I spent the night with these merchants, to whom I told my story a second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it.  I could not moderate my joy, when I found myself delivered from the danger I have mentioned; I thought myself to be in a dream, and could scarcely believe myself to be out of danger.  The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for several days; and each of them being satisfied with the diamonds that had fallen to his lot, we left the place next morning all together, and travelled near high mountains, where there were serpents of a prodigious length, which we had the good fortune to escape.  We took the first port, and came to the isle of Ropha, where trees grow that yield camphire.  This tree is so large, and its branches so thick, that a hundred men may easily sit under its shade.  The juice, of which the camphire is made, runs out from a hole bored in the upper part of the tree, is received in a vessel, where it grows to a consistency, and becomes what we call camphire; and the juice being thus drawn out, the tree withers and dies.  There is here also the rhinoceros, a creature less than the elephant, but greater than the buffalo:  it has a horn upon its nose about a cubit long; which is solid, and cleft in the middle from one end to the other, and there are upon it white draughts, representing the figure of a man.  The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, runs his horn into his belly, and carries him off upon his head; but the blood and the fat of the elephant running into his eyes, and making him blind, he falls to the ground; and, what is astonishing, the roc comes and carries them both away in her claws, to be meat for her young ones.

I pass over many other things peculiar to this island, lest I should be troublesome to you.  Here I exchanged some of my diamonds for good merchandise.  From thence we went to other isles; and at last, having traded at several trading towns off the firm land, we lauded at Balsora, from whence I went to Bagdad.  There I immediately gave great alms to the poor, and lived honourably upon the vast riches I had brought, and gained with so much fatigue.  Thus Sindbad ended the story of his second voyage, gave Hindbad another hundred sequins, and invited him to come next day to hear the story of the third.  The rest of the guests returned to their homes, and came again the next day at—­the same hour; and certainly the porter did not fail, having almost forgotten his former poverty.  When dinner was over, Sindbad demanded attention, and gave them the following account of his third voyage.

Sindbad the Sailor’s Third Voyage.