Third Voyage

: The Arabian Nights Entertainments

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 prof
t, 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 colour. 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.



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