Fourth Voyage

After my third voyage, I was rich and happy, but I could not settle down at home. My love of trade and the lure of the new and strange drove me to arrange my affairs and journey through some Persian provinces, sending stores of goods ahead to the places I planned to visit. I boarded a ship at a distant seaport, and for a time all went well. Then a violent hurricane caught us. Despite our worthy captain's efforts, the ship was totally wrecked. Many of our company perished in the waves. A few of us, myself included, were fortunate enough to be washed ashore clinging to pieces of wreckage. The storm had driven us near an island. We scrambled up beyond the reach of the waves and threw ourselves down, exhausted, to wait for morning.

At daylight we wandered inland and soon saw some huts. We directed our steps toward them. As we drew near, their black inhabitants swarmed out in great numbers and surrounded us. We were led to their houses and, as it were, divided among our captors. I, with five others, was taken into a hut. We were made to sit on the ground, and certain herbs were given to us, which the blacks signaled for us to eat. Noticing that they themselves did not touch them, I was careful only to pretend to taste my portion. But my companions, being very hungry, rashly ate all that was set before them. Very soon I had the horror of seeing them become perfectly mad. Though they chattered incessantly, I could not understand a word they said, nor did they heed me when I spoke to them. The savages now produced large bowls full of rice prepared with coconut oil.

My crazy comrades ate eagerly, but I only tasted a few grains, understanding clearly that the object of our captors was to fatten us quickly for their own eating. That was exactly what happened. My unlucky companions, having lost their reason, felt neither anxiety nor fear and ate greedily all that was offered. So they were soon fat, and that was the end of them. But I grew leaner day by day, for I ate but little, and even that little did me no good because of my fear of what lay before me.

However, since I was far from a tempting morsel, I was allowed to wander freely. One day, when all the blacks had gone off on some expedition, leaving only an old man to guard me, I managed to escape from him and plunged into the forest, running faster the more he cried for me to come back, until I had completely outrun him.

For seven days I hurried on, resting only when darkness stopped me, living chiefly upon coconuts, which afforded me both meat and drink. On the eighth day I reached the seashore and saw a party of white men gathering pepper, which grew abundantly all around. Reassured by their occupation, I advanced toward them. They greeted me in Arabic, asking who I was and where I came from. My delight was great on hearing this familiar speech. I willingly satisfied their curiosity, telling them how I had been shipwrecked and captured by the blacks. " they said. "How did you escape?" I repeated to them what I have just told you, at which they were mightily astonished. I stayed with them until they had collected as much pepper as they wished. Then they took me back to their own country and presented me to their king, by whom I was hospitably received. To him I had to relate my adventures, which surprised him much.

When I finished, he ordered that I be supplied with food and clothing and treated with consideration.

The island on which I found myself was full of people and abounded in all sorts of desirable things. A great deal of traffic went on in the capital, and I soon began to feel at home and contented. Moreover, the king treated me with special favor. Because of this, everyone at court and in the town sought to make life pleasant for me. One thing I remarked which I thought very strange: from the greatest to the least, all men rode their horses without bridle or stirrups. One day I presumed to ask His Majesty why he did not use them. He replied, "You speak to me of things I have never before heard!" This gave me an idea. I found a clever workman and had him cut out, under my direction, the foundation of a saddle. I padded and covered it with choice leather, adorning it with rich gold embroidery. Then I got a locksmith to make a bit and a pair of spurs after a pattern I drew.

When all was completed, I presented them to the king and showed him how to use them. When I had saddled one of his horses, he mounted it and rode about, quite delighted with the novelty. To show his gratitude, he rewarded me with large gifts. After that, I had to make saddles for all the principal officers of the king's household. As they all gave me rich presents, I soon became wealthy and quite an important person in the city.

One day the king sent for me and said, "Sindbad, I am going to ask a favor of you. Both I and my subjects esteem you and wish you to end your days among us. Therefore, I desire that you marry a rich and beautiful lady whom I will find for you, and think no more of your own country." As the king's will was law, I accepted the charming bride he presented to me and lived happily with her. Nevertheless, I had every intention of escaping at the first opportunity and returning to Baghdad. Things were going prosperously when the wife of one of my neighbors, with whom I had struck up a friendship, fell ill and presently died. I went to his house to offer my condolences and found him in the depths of woe. "Heaven preserve you," I said, "and send you a long life!" " he replied, "What good is saying that when I have but an hour left to live?" "Come, come!" I said, "Surely it is not as bad as all that.

I trust you may be spared to me for many years." "I hope," he answered, "that your life may be long, but as for me, all is finished. I have set my house in order, and today I shall be buried with my wife. This has been the law upon our island from the earliest ages: the living husband goes to the grave with his dead wife, and the living wife with her dead husband. So did our fathers, and so must we do. The law changes not, and all must submit to it." As he spoke, the friends and relations of the unhappy pair began to assemble. The body, decked in rich robes and sparkling with jewels, was laid upon an open bier. The procession started, making its way to a high mountain at some distance from the city. The wretched husband, clothed from head to foot in a black mantle, followed mournfully.

