Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 18 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—— ee eS CL Sindbad the Sailor. between two files, composed of his ministers, favorites, and others belonging to the court. Before him, on the same elephant, sits an officer with a golden lance in his hand, and behind the throne another stands with a pil- lar of gold, on the top of which is placed an emerald about half a foot long and an inch thick. He is preceded by a guard of a thou- sand men habited in silk and gold stuffs, and mounted on elephants richly caparisoned. “While the king is on his march, the offi- cer, who sits before him on his elephant, from time to time cries with a loud voice, ‘The powerful and tremendous Sultan of the Indies, whose palace is covered with a hun- dred thousand rubies, and who possesses twenty thousand diamond crowns. This is the crowned monarch, greater than ever was Solima or the great Mibrage.’ “After he has pronounced these words, the officer who is behind the throne, cries in his turn, ‘This monarch, who is so great and powerful, must die, must die, must die.’ The first officer then replies, ‘Hail to Him who lives and dies not.’ ‘The King of Serendib is so just, that there are no judges in his capital, nor in any other part of his dominions; his people do not wantany. They know and observe with exactness the true principles of justice, and never deviate from their duty; therefore, tribunals and magistrates would be useless among them.” The caliph was satisfied with my discourse, and said, ‘ The wisdom of this king appears in this letier; and after what you have told me I must confess that such wisdom is worthy of such subjects, and such subjects worthy of it.” At these words he dismissed me with a rich present. Sindbad here finished his discourse, and his visitors retired; but Hindbad, as usual, received his hundred sequins. They returned the following day, and Sindbad began the relation of his seventh and last voyage in these terms. The Seventh and Last Voyage of Sind- bad the Sailor. On my return from my sixth voyage, I ab- solutely relinquished all thoughts of ever venturing again on the seas. I was now ar- rived at an age which required rest; and, besides this, 1 had sworn never more to ex- pose myself to the perils I had so often ex- perienced. I prepared, therefore, to enjoy my life in quiet and repose. One day, when I was regaling a number of friends, one of my servants came to tell me that an officer of the caliph wanted to speak tome. I got up from the table and went to him. “The caliph,” said he, “has ordered me to acquaint you that he wishes to see you.” 1 followed the officer to the palace and he presented me to the prince, whom I saluted by prostrating myself at bis feet. “ Sindbad,” said he, ‘‘ lt am in want of you: you must do me a service, and go once more to the King of Serendib with my answer and presents; it is but right that I should make him a proper return for the civility he has shown me,” This order of the caliph was a thunder- bolt tome. ‘‘Commander of the Faithful,” replied I, “Iam ready to execute anything that your majesty may desire; but I humbly entreat you to consider that I am worn down with the unspeakable fatigues I have under- one—I have even made a yow never to eave Bagdad.” I then took occasion to re- count the long detail of my adventures, which he had patience to listen to attentive- ly. When I had done speaking, *‘ I confess,” said he, ‘“@bat these are extraordinary ad- ventures; nevertheless, they must not. pre- vent you making the voyage | propose, for my sake; it is only to the island of Serendib: execule the commission I intrust you with, and then you will be at liberty to return. But you must go, for you must be sensible that it would be highly indecorous, as well as derogatory to my dignity, to be under ob- ligations to the king of that island.” As I plainly saw that the caliph had re- solved on my going, I signified to him that I was ready to obey his commands. He seemed much pleased, and ordered me a thousand sequins to pay the expenses of the voyage. n a few days I was prepared for my de- parture; and us soon as I had received the presents of the caliph, together with a letter written with his own hand, I set off and took the route of Balsora, from whence I em- barked. After a pleasant voyage, I arrived at the island of Serendib. I immediately ac- quainted the ministers with the commission 1 was come upon, and begged them to pro- cure me an audience as soon as possible. They did not fail to attend to my wishes, and conducted me to the palace. i saluted the king by prostrating myself according to the usual custom. ‘This prince immediately recollected me, and evinced great joy at my returh. “ Wel- come, Sindbad,” said he; “I assure you I have often thought of you since your de- parture. Blessed be this day, in which I see you again.” I returned the compliment, and after thanking him for his kindness, 1 de- livered the letter and present of the caliph, which he received with every mark of satis- faction and pleasure. The caliph sent him a complete bed of gold lissue, estimated at a thousand sequins, fly robes of a very rich stuff, a hundred more of white linen, the finest that could be procured from Cairo, Suez, Oufa,and Alex- andria ; another bed of crimson, also another of a different make; a vase of agate, greater in width than in depth, of the thickness of a finger; on the sides there was sculptured in bas-relief a man kneeling on the ground, and in his hand a bow and arrow with which he was going to Jet fly at a lion. Besides these, he sent him a richly-orna- mented table, which was supposed from tra- (dition to have belonged