefore landed upon it ; but I was at
my last breath, and in the state of the dead, from the
violence of the fatigue and distress and hunger and thirst
that I had suffered. I then threw myself down upon the
shore of the sea, and remained lying there a while, until my
soul felt at ease, and my heart was tranquillized, when I
walked along the island, and saw that it resembled one of
the gardens of Paradise. Its trees bore ripe fruits, its rivers
were flowing, and its birds were warbling the praises of Him
to whom belongeth might and permanence. Upon that
island was an abundance of trees and fruits, with varieties
of flowers. So I ate of the fruits until I was satiated, and I
drank of those rivers until I was satisfied with drink; and I
praised God (whose name be exalted!) for this, and glorified
Him. I then remained sitting upon the island till evening
came, and night approached ; whereupon I rose ; but I was
like a slain man, by reason of the fatigue and fear that I had
experienced ; and I heard not in that island a voice, nor did
I see in it any person.

I slept there without interruption until the morning, and
then rose and stood up. and walked among the trees ; and
I saw a streamlet, by which sat an old man, a comely
person, who w'as clad from the waist downwards with a
covering made of the leaves of trees. So I said within
myself. Perhaps this old man hath landed upon this island
and is one of the shipwrecked persons with whom the vessel
fell to pieces. I then approached him and saluted him, and
he returned the salutation by a sign, without speaking; and
I said to him, O sheykh, what is the reason of thy sitting in
this place? Whereupon he shook his head, and sighed, and
made a sign to me with his hand, as though he would say.
Carry me upon thy neck, and transport me from this place
to the other side of the streamlet. I therefore said within
myself, I will act kindly with this person, and transport him
to this place to which he desireth to go: perhaps I shall
obtain for it a reward [in heaven]. Accordingly I advanced
to him, and took him upon my shoulders, and conveyed
him to the place that he had indicated to me; when I said
to him. Descend at thine ease. But he descended not from
my shoulders. He had twisted his legs round my neck, and
I looked at them, and I saw that they were like the hide of
the buffalo in blackness and roughness. So I was frightened
at him, and desired to throw him down from my shoulders ;
but he pressed upon my neck with his feet, and squeezed
my throat, so that the world became black before my face,
and I was unconscious of my existence, falling upon the
ground in a fit, like one dead. He then raised his legs, and
beat me upon my back and mj' shoulders; and I suffered
violent pain ; wherefore I rose with him. He still kept his
seat upon my shoulders, and I had become fatigued with
bearing him; and he made a sign to me that I should go in
among the trees, to the best of the fruits. When I disobeyed
him, he inflicted upon me, with his feet, blows more violent
than those of whips ; and he ceased not to direct me with
his hand to every place to which he desired to go, and to
that place I went with him. If I loitered, or went leisurely,
he beat me ; and I was as a captive to him. We went into
the midst of the island, among the trees, and he descended
not from my shoulders by night nor by day: when he
desired to sleep, he would wind his legs round my neck,
and sleep a little, and then he would arise and beat me,
whereupon I would arise with him quickly, unable to dis-
obey him, by reason of the severity of that which I suffered
from him ; and I blamed myself for having taken him up,
and having had pity on him. I continued with him in this
condition, enduring the most violent fatigue, and said within
myself, I did a good act unto this person, and it hath
become an evil to myself! By Allah, I will never more do
good unto any one as long as I live ! — I begged of God
(whose name be exalted!), at every period and in every
hour, that I might die, in consequence of the excessive
fatigue and distress that I suffered.

Thus I remained for a length of time, until I carried him
one day to a place in the island where I found an abundance
of pumpkins, many of which were dry. Upon this I took
a large one that was dry, and, having opened its upper
extremity, and cleansed it, I went with it to a grape-vine,
and filled it with the juice of the grapes. I then stopped up
the aperture, and put it in the sun, and left it for some days,
until it had become pure wine ; and every day I used to
drink of it, to help myself to endure the fatigue that I under-
went with that obstinate devil ; for whenever I was intoxi-
cated by it, my energy was strengthened. So, seeing me
one day drinking, he made a sign to me with his hand, as
though he would say. What is this? And I answered him.
This is something agreeable, that invigorateth the heart, and
dilatcth the mind. Then I ran with him, and danced among
the trees; I was exhilarated by intoxication, and clapped
my hands, and sang, and was joyful. Therefore when he
beheld me in this state, he made a sign to me to hand him
the pumpkin, that he might drink from it; and I feared him,
and gave it to him ; whereupon he drank what remained in
it, and threw it upon the ground, and, being moved with
merriment, began to shake upon my shoulders. He then
became intoxicated, and drowned in intoxication; all his
limbs, and the muscles of his sides, became relaxed, and he
began to lean from side to side upon my shoulders. So
when I knew that he was drunk, and that he was unconscious
of existence, I put my hand to his feet, and loosed them
from my neck. Then I stooped with him, and sat down,
and threw him upon the ground. I scarcely believed that I
had liberated myself and escaped from the state in which I
had been ; but I feared him, lest he should arise from his
intoxication, and torment me. I therefore took a great mass
of stone from among the trees, and, coming to him, struck
him upon his head as he lay asleep, so that his flesh became
mingled with his blood, and he was killed. May no mercy
of God be on him !

