Second Voyage I had resolved, as you know, on my return
from my first voyage, to spend the rest of my days quietly in Bagdad, but very soon I
grew tired of such an idle life and longed once more to find myself upon the sea.
I procured, therefore, such goods as were suitable for the places I intended to visit,
and embarked for the second time in a good ship with other merchants whom I knew to be
honourable men.
We went from island to island, often making excellent bargains, until one day we landed
at a spot which, though covered with fruit trees and abounding in springs of excellent
water, appeared to possess neither houses nor people.
While my companions wandered here and there gathering flowers and fruit I sat down in
a shady place, and, having heartily enjoyed the provisions and the wine I had brought
with me, I fell asleep, lulled by the murmur of a clear brook which flowed close by.
How long I slept I know not, but when I opened my eyes and started to my feet I perceived
with horror that I was alone and that the ship was gone.
I rushed to and fro like one distracted, uttering cries of despair, and when from the shore
I saw the vessel under full sail just disappearing upon the horizon, I wished bitterly enough
that I had been content to stay at home in safety.
But since wishes could do me no good, I presently took courage and looked about me for a means
of escape.
When I had climbed a tall tree I first of all directed my anxious glances towards the
sea; but, finding nothing hopeful there, I turned landward, and my curiosity was excited
by a huge dazzling white object, so far off that I could not make out what it might be.
Descending from the tree I hastily collected what remained of my provisions and set off
as fast as I could go towards it.
As I drew near it seemed to me to be a white ball of immense size and height, and when
I could touch it, I found it marvellously smooth and soft.
As it was impossible to climb it--for it presented no foot-hold--I walked round about it seeking
some opening, but there was none.
I counted, however, that it was at least fifty paces round.
By this time the sun was near setting, but quite suddenly it fell dark, something like
a huge black cloud came swiftly over me, and I saw with amazement that it was a bird of
extraordinary size which was hovering near.
Then I remembered that I had often heard the sailors speak of a wonderful bird called a
roc, and it occurred to me that the white object which had so puzzled me must be its
egg.
Sure enough the bird settled slowly down upon it, covering it with its wings to keep it
warm, and I cowered close beside the egg in such a position that one of the bird's feet,
which was as large as the trunk of a tree, was just in front of me.
Taking off my turban I bound myself securely to it with the linen in the hope that the
roc, when it took flight next morning, would bear me away with it from the desolate island.
And this was precisely what did happen.
As soon as the dawn appeared the bird rose into the air carrying me up and up till I
could no longer see the earth, and then suddenly it descended so swiftly that I almost lost
consciousness.
When I became aware that the roc had settled and that I was once again upon solid ground,
I hastily unbound my turban from its foot and freed myself, and that not a moment too
soon; for the bird, pouncing upon a huge snake, killed it with a few blows from its powerful
beak, and seizing it up rose into the air once more and soon disappeared from my view.
When I had looked about me I began to doubt if I had gained anything by quitting the desolate
island.
The valley in which I found myself was deep and narrow, and surrounded by mountains which
towered into the clouds, and were so steep and rocky that there was no way of climbing
up their sides.
As I wandered about, seeking anxiously for some means of escaping from this trap, I observed
that the ground was strewed with diamonds, some of them of an astonishing size.
This sight gave me great pleasure, but my delight was speedily damped when I saw also
numbers of horrible snakes so long and so large that the smallest of them could have
swallowed an elephant with ease.
Fortunately for me they seemed to hide in caverns of the rocks by day, and only came
out by night, probably because of their enemy the roc.
All day long I wandered up and down the valley, and when it grew dusk I crept into a little
cave, and having blocked up the entrance to it with a stone, I ate part of my little store
of food and lay down to sleep, but all through the night the serpents crawled to and fro,
hissing horribly, so that I could scarcely close my eyes for terror.
I was thankful when the morning light appeared, and when I judged by the silence that the
serpents had retreated to their dens I came tremblingly out of my cave and wandered up
and down the valley once more, kicking the diamonds contemptuously out of my path, for
I felt that they were indeed vain things to a man in my situation.
At last, overcome with weariness, I sat down upon a rock, but I had hardly closed my eyes
when I was startled by something which fell to the ground with a thud close beside me.
