Sinbad the Sailor ws 249

and after some days’ sail we arrived at the harbour of a great city,
where the houses were built of good stone.

One of the merchants of the ship, who had taken me into his
friendship, asked me to go along with him, and took me toa place
appointed as a retreat for foreign merchants. He gave me a great
bag, and having recommended me to some people of the town, who
were used to gather cocoa-nuts, he desired them to take me with
them to do the like: ‘Go, said he, ‘follow them, and do as you see
them do, and do not separate from them, otherwise you endanger
your life” Having thus spoken, he gave me provisions for the
journey, and I went with them. ;

We came to a great forest of trees, extremely straight and tall,
their trunks so smooth that it was not possible for any man to
climb up to the branches that bore the fruit. All the trees were
cocoa-nut trees, and when we entered the forest we saw a great
number of apes of all sizes, that fled as soon as they perceived us,
and climbed up, to the top of the trees with surprising swiftness.

The merchants with whom I was gathered stones, and threw them

"at the apes on the top of the trees. I did the same, and the apes, out
of revenge, threw cocoa-nuts at us as fast and with such gestures as
sufficiently testified their anger and resentment: we gathered up the
cocoa-nuts, and from time to time threw stones to provoke the apes;
so that by this stratagem we filled our bags with cocoa-nuts, which it
had been impossible for us to do otherwise.

-When we had gathered our number, we returned to the city, where
the merchant who sent me to the forest gave me the value of the
cocoa-nuts I had brought; ‘Go on,’ said he, ‘and do the like
every day, until you have money enough to carry you home.’ I
thanked him for his good advice, and gathered together as many
cocoa-nuts as amounted to a considerable sum.

The vessel in which I came sailed with merchants who loaded her
with cocoa-nuts. I expected the arrival of another, whose merchants