SINDBAD, THE SAILOR. 499

he sea: and its inaccessible form convinced me that I had
nothing to dread from the discovery of the inhabitants. I fell
on my knees, and thanked God for this deliverance : and having
eaten some shell-fish, I returned to the cave, where I collected
all the jewels I could find in the dark ; these I carried to the
sea-shore, and having tied them up very neatly into bales with
the cords that let down the coffins, I laid them on the beach,
waiting till some ship should pass. In two days a ship came
out of the harbour, and passed by that part of the coast. I
made a signal, and a boat took me on board. I was obliged to
say that I had been wrecked ; for, had they known my real
story, I should have been carried back, as the captain was a
native of this country. We touched at several islands, and
at the port of Kela, where I found a ship ready to sail for
Balsora ; and having presented some jewels to the captain
who had brought me to Kela, I sailed, and at last arrived at
Bagdad.

Sindbad then gave his guest another hundred sequins, and
again charged him to return next day.

THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD.

Having forgotten my former perils, I built a ship at my own
expense, loaded it with a rich cargo, and taking with me other
merchants, I once more set sail. After having been much
driven about by a storm, we landed at last upon a desert island
to search for fresh water ; we there found a roc’s egg, equal in
size to that which J had seen before. The merchants and
sailors gathered round it, and though I adviscd them not to
meddle with it, they nevertheless made a hole in it with their
hatchets, and picked out the young roc, Piece after piece, and
roasted it. They had scarcely finished when two of the old
birds appeared in the air; we hastened on board ship and set
RKZ