Arabian Nights: 276th Night: Sindbad's Voyages - 5

After having met with shipwreck three times, fortune again coveted me to embark upon a new journey, regardless of the entreaties of my friends and relations, who did all they could to keep me home.  Instead of going by the Persian Gulf, this time, I travelled a considerable way over land and embarked upon from a distant Indian port with a captain who meant to make a long voyage. We fell in with a stormy weather which drove us completely out of our course, so that for many days neither captain nor pilot new where we were, or where to the ship was taking us.  When they did at last discover our position we had small ground for rejoicing; the captain casting his turban upon the deck and tearing his beard, declared that we were in the most dangerous spot upon the whole wide sea, and had been caught by a current which was at that moment sweeping us to destruction.  It was too true!  In spite of all that the sailors could do we were driven with frightful rapidity towards the foot of a mountain, which rose sheer out of the sea, and our vessel was dashed to pieces upon the rocks at its base, not however, until we had managed to scramble on shore, carrying with us the most precious of our possessions.  When we had done this, the captain said to us:-

Now we are here.  We may as well try to dig our graves at once, since from this fatal spot no shipwrecked mariner has ever returned."

This speech dampened our spirit and we began to lament over our fate. 

The mountain was the seaward boundary of a large island, and the narrow  strip of rocky shore upon which we stood was strewn with the wreckage of a thousand gallant ships, while the bones of the luckless mariners shone white in the sunshine, and we shuddered to think how soon our own would be added to the heap.  All round too, lay vast quantities of the costliest merchandise, and treasures were heaped in every cranny of the rocks, and all these things added to the desolation of the scene.  It struck me as a strange thing that a river of clear fresh water, which gushed out from the mountain not far from where we stood, instead of flowing into the sea as rivers generally do, turned off sharply, and flowed out of sight under a natural archway of rock, and when I went to examine it more closely, I found that inside the cave the walls were thick with diamonds, rubies, and masses of crystal, and the floor was strewn with ambergris. There was no possibility of scaling the mountain, and if a ship had appeared it could only have shared our doom.  The first thing our captain did was to divide equally amongst us all the food we possessed, and the length of each man's life depended on the time he could his portion last. I myself could live upon very little. 

Nevertheless, by the time I had buried the last of my companions my stock of provisions was so small that I hardly thought I should live long enough to dig my own grave, which I set about doing.  While I regretted bitterly of my roving disposition which always brings me into such straits, and thought longingly of all the comforts and luxury of home. But luckily for me the fancy took me to a stand once more beside the river where it plunged out of sight in the depths of the cavern, and as I did so an idea struck me.  This river which hid itself underground doubtless emerged again at some distant point. Why should I not build a raft and trust myself to it.  If I perish before I could reach the light of day, I should be no worse than I was now.  I believed that I was born under a lucky star.  So the risk would take me to safe landing.  I speedily built a stout raft of drift-wood with strong cords, which were plenty strewn on the beach.  Then I made up the package of rubies, emeralds, rock crystal and ambergris and bound them upon my raft, and carefully seated myself upon it, keeping in mind my balance in raft on water;  together with two oars that I made, loosed the cord which held it to the bank. Once out in the water, my raft flew swiftly under the gloomy archway, and I found myself in total darkness carried smoothly forward by the rapid river.  Time was not moving, only I could feel the ups and downs of the raft. Once the channel became so small that I had a narrow escape of being crushed against the rocky roof, and after that I lay flat upon my precious bales.  Though I ate only what was necessary to keep myself alive, inevitable moment came when, after swallowing my last morsel of food, I began to fear if I must afterall die of hunger.  Worn out with anxiety and fatigue, I fell into a deep sleep, and when I again opened my eyes, I was once more in the light of the day; there was the open sky above, and under it a beautiful country lay before me, and my raft which was tied to the river bank was surrounded by friendly looking black men.  Trying to sit up I saluted them, and they spoke to me in return, but I could not understand a word of their language.

Bewildered by my unexpected return to life and light, I murmured to myself in Arabic, "Close thine eyes, while you sleep Heaven will change your fortune from evil to good."

One of the natives who understood this tongue, then came forward and said,  "Brother, be not surprised to see us; this is our land, and as we came to get water from the river we noticed your raft floating down it, and one of us swam out and brought you to the shore.  We have waited for you to awake, tell us now where are you coming from and where you are going to. You came by a dangerous way."

