80 THE THIRD VOYAGE OF

and found not any one, and that what had be-
fallen me befell me.”

And when the merchants and other passengers
heard my words, they assembled around me;
and some of them believed me, and others dis-
believed me. But while we were thus talking, lo,
one of the merchants, on his hearing me mention
the valley of diamonds, arose and advanced to me,
and said to them, “ Hear, O company, my words. ©
When I related to you the most wonderful thing
that I had seen in my travels, I told you that,
when we cast down the slaughtered animals into
the valley of diamonds, I casting down mine with
the rest, as I was accustomed to do, there came up
with my slaughtered beast a man attached to it,
and ye believed me not, but accused me of false-
hood.” They replied, “Yes: thou didst relate to
us this thing, and we believed thee not.” And
the merchant said to them, “This is the man
who attached himself to my slaughtered animal,
and he gave me some diamonds of high price, the
like of which exist not, rewarding me with more
than would have come up with my slaughtered
animal; and I took him as my companion until
-we arrived at the city of El-Basrah, whence he
proceeded to his country, having bidden us fare-
well, and we returned to our own countries.