Know, O my brothers, that when I had been awhile on shore after
my fourth voyage; and when, in my comfort and pleasures and
merry-makings and in my rejoicing over my large gains and
profits, I had forgotten all I had endured of perils and
sufferings, the carnal man was again seized with the longing to
travel and to see foreign countries and islands.
[FN#56]
Accordingly I bought costly merchandise suited to my purpose and,
making it up into bales, repaired to Bassorah, where I walked
about the river-quay till I found a fine tall ship, newly builded
with gear unused and fitted ready for sea. She pleased me; so I
bought her and, embarking my goods in her, hired a master and
crew, over whom I set certain of my slaves and servants as
inspectors. A number of merchants also brought their outfits and
paid me freight and passage-money; then, after reciting the
Fatihah we set sail over Allah's pool in all joy and cheer,
promising ourselves a prosperous voyage and much profit. We
sailed from city to city and from island to island and from sea
to sea viewing the cities and countries by which we passed, and
selling and buying in not a few till one day we came to a great
uninhabited island, deserted and desolate, whereon was a white
dome of biggest bulk half buried in the sands. The merchants
landed to examine this dome, leaving me in the ship; and when
they drew near, behold, it was a huge Rukh's egg. They fell a-
beating it with stones, knowing not what it was, and presently
broke it open, whereupon much water ran out of it and the young
Rukh appeared within. So they pulled it forth of the shell and
cut its throat and took of it great store of meat. Now I was in
the ship and knew not what they did; but presently one of the
passengers came up to me and said, "O my lord, come and look at
the egg we thought to be a dome." So I looked and seeing the
merchants beating it with stones, called out to them, "Stop,
stop! do not meddle with that egg, or the bird Rukh will come out
and break our ship and destroy us."
[FN#57] But they paid no heed
to me and gave not over smiting upon the egg, when behold, the
day grew dark and dun and the sun was hidden from us, as if some
great cloud had passed over the firmament.
[FN#58] So we raised
our eyes and saw that what we took for a cloud was the Rukh
poised between us and the sun, and it was his wings that darkened
the day. When he came and saw his egg broken, he cried a loud
cry, whereupon his mate came flying up and they both began
circling about the ship, crying out at us with voices louder than
thunder. I called to the Rais and crew, "Put out to sea and seek
safety in flight, before we be all destroyed." So the merchants
came on board and we cast off and made haste from the island to
gain the open sea. When the Rukhs saw this, they flew off and we
crowded all sail on the ship, thinking to get out of their
country; but presently the two re-appeared and flew after us and
stood over us, each carrying in its claws a huge boulder which it
had brought from the mountains. As soon as the he-Rukh came up
with us, he let fall upon us the rock he held in his pounces; but
the master put about ship, so that the rock missed her by some
small matter and plunged into the waves with such violence, that
the ship pitched high and then sank into the trough of the sea
and the bottom of the ocean appeared to us. Then the she-Rukh let
fall her rock, which was bigger than that of her mate, and as
Destiny had decreed, it fell on the poop of the ship and crushed
it, the rudder flying into twenty pieces; whereupon the vessel
foundered and all and everything on board were cast into the
main.
[FN#59] As for me I struggled for sweet life, till Almighty
Allah threw in my way one of the planks of the ship, to which I
clung and bestriding it, fell a-paddling with my feet. Now the
ship had gone down hard by an island in the midst of the main and
the winds and waves bore me on till, by permission of the Most
High, they cast me up on the shore of the island, at the last
gasp for toil and distress and half dead with hunger and thirst.
So I landed more like a corpse than a live man and throwing
myself down on the beach, lay there awhile, till I began to
revive and recover spirits, when I walked about the island and
found it as it were one of the garths and gardens of Paradise.
Its trees, in abundance dight, bore ripe-yellow fruit for
freight; its streams ran clear and bright; its flowers were fair
to scent and to sight and its birds warbled with delight the
praises of Him to whom belong permanence and all-might. So I ate
my fill of the fruits and slaked my thirst with the water of the
streams till I could no more and I returned thanks to the Most
High and glorified Him;--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the
Seaman continued:--So when I escaped drowning and reached the
island which afforded me fruit to eat and water to drink, I
returned thanks to the Most High and glorified Him; after which I
sat till nightfall, hearing no voice and seeing none inhabitant.