I replied that nothing would better please me than to tell them, but I was starving, and would like eat something first.  I was soon supplied with all I needed.  Having satisfied my hunger I told them all that had befallen me.  They were lost in wonder at my tale when it was interpreted to them and said that adventures so surprising must be related to their king only by the man to whom it had happened.  So, procuring a horse, they mounted me upon it, and we set out followed by several strong men carrying my raft just as it was upon their shoulders.  In this order we marched into the city of Serendib [1] where the natives presented me to their king, whom I saluted in the Indian way prostrating myself at his feet and kissing the ground; but the monarch bade me rise and sit beside him, asking first what was my name.

"I am Sindbad," I replied, "whom men call the sailor." 

And how you came here?" asked the king.  I told my story concealing nothing, and his surprise and delight were so great that he had ordered my adventures to be written in letters of gold and laid up in the archives of his kingdom.

Soon my raft was brought in and the bales opened in his presence, and the king declared that in all his treasury there were no such rubies and emeralds as those which lay in great heaps before him.  He looked at them with interest.  I ventured to say that I myself and all that I had were at his disposal, but he answered me smiling, 

"Nay, Sindbad. Heaven forbid that.  I do not covet them, I will rather add to them.  And they are tokens of my goodwill."

He then commanded his officers to provide me with suitable dwellings and accomodate me there as his guest.  All my belongings were transported to my new dwellings. Here I was given slave girls and servants. I reciprocated with my daily visits to his court.  I visited all places worthy of seeing in the city.

 

The island of Serendib is positioned on the equinotical line. The days and nights are of equal length. Mount Pedro is its highest peak.  On the seashore and the mouth of rivers are found precious rubies.  After many days of stay I petitioned the king that I wish leave for my home city.  The king graciously accepted my request and when I went to take leave of him, he entrusted me with a royal present and a letter to the Commander of the Faithful, our Sovereign lord, saying, "I pray you, give these to the Caliph Harun-al- Rashid and assure him of my friendship."

I accepted the charge respectfully, and embarked upon the vessel which the king himself had chosen for me.

The king's letter was written in blue 

characters upon a rare and precious skin of yellowish colour, and these were the words of it: Th king of the Indies before whom walk a thousand elephants, who lives in a palace, of which the roof blazes with hundred thousand rubies, and whose treasure-house contains twenty thousand diamond crowns,  to the Caliph Harun-al-Rashid,  greetings! Though the present we send to you is unworthy of your notice, we pray to you to accept it as a mark of the esteem and friendship which we cherish for you, and of  which we gladly send you this token, and we ask of you a like regard if you deem us worthy of it. Adieu, brother."

The presents consisted of a vase carved out of a single ruby filled with pearls, a huge snake skin with scales as large as a sequin, which would prevent illness to those who slept on it, aloe-wood in plenty, camphor, pistachio nuts, and a beautiful slave girl.

After a long voyage, I landed at Balsora, and I hurried to Baghdad. I was conducted into the presence of the Caliph, to whom I had made my obeisance, I gave the king's letter and gifts.  After examining these gifts and going through the letter, the Commander of the Faithful asked me whether the prince of Serendib was really as rich and powerful as he claims.

"Commander of the Faithful," I replied again bowing humbly before him, "I can assure you majesty that he has in no way exaggerated his wealth and grandeur. Nothing can equal the magnificence of his palace.  When he goes abroad his throne is prepared upon the back of an elephant, and on either side of him ride his ministers, his favourites and couriers. On his elephant's neck sit an officer, his golden lance in his hand, and behind him stands another bearing a pillar of gold on the top of which is an emerald as long as my hand.  A thousand men in cloth of gold mounted upon richly caparisoned elephants go before him, and as the procession moves forward, the officer who guides his elephant cries aloud, 'Behold the mighty monarch , the powerful and valiant Sultan of the Indies, whose palace is covered with a hundred thousand rubies, who possesses twenty thousand diamond crowns.  Behold a monarch greater than Solomon and Mihrage in all their glory!'

The Caliph was well satisfied with my report.

He dismissed me with rich presents, and I returned to my own house.

When Sindbad had finished his guests withdrew, and Hindbad received a hundred sequins.  All of them returned next day to hear the account of his last voyage.

Notes:-

1. Serendib was the old Persian name for Sri Lanka