The Story of Sinbad the Voyager - The Second Voyage

I designed, after my first voyage, to spend the rest of my
days at Bagdad, but it was not long ere I grew weary of an
indolent life. My inclination to trade revived. I bought goods
proper for the commerce I intended, and put to sea a second time
with merchants of known probity. W^e embarked on board a
good ship, and after recommending ourselves to God, set sail.
We traded from island to island, and exchanged commodities
with great profit. One day we landed on an island covered with
several sorts of fruit-trees, but we could see neither man nor
animal. We went to take a little fresh air in the meadows, along
the streams that watered them. Whilst some diverted themselves
w^ith gathering flowers, and others fruits, I took my wine and
provisions, and sat down near a stream betwixt two high trees
which formed a thick shade. I made a good meal, and after-
ward fell asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept, but when I
awoke the ship was gone.

"I got up and looked around me, but could not see one of the
merchants who landed with me. I perceived the ship under
sail, but at such a distance, that I lost sight of her in a short
time.

*'In this sad condition, I was ready to die with grief. I cried
out in agony, and threw myself upon the ground, where I lay
some time in despair. I upbraided myself a hundred times for
not being content with the produce of my first voyage, that might
have sufficed me all my life. But all this was in vain, and my
repentance came too late.

"At last I resigned myself to the will of God. Not knowing
what to do, I climbed up to the top of a lofty tree, from whence
I looked about on all sides, to see if I could discover anything that
could give me hopes. When I gazed toward the sea I could see
nothing but sky and water; but looking over the land I beheld
something white; and coming down, I took what provision I had
left, and went toward it, the distance being so great that I could
not distinguish what it was.

"As I approached, I thought it to be a white dome, of a
prodigious height and extent; and when I came up to it, I
touched it, and found it to be very smooth. I went round to see
if it was open on any side, but saw that it was not, and that there
was no climbing up to the top, as it was so smooth. It was at
least fifty paces round.

By this time the sun was about to set, and all of a sudden the
sky became as dark as if it had been covered with a thick cloud.
I was much astonished at this sudden darkness, but much more
when I found it occasioned by a bird of a monstrous size, that
came flying toward me. I remembered that I had often heard
mariners speak of a miraculous bird called the roc, and con-
ceived that the great dome which I so much admired must be its
egg. As I perceived the roc coming, I crept close to the egg, so
that I had before me one of the bird's legs, which was as big as
the trunk of a tree. I tied myself strongly to it with my turban,
in hopes that next morning she would carry me with her out of
this desert island. After having passed the night in this condi-
tion, the bird flew away as soon as it was daylight, and carried
me so high, that I could not discern the earth; she afterward
descended with so much rapidity that I lost my senses. But
when I found myself on the ground, I speedily untied the knot,
and had scarcely done so, when the roc, having taken up a serpent
of a monstrous length in her bill, flew away.

The spot where she left me was encompassed on all sides by
mountains, that seemed to reach above the clouds, and so steep
that there was no possibility of getting out of the valley. This
was a new perplexity: so that when I compared this place with
the desert island from which the roc had brought me I found
that I had gained nothing by the change.

"As I walked through this valley, I perceived it was strewed
with diamonds, some of which were of a surprising bigness. I
took pleasure in looking upon them ; but shortly saw at a distance
such objects as greatly diminished my satisfaction, namely, a
great number of serpents, so monstrous, that the least of them was
capable of swallowing an elephant. They retired in the day-
time to their dens, where they hid themselves from the roc, their
enemy, and came out only in the night.

'*I spent the day in walking about in the valley, resting my-
self at times in such places as I thought most convenient. When
night came on, I went into a cave, where I thought I might repose
in safety. I secured the entrance with a great stone to preserve
me from the serpents; but not so far as to exclude the light. I
supped on part of my provisions, but the serpents, which began
hissing round me, put me into such extreme fear, that I could
not sleep. When day appeared, the serpents retired, and I came
out of the cave trembling. I can justly say, that I walked upon
diamonds, without feeling any inclination to touch them. At
last I sat down, and notwithstanding my apprehensions, not hav-
ing closed my eyes during the night, fell asleep, after having
eaten a little more of my provision. But I had scarcely shut my
eyes, when something that fell by me with a great noise awaked
me. This was a large piece of raw meat; and at the same time
I saw several others fall down from the rocks in different places.