When the place of interment was reached, the corpse was lowered, just as it was, into a deep pit. Then the husband, bidding farewell to all his friends, stretched himself upon another bier, upon which were laid seven little loaves of bread and a pitcher of water. He also was let down, down, down to the depths of the horrible cavern. Then a stone was laid over the opening, and the melancholy company wended its way back to the city.

You may imagine I was no unmoved spectator of these proceedings. To all the others it was a thing they had been accustomed to from youth. But I was so horrified that I could not help telling the king how it struck me. "Sire," I said, "I am more astonished than I can express at the strange custom existing in your dominions of burying the living with the dead. In all my travels, I have never before met with so cruel and horrible a law." " he replied. "It is the law for everybody. I myself should be buried with the queen if she were the first to die." "But, Your Majesty," said I, "dare I ask if this law applies to foreigners also?" "Why, yes," replied the king, smiling in what I could only consider a heartless manner, "they are no exception if they have married in the country." When I heard this, I went home much cast down. From that time forward, my mind was never easy.

If only my wife's little finger ached, I fancied she was going to die. Sure enough, before long she fell really ill and in a few days breathed her last. My dismay was great, for it seemed to me that to be buried alive was even worse than being devoured by cannibals. Nevertheless, there was no escape. The body of my wife, arrayed in her richest robes and decked with all her jewels, was laid upon the bier. I followed it, and after me came a great procession headed by the king and all his nobles. In this order we reached the fatal mountain, which was one of a lofty chain bordering the sea.

Here I made one more frantic effort to excite the pity of the king and those who stood by, hoping to save myself even at this last moment. But it was of no avail. No one spoke to me; they even seemed to hasten their dreadful task. I speedily found myself descending into the gloomy pit, with my seven loaves and pitcher of water beside me. Almost before I reached the bottom, the stone was rolled into place above my head, and I was left to my fate. A feeble ray of light shone into the cavern through some chink. When I had the courage to look about, I could see I was in a vast vault bestrewn with bones and bodies of the dead. I even fancied I heard the expiring sighs of those who, like myself, had come into this dismal place alive. In vain I shrieked aloud with rage and despair, reproaching myself for the love of gain and adventure that had brought me to such a pass.

At length, growing calmer, I took up my bread and water, wrapped my face in my mantle, and groped my way toward the end of the cavern, where the air was fresher.

Here I lived in darkness and misery until my provisions were exhausted. Just as I was nearly dead from starvation, the rock was rolled away overhead. I saw a bier being lowered into the cavern, and the corpse upon it was a man. In a moment my mind was made up: the woman who followed had nothing to expect but a lingering death; I would be doing her a service if I shortened her misery. Therefore, when she descended, already insensible from terror, I was ready, armed with a huge bone. One blow from it left her dead, and I secured the bread and water that gave me hope of life. Several times I had recourse to this desperate expedient. I do not know how long I had been a prisoner when one day I fancied I heard something near me breathing loudly. Turning to the sound, I dimly saw a shadowy form that fled at my movement, squeezing through a cranny in the wall.

I pursued it as fast as I could and found myself in a narrow crack among the rocks, along which I was just able to force my way. I followed it for what seemed many miles, and at last saw a glimmer of light that grew clearer every moment until I emerged upon the seashore with a joy I cannot describe. When I was sure I was not dreaming, I realized it was doubtless some little animal that had found its way into the cavern from the sea and, when disturbed, had fled, showing me a means of escape I could never have discovered myself. I hastily surveyed my surroundings and saw that I was safe from all pursuit from the town. The mountains sloped sheer down to the sea, and there was no road across them. Being assured of this, I returned to the cavern and amassed a rich treasure of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and jewels of all kinds that strewed the ground. These I made into bales and stored in a safe place upon the beach.

Then I waited hopefully for the passing of a ship. I had looked out for two days, however, before a single sail appeared. It was with much delight that I at last saw a vessel not far from the shore. By waving my arms and uttering loud cries, I succeeded in attracting the attention of her crew. A boat was sent off to me. In answer to the sailors' questions about how I came to be in such a plight, I replied that I had been shipwrecked two days before but had managed to scramble ashore with the bales I pointed out to them. Luckily for me, they believed my story. Without even looking at the place where they found me, they took up my bundles and rowed me back to the ship. Once on board, I soon saw that the captain was too occupied with navigation to pay much heed to me, though he generously made me welcome and would not even accept the jewels with which I offered to pay my passage. Our voyage was prosperous.

After visiting many lands and collecting in each place great store of goodly merchandise, I found myself at last in Baghdad once more, with unheard-of riches of every description. Again I gave large sums of money to the poor and enriched all the mosques in the city. After that, I gave myself up to my friends and relations, with whom I passed my time in feasting and merriment.

Here Sindbad paused. All his hearers declared that the adventures of his fourth voyage had pleased them better than anything they had heard before. They then took their leave, followed by Hindbad, who had once more received a hundred sequins, and with the rest had been bidden to return next day for the story of the fifth voyage.