It was a huge piece of fresh meat, and as I stared at it several more pieces rolled
over the cliffs in different places.
I had always thought that the stories the sailors told of the famous valley of diamonds,
and of the cunning way which some merchants had devised for getting at the precious stones,
were mere travellers' tales invented to give pleasure to the hearers, but now I perceived
that they were surely true.
These merchants came to the valley at the time when the eagles, which keep their eyries
in the rocks, had hatched their young.
The merchants then threw great lumps of meat into the valley.
These, falling with so much force upon the diamonds, were sure to take up some of the
precious stones with them, when the eagles pounced upon the meat and carried it off to
their nests to feed their hungry broods.
Then the merchants, scaring away the parent birds with shouts and outcries, would secure
their treasures.
Until this moment I had looked upon the valley as my grave, for I had seen no possibility
of getting out of it alive, but now I took courage and began to devise a means of escape.
I began by picking up all the largest diamonds I could find and storing them carefully in
the leathern wallet which had held my provisions; this I tied securely to my belt.
I then chose the piece of meat which seemed most suited to my purpose, and with the aid
of my turban bound it firmly to my back; this done I laid down upon my face and awaited
the coming of the eagles.
I soon heard the flapping of their mighty wings above me, and had the satisfaction of
feeling one of them seize upon my piece of meat, and me with it, and rise slowly towards
his nest, into which he presently dropped me.
Luckily for me the merchants were on the watch, and setting up their usual outcries they rushed
to the nest scaring away the eagle.
Their amazement was great when they discovered me, and also their disappointment, and with
one accord they fell to abusing me for having robbed them of their usual profit.
Addressing myself to the one who seemed most aggrieved, I said: "I am sure, if you knew
all that I have suffered, you would show more kindness towards me, and as for diamonds,
I have enough here of the very best for you and me and all your company."
So saying I showed them to him.
The others all crowded round me, wondering at my adventures and admiring the device by
which I had escaped from the valley, and when they had led me to their camp and examined
my diamonds, they assured me that in all the years that they had carried on their trade
they had seen no stones to be compared with them for size and beauty.
I found that each merchant chose a particular nest, and took his chance of what he might
find in it.
So I begged the one who owned the nest to which I had been carried to take as much as
he would of my treasure, but he contented himself with one stone, and that by no means
the largest, assuring me that with such a gem his fortune was made, and he need toil
no more.
I stayed with the merchants several days, and then as they were journeying homewards
I gladly accompanied them.
Our way lay across high mountains infested with frightful serpents, but we had the good
luck to escape them and came at last to the seashore.
Thence we sailed to the isle of Rohat where the camphor trees grow to such a size that
a hundred men could shelter under one of them with ease.
The sap flows from an incision made high up in the tree into a vessel hung there to receive
it, and soon hardens into the substance called camphor, but the tree itself withers up and
dies when it has been so treated.
In this same island we saw the rhinoceros, an animal which is smaller than the elephant
and larger than the buffalo.
It has one horn about a cubit long which is solid, but has a furrow from the base to the
tip.
Upon it is traced in white lines the figure of a man.
The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, and transfixing him with his horn carries him
off upon his head, but becoming blinded with the blood of his enemy, he falls helpless
to the ground, and then comes the roc, and clutches them both up in his talons and takes
them to feed his young.
This doubtless astonishes you, but if you do not believe my tale go to Rohat and see
for yourself.
For fear of wearying you I pass over in silence many other wonderful things which we saw in
this island.
Before we left I exchanged one of my diamonds for much goodly merchandise by which I profited
greatly on our homeward way.
At last we reached Balsora, whence I hastened to Bagdad, where my first action was to bestow
large sums of money upon the poor, after which I settled down to enjoy tranquilly the riches
I had gained with so much toil and pain.
Having thus related the adventures of his second voyage, Sindbad again bestowed a hundred
sequins upon Hindbad, inviting him to come again on the following day and hear how he
fared upon his third voyage.
The other guests also departed to their homes, but all returned at the same hour next day,
including the porter, whose former life of hard work and poverty had already begun to
seem to him like a bad dream.
Again after the feast was over did Sindbad claim the attention of his guests and began
the account of his third voyage.
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