After that, I walked about the island, with a happy mind,
and came to the place where I was before, on the shore of
the sea. And I remained upon that island eating of its
fruits, and drinking of the water of its rivers, for a length of
time, and watching to see some vessel passing by me, until
I was sitting one day, reflecting upon the events that had
befallen me and happened to me, and I said within myself,
I wonder if God will preserve me in safety, and if I shall
return to my country, and meet my family and my com-
panions. And, lo, a vessel approached from the midst of
the roaring sea agitated with waves, and it ceased not in
its course until it anchored at that island ; whereupon the
passengers landed there. So I walked towards them ; and
when they beheld me, they all quickly approached me and
assembled around me, inquiring respecting my state, and the
cause of my coming to that island. I therefore acquainted
them with my case, and with the events that had befallen
me; whereat they wondered extremely. And they said to
me, This man who rode upon thy shoulders is called the
Old Man of the Sea, and no one ever was beneath his limbs
and escaped from him except thee; and praise be to God
for thy safety ! Then they brought me some food, and I
ate until I was satisfied; and they gave me some clothing,
which I put on, covering myself decently. After this, they
took me with them in the ship ; and when we had proceeded
days and nights, destiny drove us to a city of lofty buildings,
all the houses of which overlooked the sea. That city is
called the City of the Apes; and when the night cometh,
the people who reside in it go forth from the doors that
open upon the sea, and, embarking in boats and ships, pass
the night upon the sea, in their fear of the apes, lest they
should come down upon them in the night from the
mountains.

I landed to divert myself in this city, and the ship set
sail without my knowledge. So I repented of my having
landed there, remembering my companions, and what had
befallen them from the apes, first and afterwards; and I
sat weeping and mourning. And thereupon a man of the
inhabitants of the city advanced to me and said to me, O
my master, it seemeth that thou art a stranger in this country.
I therefore replied. Yes : I am a stranger, and a poor man.
I was in a ship which anchored at this city, and I landed
from it to divert myself in the city, and returned, but saw
not the ship. — And he said, Arise and come with us, and
embark in the boat; for if thou remain in the city during
the night, the apes will destroy thee. So I replied, I hear
and obey. I arose immediately, and embarked with the
people in the boat, and they pushed it off from the land
until they had propelled it from the shore of the sea to the
distance of a mile. They passed the night, and I with them;
and when the morning came, they returned in the boat to
the city, and landed, and each of them went to his occupation.
Such hath been always their custom, every night ; and to
every one of them who remaineth behind in the city during
the night, the apes come, and they destroy him. In the
day, the apes go forth from the city, and eat of the fruits
in the gardens, and sleep in the mountains until the evening,
when they return to the city. And this city is in the furthest
parts of the country of the blacks. — Among the most won-
derful of the events that happened to me in the treatment
that I met with from its inhabitants, was this. A person of
the party with whom I passed the night said to me, O my
master, thou art a stranger in this country. Art thou skilled
in any art with which thou mayest occupy thyself? — And I
answered him. No, by Allah, O my brother : I am acquainted
with no art, nor do I know how to make any thing. I was
a merchant, a person of wealth and fortune, and I had a
ship, my own property, laden with abundant wealth and
goods; but it was w^rccked in the sea, and all that was in it
sank, and I escaped not drowning but by the permission of
God ; for He provided me with a piece of a plank, upon
which I placed myself; and it was the means of my escape
from drowning. — And upon this the man arose and brought
me a cotton bag, and said to me, Take this bag, and fill it
with pebbles from this city, and go forth with a party of the
inhabitants. I will associate thee with them, and give them
a charge respecting thee, and do thou as they shall do. Per-
haps thou wilt accomplish that by means of which thou
wilt be assisted to make thy voyage, and to return to thy
country.