Then I lay down, well-nigh dead for travail and trouble and
terror, and slept without surcease till morning, when I arose and
walked about under the trees, till I came to the channel of a
draw-well fed by a spring of running water, by which well sat an
old man of venerable aspect, girt about with a waist-cloth
[FN#60]
made of the fibre of palm-fronds.
[FN#61] Quoth I to myself,
"Haply this Shaykh is one of those who were wrecked in the ship
and hath made his way to this island." So I drew near to him and
saluted him, and he returned my salam by signs, but spoke not;
and I said to him, "O nuncle mine, what causeth thee to sit
here?" He shook his head and moaned and signed to me with his
hands as who should say, "Take me on thy shoulders and carry me
to the other side of the well-channel." And quoth I in my mind,
"I will deal kindly with him and do what he desireth; it may be I
shall win me a reward in Heaven for he may be a paralytic." So I
took him on my back and carrying him to the place whereat he
pointed, said to him, "Dismount at thy leisure." But he would not
get off my back and wound his legs about my neck. I looked at
them and seeing that they were like a buffalo's hide for
blackness and roughness,
[FN#62] was affrighted and would have
cast him off; but he clung to me and gripped my neck with his
legs, till I was well-nigh choked, the world grew black in my
sight and I fell senseless to the ground like one dead. But he
still kept his seat and raising his legs drummed with his heels
and beat harder than palm-rods my back and shoulders, till he
forced me to rise for excess of pain. Then he signed to me with
his hand to carry him hither and thither among the trees which
bore the best fruits; and if ever I refused to do his bidding or
loitered or took my leisure he beat me with his feet more
grievously than if I had been beaten with whips. He ceased not to
signal with his hand wherever he was minded to go; so I carried
him about the island, like a captive slave, and he bepissed and
conskited my shoulders and back, dismounting not night nor day;
and whenas he wished to sleep he wound his legs about my neck and
leaned back and slept awhile, then arose and beat me; whereupon I
sprang up in haste, unable to gainsay him because of the pain he
inflicted on me. And indeed I blamed myself and sore repented me
of having taken compassion on him and continued in this
condition, suffering fatigue not to be described, till I said to
myself, "I wrought him a weal and he requited me with my ill; by
Allah, never more will I do any man a service so long as I live!"
And again and again I besought the Most High that I might die,
for stress of weariness and misery; and thus I abode a long while
till, one day, I came with him to a place wherein was abundance
of gourds, many of them dry. So I took a great dry gourd and,
cutting open the head, scooped out the inside and cleaned it;
after which I gathered grapes from a vine which grew hard by and
squeezed them into the gourd, till it was full of the juice. Then
I stopped up the mouth and set it in the sun, where I left it for
some days, until it became strong wine; and every day I used to
drink of it, to comfort and sustain me under my fatigues with
that froward and obstinate fiend; and as often as I drank myself
drunk, I forgot my troubles and took new heart. One day he saw me
drinking and signed to me with his hand, as who should say, "What
is that?" Quoth I, "It is an excellent cordial, which cheereth
the heart and reviveth the spirits." Then, being heated with
wine, I ran and danced with him among the trees, clapping my
hands and singing and making merry; and I staggered under him by
design. When he saw this, he signed to me to give him the gourd
that he might drink, and I feared him and gave it him. So he took
it and, draining it to the dregs, cast it on the ground,
whereupon he grew frolicsome and began to clap hands and jig to
and fro on my shoulders and he made water upon me so copiously
that all my dress was drenched. But presently the fumes of the
wine rising to his head, he became helplessly drunk and his side-
muscles and limbs relaxed and he swayed to and fro on my back.