to the great Solo- mon. The letter of the caliph was written in these terms: “Greet in the name of the Sovereign Guide of the right road, tothe powerful and happy Sultan, from Abdalla Haroun Alraschid, whom God hath set in the place of honor, after his ancestors of Happy memory: ‘““We have received your letter with joy, and we send you this reply, dictated by the council of our Porte, the a of superior wits. We hope that when you look upon it you will perceive our good intention, and think it agreeable. Adieu,”’ The King of Serendib was rejoiced to find that the caliph returned a testimony of his friendship. Soon after thig audience I re- quested another to take my leave, which I had some difficulty to obtain. At length I succeeded, and the king at my departure, or- dered me a very handsome present. I re- embarked immediately, intending to return to Bagdad, but had not the good fortune to arrive as soon as I expected, for God had dis- posed it otherwise. Three or four days after we had set sail, we were attacked by corsairs, who easily made themselves masters of our.vessel, as we were not in a state for defense. Some persons in the ship attempted to make resis- tance, but it cost them their lives. I and all those who had the prudence not to oppose the intention of the corsairs were made slaves. After they had stripped us, and sub- stituted old clothes for our own, they bent their course toward a large island at a very great distance, where they sold us. I was purchased by a rich merchant, who conducted me to his house, gave me food to eat and clothed me as a slave. Some days after, as he was not well informed whol was, he asked me if I knew any trade. I re- plied that I was not an artisan, but a mer: chant by profession, and that the corsuirs who had sold me had taken from me all I Was. possessed of. “ But tell me,” said he, ‘cended one, sometimes another. “do you think you could shoot with a bow and arrow?” f replied that it had been one of my youthful sports, and that I had not entirely forgotten how to useit. He then gave me a bow and some arrows, and mak- ing me mount bebind him on an elephant, he took me to a vast forest at the distance of some hours’ journey from the city. We went a great way in it,and when he came to & spot where he wished to stop, he made me alight. Then showing me a large tree, “ Get up in that tree,” said he, ‘‘and shoot at the elephants that will pass under it, for there is a prodigious quantity in this forest: if one should fall, come and acquaint me of it.” Having said this, he left me some provisions and returned to the city: I remained in the tree, on the watch, the whole night. I did not perceive any during that time; but the next day, as soon as the sun had arisen, a2 great number made their appear- ance, I shot many arrows at them, and at lust one fell, The others immediately retir- ed, and left me at liberty to go and inform my master of the success I had met with, To reward me for this good intelligence, he regaled me with an excellent repast, and praised my address. We then returned to- vether to the forest, where we dug a pit to bury the elephant I had killed. It was my master’s intention to let it rot in the earth, and then to take possession of its teeth for commerce. I continued this occupation for two months, and not a day passed in which I did not kill an elephant. 1 did not always place myself on. the same tree ; sometimes I as- One morn- ing, when I was wiiling for some clephants to pass, I perceived, to my great astonish- ment, that instead of traversing the forest as usual, they stopped and ecxme toward me with a terrible nvise, and in such numbers that the ground was covered with them, and tremblea under their footsteps. The approached the tree where I was placed, and surrounded it with their trunks extended, — having their eyes all fixed upoume, At this surprising spectacle 1 remained motionles and so agitated by fright that my bow and, arrows fell from my hands, My fears were not groundless. After the elephants had viewed me for some time, one of the Jargest twisted his trunk round the body of the tree, and shook it with so much violence that he tore it up by the roots, and threw it on the ground, I fell with the tree; but the animal took me up with his trunk, and placed me on his shoulders, where I re- mained more dead than alive. He put Lim- self at the head of his companions, who fol- lowed him in a troop, and carried me to a spot where, having set me down, he and the rest retired. Conceive my situation! I thought ita dream. At Jengih, having been seated some time, and seeing no other ele- phants, 1 rose, and perceived that I was on a little ill of some breadth, entirely covered with bones and teeth of elephants. sight filled my mind with a variety of reflec- tions. I admired the instinct of these ani- mals, and did not doubt that this was their cemetery or. place of burial, and that the had brought me hither to show it me, that This. might desist from destroying them, as I did) it merely for the sake of possessing their, teeth. turned my steps toward the city, and having walked a day and a night, at last arrived at my master’s. I did not meet any elephants in my way, Which plainly evinced that they had entered further into the forest, to leave me an unobstructed passage from the bill. As soon as my master saw me, “ Ah, poor Sindbad !’ exclaimed he, “ I was in pain to know what could have become of you. I have been to the forest, and found a tree newly torn up by the roots, and a bow and arrows on the ground: after having sought you everywhere in vain, I despaired of ever did not stay long on the hill, but oo secing you again. Pray relate to me what» JOO CONN (C cS (E€@)