Then that man took me and led me forth from the city,
and I picked up small pebbles, with which I filled that bag.
And, lo, a party of men came out from the city, and he
associated me with them, giving them a charge respecting
me, and saying to them, This is a stranger ; so take him
with you, and teach him the mode of gathering. Perhaps
he may gain the means of subsistence, and ye will obtain
[from God] a reward and recompense. — And they replied.
We hear and obey. They welcomed me, and took me with
them, and proceeded, each of them having a bag like mine,
filled with pebbles ; and we ceased not to pursue our way
until we arrived at a wide valley, wherein were many lofty
trees, which no one could climb. In that valley were also
many apes, which, when they saw us, fled from us, and
ascended those trees. Then the men began to pelt the
apes with the stones that they had with them in the bags;
upon which the apes began to pluck off the fruits of those
trees, and to throw them at the men ; and I looked at the
fruits which the apes threw down, and, lo, they were cocoa-
nuts. Therefore when I beheld the party do thus, I chose
a great tree, upon which were many apes, and, advancing to
it, proceeded to pelt those apes with stones ; and they broke
off nuts from the tree and threw them at me. So I collected
them as the rest of the party did, and the stones were not
exhausted from my bag until I had collected a great quan-
tity. And when the party had ended this work, they gathered
together all that was with them, and each of them carried
off as many of the nuts as he could. We then returned to
the city during the remainder of the day, and I went to the
man, my companion, who had associated me with the party,
and gave him all that I had collected, thanking him for his
kindness. But he said to me. Take these and sell them,
and make use of the price. And afterwards he gave me the
key of a place in his house, and said to me. Put here these
nuts that thou hast remaining with thee, and go forth every
day with the party as thou hast done this day; and of what
thou bringest, separate the bad, and sell them, and make use
of their price; and the rest keep in thy possession in this
place. Perhaps thou wilt accumulate of them what will aid
thee to make thy voyage. — So I replied. Thy reward is due
from God, whose name be exalted ! I did as he told me,
and continued every day to fill the bag with stones, and to
go forth with the people, and do as they did. They used to
commend me, one to another, and to guide me to the tree
upon which was abundance of fruit; and I ceased not to
lead this life for a length of time, so that I collected a great
quantity of good cocoa-nuts, and I sold a great quantity, the
price of which became a large sum in my possession. I
bought every thing that I saw and that pleased me, my time
,was pleasant, and my good fortune increased throughout the
whole city.

I remained in this state for some time ; after which, as I
was standing by the seaside, lo, a vessel arrived at that city,
and cast anchor by the shore. In it were merchants, with
their goods, and they proceeded to sell and buy, and to
exchange their goods for cocoa-nuts and other things. So I
went to my companion, informed him of the ship that had
arrived, and told him that I desired to make the voyage to
my country. And he replied. It is thine to determine, I
therefore bade him farewell, and thanked him for his kind-
nees to me. Then I went to the ship, and, accosting the
master, engaged with him for my passage, and embarked in
that ship the cocoa-nuts and other things that I had with me,
after which they set sail that same day. We continued our
course from island to island and from sea to sea, and at
every island at which we cast anchor I sold some of those
cocoa-nuts, and exchanged; and God compensated me with
more than I had before possessed and lost. We passed by an
island in which are cinnamon and pepper, and some persons
told us that they had seen, upon every bunch of pepper, a
large leaf that shadeth it and wardeth from it the rain when-
ever it raineth ; and when the rain ceaseth to fall upon it, the
leaf turneth over from the bunch, and hangeth down by its
side. From that island I took with me a large quantity
of pepper and cinnamon, in exchange for cocoa-nuts. We
passed also by the Island of El-'Asirat, which is that wherein
is the Kamari aloes-wood. And after that, we passed by
another island, the extent of which is five days' journey, and
in it is the Sanfi aloes-wood, which is superior to the
Kamari ; but the inhabitants of this island are worse in con-
dition and religion than the inhabitants of the island of the
Kamari aloes-wood ; for they love depravity and the drinking
of wines, and know not the call to prayer, nor the act of
prayer. And we came after that to the pearl-fisheries; where-
upon I gave to the divers some cocoa-nuts, and said to them,
Dive for my luck and lot. Accordingly they dived in the bay
there, and brought up a great number of large and valuable
pearls ; and they said to me, O my master, by Allah, thy
fortune is good ! So I took up into the ship what they had
Brought up for me, and we proceeded, relying on the blessing
of God (whose name be exalted !), and continued our voyage
until we arrived at El-Basrah, where I landed, and remained
a short time. I then went thence to the city of Baghdad,
entered my quarter, came to my house, and saluted my
family and companions, who congratulated me on my safety.
I stored all the goods and commodities that I had brought
with me, clothed the orphans and the widows, bestowed alms
and gifts, and made presents to my family and my com-
panions and my friends. God had compensated me with
four times as much as I had lost, and I forgot what had
happened to me, and the fatigue that I had suffered, by
reason of the abundance of my gain and profits, and resumed
my first habits of famihar intercourse and fellowship. — Such
were the most wonderful things that happened to me in the
course of the fifth voyage: but sup ye, and to-morrow come
again, and I will relate to you the events of the sixth voyage ;
for it was more wonderful than this.