When I saw that he had lost his senses for drunkenness, I put my
hand to his legs and, loosing them from my neck, stooped down
well-nigh to the ground and threw him at full length,--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the
Seaman continued:--So I threw the devil off my shoulders, hardly
crediting my deliverance from him and fearing lest he should
shake off his drunkenness and do me a mischief. Then I took up a
great stone from among the trees and coming up to him smote him
therewith on the head with all my might and crushed in his skull
as he lay dead drunk. Thereupon his flesh and fat and blood being
in a pulp, he died and went to his deserts, The Fire, no mercy of
Allah be upon him! I then returned, with a heart at ease, to my
former station on the sea-shore and abode in that island many
days, eating of its fruits and drinking of its waters and keeping
a look-out for passing ships; till one day, as I sat on the
beach, recalling all that had befallen me and saying, "I wonder
if Allah will save me alive and restore me to my home and family
and friends!" behold, a ship was making for the island through
the dashing sea and clashing waves. Presently, it cast anchor and
the passengers landed; so I made for them, and when they saw me
all hastened up to me and gathering round me questioned me of my
case and how I came thither. I told them all that had betided me,
whereat they marvelled with exceeding marvel and said, "He who
rode on thy shoulder is called the 'Shaykh al-Bahr' or Old Man of
the Sea,
[FN#63] and none ever felt his legs on neck and came off
alive but thou; and those who die under him he eateth: so praised
be Allah for thy safety!" Then they set somewhat of food before
me, whereof I ate my fill, and gave me somewhat of clothes
wherewith I clad myself anew and covered my nakedness; after
which they took me up into the ship, and we sailed days and
nights, till fate brought us to a place called the City of Apes,
builded with lofty houses, all of which gave upon the sea and it
had a single gate studded and strengthened with iron nails. Now
every night, as soon as it is dusk the dwellers in this city use
to come forth of the gates and, putting out to sea in boats and
ships, pass the night upon the waters in their fear lest the apes
should come down on them from the mountains. Hearing this I was
sore troubled remembering what I had before suffered from the
ape-kind. Presently I landed to solace myself in the city, but
meanwhile the ship set sail without me and I repented of having
gone ashore, and calling to mind my companions and what had
befallen me with the apes, first and after, sat down and fell a-
weeping and lamenting. Presently one of the townsfolk accosted me
and said to me, "O my lord, meseemeth thou art a stranger to
these parts?" "Yes," answered I, "I am indeed a stranger and a
poor one, who came hither in a ship which cast anchor here, and I
landed to visit the town; but when I would have gone on board
again, I found they had sailed without me." Quoth he, "Come and
embark with us, for if thou lie the night in the city, the apes
will destroy thee." "Hearkening and obedience," replied I, and
rising, straightway embarked with him in one of the boats,
whereupon they pushed off from shore and anchoring a mile or so
from the land, there passed the night. At daybreak, they rowed
back to the city and landing, went each about his business. Thus
they did every night, for if any tarried in the town by night the
apes came down on him and slew him. As soon as it was day, the
apes left the place and ate of the fruits of the gardens, then
went back to the mountains and slept there till nightfall, when
they again came down upon the city.
[FN#64] Now this place was in
the farthest part of the country of the blacks, and one of the
strangest things that befel me during my sojourn in the city was
on this wise. One of the company with whom I passed the night in
the boat, asked me, "O my lord, thou art apparently a stranger in
these parts; hast thou any craft whereat thou canst work?"; and I
answered, "By Allah, O my brother, I have no trade nor know I any
handicraft, for I was a merchant and a man of money and substance
and had a ship of my own, laden with great store of goods and
merchandise; but it foundered at sea and all were drowned
excepting me who saved myself on a piece of plank which Allah
vouchsafed to me of His favour." Upon this he brought me a cotton
bag and giving it to me, said, "Take this bag and fill it with
pebbles from the beach and go forth with a company of the
townsfolk to whom I will give a charge respecting thee. Do as
they do and belike thou shalt gain what may further thy return
voyage to thy native land." Then he carried me to the beach,
where I filled my bag with pebbles large and small, and presently
we saw a company of folk issue from the town, each bearing a bag
like mine, filled with pebbles. To these he committed me,
commending me to their care, and saying, "This man is a stranger,
so take him with you and teach him how to gather, that he may get
his daily bread, and you will earn your reward and recompense in
Heaven." "On our head and eyes be it!" answered they and bidding
me welcome, fared on with me till we came to a spacious Wady,
full of lofty trees with trunks so smooth that none might climb
them. Now sleeping under these trees were many apes, which when
they saw us rose and fled from us and swarmed up among the
branches; whereupon my companions began to pelt them with what
they had in their bags, and the apes fell to plucking of the
fruit of the trees and casting them at the folk. I looked at the
fruits they cast at us and found them to be Indian
[FN#65] or
cocoa-nuts; so I chose out a great tree, full of apes, and going
up to it, began to pelt them with stones, and they in return
pelted me with nuts, which I collected, as did the rest; so that
even before I had made an end of my bagful of pebbles, I had
gotten great plenty of nuts; and as soon as my companions had in
like manner gotten as many nuts as they could carry, we returned
to the city, where we arrived at the fag-end of day. Then I went
in to the kindly man who had brought me in company with the nut-
gatherers and gave him all I had gotten, thanking him for his
kindness; but he would not accept them, saying, "Sell them and
make profit by the price; and presently he added (giving me the
key of a closet in his house) "Store thy nuts in this safe place
and go thou forth every morning and gather them as thou hast done
to-day, and choose out the worst for sale and supplying thyself;
but lay up the rest here, so haply thou mayst collect enough to
serve thee for thy return home." "Allah requite thee!" answered I
and did as he advised me, going out daily with the cocoa-nut
gatherers, who commended me to one another and showed me the
best-stocked trees.