"I had always regarded as fabulous what I had heard sailors
and others relate of the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagems
employed by merchants to obtain jewels from thence; but now I
found that they had stated nothing but truth. For the fact is,
that the merchants come to the neighbourhood of this valley
when the eagles have young ones; and, throwing great joints of
meat into the valley, the diamonds upon whose points they fall
stick to them ; the eagles, which are stronger in this country than
anywhere else, pounce with great force upon those pieces of
meat, and carry them to their nests on the rocks to feed their
young: the merchants at this time run to the nests, drive off the
eagles by their shouts, and take away the diamonds that stick to
the meat.

"Until I perceived the device I had concluded it to be im-
possible for me to leave this abyss, which I regarded as my grave ;
but now I changed my opinion, and began to think upon the
means of my deliverance. I began to collect the largest diamonds
I could find, and put them into the leather bag in which I used

The spot where she left me loas encompassed on all sides by
mountains that seemed to reach above the clouds, and so
steep thai there was no possibility of getting out of the
valley. to carry my provisions. I afterward took the largest of the
pieces of meat, tied it close round me with the cloth of my
turban, and then laid myself upon the ground with my face
downward, the bag of diamonds being made fast to my girdle.

I had scarcely placed myself in this posture w^hen the eagles
came. Each of them seized a piece of meat, and one of the
strongest having taken me up, with the piece of meat to which
I was fastened, carried me to his nest on the top of the mountain.
The merchants immediately began their shouting to frighten the
eagles; and when they had obliged them to quit their prey, one
of them came to the nest where I was. He was much alarmed
when he saw me; but recovering himself, instead of inquiring
how I came thither, began to quarrel with me, and asked, why
I stole his goods. 'You will treat me,' replied I, 'with more
civility when you know me better. Do not be uneasy, I have
diamonds enough for you and myself, more than all the other
merchants together. What ever they have, they owe to chance,
but I selected for myself in the bottom of the valley those which
you see in this bag.' I had scarcely done speaking, when the
other merchants came crowding about us, much astonished to see
me; but they were much more surprised when I told them my
story.

"They conducted me to their encampment, and there having
opened my bag, they w^ere surprised at the largeness of my
diamonds, and confessed that in all the courts which they had
visited they had never seen any of such size and perfection. I
prayed the merchant who owned the nest to which I had been
carried (for every merchant had his own), to take as many for
his share as he pleased. He contented himself w^ith one, and
that the least of them; and when I pressed him to take more,
No,' said he, 'I am very well satisfied with this, which is
valuable enough to save me the trouble of making any more
voyages, and will raise as great a fortune as I desire.'

"I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I related my
story a second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not
heard it. I could not moderate my joy when I found myself
delivered from the danger I have mentioned. I thought myself
in a dream, and could scarcely believe myself out of danger.

"The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the
valley for several days, and each of them being satisfied with the
diamonds that had fallen to his lot, we left the place the next
morning and travelled near high mountains, where there were
serpents of a prodigious length, which we had the good fortune
to escape. We took shipping at the first port we reached, and
touched at the isle of Roha, where the trees grow that yield
camphire. This tree is so large, and its branches so thick, that
one hundred men may easily sit under its shade. The juice of
which the camphire is made exudes from a hole bored in the upper
part of the tree, is received in a vessel, where it thickens to a
consistency, and becomes what we call camphire; after the juice
is thus drawn out, the tree withers and dies.

In this island is also found the rhinoceros, an animal less
than the elephant, but larger than the buffalo. It has a horn
upon its nose, about a cubit in length; this horn is solid, and cleft
through the middle. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant,
runs his horn into his belly, and carries him off upon his head;
but the blood and the fat of the elephant running into his eyes,
and making him blind, he falls to the ground ; and then, strange
to relate ! the roc comes and carries them both away in her claws,
for food for her young ones.

"In this island I exchanged some of my diamonds for mer-
chandise. From hence we went to other ports, and at last, having
touched at several trading towns of the continent, we landed at
Bussorah, from whence I proceeded to Bagdad. There I im-
mediately gave large presents to the poor, and lived honourably
upon the vast riches I had gained with so much fatigue."

Thus Sinbad ended his relation, gave Hindbad another hun-
dred sequins, and invited him to come the next day to hear the
account of the third voyage.