I soon satisfied his curiosity, and the next day we went together to the Ivory Hill, and he was overjoyed to find that I had told him nothing but the truth.  When we had loaded our elephant with as many tusks as it could carry and were on our way back to the city, he said:—­

“My brother—­since I can no longer treat as a slave one who has enriched me thus—­take your liberty, and may Heaven prosper you.  I will no longer conceal from you that these wild elephants have killed numbers of our slaves every year.  No matter what good advice we gave them, they were caught sooner or later.  You alone have escaped the wiles of these animals, therefore you must be under the special protection of Heaven.  Now through you the whole town will be enriched without further loss of life, therefore you shall not only receive your liberty, but I will also bestow a fortune upon you.”

To which I replied, “Master, I thank you, and wish you all prosperity.  For myself I only ask liberty to return to my own country.”

“It is well,” he answered, “the monsoon will soon bring the ivory ships hither, then I will send you on your way with somewhat to pay your passage.”

So I stayed with him till the time of the monsoon, and every day we added to our store of ivory till all his warehouses were overflowing with it.  By this time the other merchants knew the secret, but there was enough and to spare for all.  When the ships at last arrived my master himself chose the one in which I was to sail, and put on board for me a great store of choice provisions, also ivory in abundance, and all the costliest curiosities of the country, for which I could not thank him enough, and so we parted.  I left the ship at the first port we came to, not feeling at ease upon the sea after all that had happened to me by reason of it, and having disposed of my ivory for much gold, and bought many rare and costly presents, I loaded my pack animals, and joined a caravan of merchants.  Our journey was long and tedious, but I bore it patiently, reflecting that at least I had not to fear tempests, nor pirates, nor serpents, nor any of the other perils from which I had suffered before, and at length we reached Bagdad.  My first care was to present myself before the Caliph, and give him an account of my embassy.  He assured me that my long absence had disquieted him much, but he had nevertheless hoped for the best.  As to my adventure among the elephants he heard it with amazement, declaring that he could not have believed it had not my truthfulness been well-known to him.

By his orders this story and the others I had told him were written by his scribes in letters of gold, and laid up among his treasures.  I took my leave of him, well satisfied with the honors and rewards he bestowed upon me; and since that time I have rested from my labors, and given myself up wholly to my family and my friends.

Thus Sindbad ended the story of his seventh and last voyage, and turning to Hindbad he added:—­