[FN#66] Thus did I for some time, till I had
laid up great store of excellent nuts, besides a large sum of
money, the price of those I had sold. I became thus at my ease
and bought all I saw and had a mind to, and passed my time
pleasantly greatly enjoying my stay in the city, till, as I stood
on the beach, one day, a great ship steering through the heart of
the sea presently cast anchor by the shore and landed a company
of merchants, who proceeded to sell and buy and barter their
goods for cocoa-nuts and other commodities. Then I went to my
friend and told him of the coming of the ship and how I had a
mind to return to my own country; and he said, "'Tis for thee to
decide." So I thanked him for his bounties and took leave of him;
then, going to the captain of the ship, I agreed with him for my
passage and embarked my cocoa-nuts and what else I possessed. We
weighed anchor,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the
Seaman continued:--So I left the City of the Apes and embarked my
cocoa-nuts and what else I possessed. We weighed anchor the same
day and sailed from island to island and sea to sea; and whenever
we stopped, I sold and traded with my cocoa-nuts, and the Lord
requited me more than I erst had and lost. Amongst other places,
we came to an island abounding in cloves
[FN#67] and cinnamon and
pepper; and the country people told me that by the side of each
pepper-bunch groweth a great leaf which shadeth it from the sun
and casteth the water off it in the wet season; but, when the
rain ceaseth the leaf turneth over and droopeth down by the side
of the bunch.
[FN#68] Here I took in great store of pepper and
cloves and cinnamon, in exchange for cocoa-nuts, and we passed
thence to the Island of Al-Usirat,
[FN#69] whence cometh the
Comorin aloes-wood and thence to another island, five days'
journey in length, where grows the Chinese lign-aloes, which is
better than the Comorin; but the people of this island
[FN#70] are
fouler of condition and religion than those of the other, for
that they love fornication and wine-bibbing, and know not prayer
nor call to prayer. Thence we came to the pearl-fisheries, and I
gave the divers some of my cocoa-nuts and said to them, "Dive for
my luck and lot!" They did so and brought up from the deep
bight
[FN#71] great store of large and priceless pearls; and they
said to me, "By Allah, O my master, thy luck is a lucky!" Then we
sailed on, with the blessing of Allah (whose name be exalted!);
and ceased not sailing till we arrived safely at Bassorah. There
I abode a little and then went on to Baghdad, where I entered my
quarter and found my house and foregathered with my family and
saluted my friends who gave me joy of my safe return, and I laid
up all my goods and valuables in my storehouses. Then I
distributed alms and largesse and clothed the widow and the
orphan and made presents to my relations and comrades; for the
Lord had requited me fourfold that I had lost. After which I
returned to my old merry way of life and forgot all I had
suffered in the great profit and gain I had made. "Such, then, is
the history of my fifth voyage and its wonderments, and now to
supper; and to-morrow, come again and I will tell you what befel
me in my sixth voyage; for it was still more wonderful than
this." (Saith he who telleth the tale), Then he called for food;
and the servants spread the table, and when they had eaten the
evening-meal, he bade give Sindbad the porter an hundred golden
dinars and the Landsman returned home and lay him down to sleep,
much marvelling at all he had heard. Next morning, as soon as it
was light, he prayed the dawn-prayer; and, after blessing
Mohammed the Cream of all creatures, betook himself to the house
of Sindbad the Seaman and wished him a good day. The merchant
bade him sit and talked with him, till the rest of the company
arrived. Then the servants spread the table and when they had
well eaten and drunken and were mirthful and merry, Sindbad the
Seaman began in these words the narrative of
The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.
