Arabian Nights: 274th Night: Sindbad's Voyages - 3: An Encounter with Roc*

The following night Shahrazad said:

Sindbad continued to narrate his voyages:-

At the end of my first voyage, when I came home, I had resolved to spend my days quietly in Baghdad, but very soon I grew tired of such an idle life and longed to find myself upon the sea, once more.

I bought and stocked goods suitable for the places that I intend to visit, and embarked for the second time in a good ship; and there were other honourable merchants as my companions.  We went from island to island making good bargains, and came to land at a place full of fruit trees and abounding in springs of excellent water.  But it appeared that there were no people or houses.  "What to sell if there is no people,"  thought I, and sat down in a shady place, while my companions wandered here and there gathering fruits and flowers.  To while away time I enjoyed heartily the provisions and wine which I had brought with me.  The murmur of the flow of water in the brook nearby had been music to my ears. Unaware of myself I fell into a deep sleep.

How long I slept, I don't know.  I opened my eyes and looked for my companions. With my heavy baggage I went in search of them. There was no trace of anybody.  The water where the ship was anchored, stood vacant. I realised that the ship and other merchants had left, and I was alone. In the last voyage the sleeping whale deluded us.  But here, my own delinquency deserted me in a desolate island.

I worried and hurried to and fro uttering cries of despair.  When I reached the shore, I saw the vessel's sail just disappearing upon the horizon.  I wished bitterly, I had stayed at home.  But my next worry was to find a way to escape.  I climbed a tall tree and looked towards the sea. A vast expanse of water.  I looked towards the land; a huge dazzling white object far off, 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 be a white ball of immense size and height, and when I could touch it, I found it exceptionally smooth and soft.  It was impossible to climb it -- for it did not have any foothold.  I walked around it seeking some opening, but there was none.  It was atleast fifty paces round.  The sun was setting. Darkness began to envelope the large white ball.  Something like a huge black cloud came swiftly over me, and I was amazed to see a giant bird hoavering around it.  I remembered that I had often heard the sailors speak of a wonderful bird called 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 birds 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 it was dawn, 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 the roc touched the ground and settled comfortably, I unbounded my turban from its foot and released myself. Not a moment later, the bird pounced upon a huge snake, killed it with a few blows from its hard beak; and seizing it rose up into the air and soon disappeared.

Where was I? Did I achieve anything by escaping that desolate island?

I found myself in a deep valley.  It was surrounded by high mountains. It was steep and rocky; there was no way of climbing up their sides.  I wandered about seeking a way to get out.  I observed that the ground was strewed with diamonds, some of them of an astonishing size. This gave me great pleasure.  But it was dampened by the sight of horrible snakes, long and large that the smallest of them could have swallowed an elephant.  But they seemed to hide in caverns of rocks by day, and only came out by night, probably because of their enemy, roc.

All day long I wandered up and down the valley, and by the dusk I crept into a cave, and blocked up its entrance with a stone.  I ate a part of my little store of food and lay down to sleep.

All through the night the serpents crawled to and fro hissing horribly, so that I could scarcely close my eyes. The morning light was a relief to me,

and I judged by the silence that the serpents had retreated to their dens, and I came tremblingly out of my cave and wandered up and down the valley, kicking diamonds out of my path, for I felt that they were useless in my situation.  At last, overcame with weariness, I sat down upon a rock.  I had hardly closed my eyes when I was startled by something which fell to the ground with a thud close to 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 have thought of the stories the sailors told of the famous valley of diamonds, and the cunning way which some merchants have devised for getting at the precious stones, were mere tales or gossips.  But I now perceived its truth.  These merchants came to the valley at the time these 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 diamond stones with them, and when the eagles pounced upon the meat and carry it off to their nests to feed their hungry broods.  Then the merchants, scaring away the parent birds with shouts and cries would secure the diamonds.  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 my leather 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 lay down upon my face and awaited the coming of eagles.  I soon heard the flaping 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 soon 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.  The diamonds, I have enough here of the very best for you and me and all your company."  I took them out of my leather wallet and showed him.  All others crowded around 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.  I stayed with the merchants for several days, and when they went homeward I happily accompanied them.  Our way lay accross high mountains infested with frightful serpents, but we were lucky to escape them and reached sea shore. Then we sailed to the isle of Roha 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 under the incision.  The sap hardens into a substance called camphor.  The tree itself withers and die itself soon.

In this island we saw rhinoceros, an animal smaller than elephant, but larger than buffalo.  It has only one horn about a cubit long, but it is solid.  But it has a furrow from base to tip.  Upon it is traced in white lines the figure of a man.  

Before we parted, I exchanged one of my diamonds for much good merchandise by which I made good profits.  At last we reached Balsora.  Then I went to Baghdad and bestowed large sums of money upon the poor.

After relating his experience of second voyage, Sindbad again bestowed hundred sequins upon Hindbad, invited him to come again on the following day and hear how he fared upon his third voyage.  The other guests also departed.  But all returned next day, including Hindbad.

After Banquet, Sindbad attracted the attention of his guests and began the account of his third voyage.

Morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence. 

Notes:-

* Roc:  A legendary bird of prey portrayed in Middle East mythology. It is capable of picking an elephant and carrying it to an another destination. According to Ibn Battuta it is a mountain hovering over China Seas.  The word is derived from Arabic word "rukk" and Persian word "ruk". Prototypes are available in Indian mythology. 

Aepyornithiformes or elephant bird,  native to Madagascar, thought to have extinct around 1000CE.  Two whole eggs have been found in dune deposits of south west Australia in 1930s were the fossil evidence of the existence of the bird. Local traditions must have carried the history of elephant bird through stories.