I procured1, therefore, such goods as were suitable for the places I intended to visit, and embarked2 for the second time in a good ship with other merchants whom I knew to be honourable3 men. We went from island to island, often making excellent bargains, until one day we landed at a spot which, though covered with fruit trees and abounding4 in springs of excellent water, appeared to possess neither houses nor people. While my companions wandered here and there gathering5 flowers and fruit I sat down in a shady place, and, having heartily6 enjoyed the provisions and the wine I had brought with me, I fell asleep, lulled7 by the murmur8 of a clear brook9 which flowed close by.
How long I slept I know not, but when I opened my eyes and started to my feet I perceived with horror that I was alone and that the ship was gone. I rushed to and fro like one distracted, uttering cries of despair, and when from the shore I saw the vessel10 under full sail just disappearing upon the horizon, I wished bitterly enough that I had been content to stay at home in safety. But since wishes could do me no good, I presently took courage and looked about me for a means of escape. When I had climbed a tall tree I first of all directed my anxious glances towards the sea; but, finding nothing hopeful there, I turned landward, and my curiosity was excited by a huge dazzling white object, so far off that I could not make out what it might be.
Descending11 from the tree I hastily collected what remained of my provisions and set off as fast as I could go towards it. As I drew near it seemed to me to be a white ball of immense size and height, and when I could touch it, I found it marvellously smooth and soft. As it was impossible to climb it--for it presented no foot-hold--I walked round about it seeking some opening, but there was none. I counted, however, that it was at least fifty paces round. By this time the sun was near setting, but quite suddenly it fell dark, something like a huge black cloud came swiftly over me, and I saw with amazement12 that it was a bird of extraordinary size which was hovering13 near. Then I remembered that I had often heard the sailors speak of a wonderful bird called a roc, and it occurred to me that the white object which had so puzzled me must be its egg.
Sure enough the bird settled slowly down upon it, covering it with its wings to keep it warm, and I cowered14 close beside the egg in such a position that one of the bird's feet, which was as large as the trunk of a tree, was just in front of me. Taking off my turban I bound myself securely to it with the linen15 in the hope that the roc, when it took flight next morning, would bear me away with it from the desolate16 island. And this was precisely17 what did happen. As soon as the dawn appeared the bird rose into the air carrying me up and up till I could no longer see the earth, and then suddenly it descended18 so swiftly that I almost lost consciousness. When I became aware that the roc had settled and that I was once again upon solid ground, I hastily unbound my turban from its foot and freed myself, and that not a moment too soon; for the bird, pouncing19 upon a huge snake, killed it with a few blows from its powerful beak20, and seizing it up rose into the air once more and soon disappeared from my view. When I had looked about me I began to doubt if I had gained anything by quitting the desolate island.
The valley in which I found myself was deep and narrow, and surrounded by mountains which towered into the clouds, and were so steep and rocky that there was no way of climbing up their sides. As I wandered about, seeking anxiously for some means of escaping from this trap, I observed that the ground was strewed21 with diamonds, some of them of an astonishing size. This sight gave me great pleasure, but my delight was speedily damped when I saw also numbers of horrible snakes so long and so large that the smallest of them could have swallowed an elephant with ease. Fortunately for me they seemed to hide in caverns22 of the rocks by day, and only came out by night, probably because of their enemy the roc.
All day long I wandered up and down the valley, and when it grew dusk I crept into a little cave, and having blocked up the entrance to it with a stone, I ate part of my little store of food and lay down to sleep, but all through the night the serpents crawled to and fro, hissing23 horribly, so that I could scarcely close my eyes for terror. I was thankful when the morning light appeared, and when I judged by the silence that the serpents had retreated to their dens24 I came tremblingly out of my cave and wandered up and down the valley once more, kicking the diamonds contemptuously out of my path, for I felt that they were indeed vain things to a man in my situation. At last, overcome with weariness, I sat down upon a rock, but I had hardly closed my eyes when I was startled by something which fell to the ground with a thud close beside me.
It was a huge piece of fresh meat, and as I stared at it several more pieces rolled over the cliffs in different places. I had always thought that the stories the sailors told of the famous valley of diamonds, and of the cunning way which some merchants had devised for getting at the precious stones, were mere25 travellers' tales invented to give pleasure to the hearers, but now I perceived that they were surely true. These merchants came to the valley at the time when the eagles, which keep their eyries in the rocks, had hatched their young. The merchants then threw great lumps of meat into the valley. These, falling with so much force upon the diamonds, were sure to take up some of the precious stones with them, when the eagles pounced26 upon the meat and carried it off to their nests to feed their hungry broods. Then the merchants, scaring away the parent birds with shouts and outcries, would secure their treasures. Until this moment I had looked upon the valley as my grave, for I had seen no possibility of getting out of it alive, but now I took courage and began to devise a means of escape. I began by picking up all the largest diamonds I could find and storing them carefully in the leathern wallet which had held my provisions; this I tied securely to my belt. I then chose the piece of meat which seemed most suited to my purpose, and with the aid of my turban bound it firmly to my back; this done I laid down upon my face and awaited the coming of the eagles. I soon heard the flapping of their mighty27 wings above me, and had the satisfaction of feeling one of them seize upon my piece of meat, and me with it, and rise slowly towards his nest, into which he presently dropped me. Luckily for me the merchants were on the watch, and setting up their usual outcries they rushed to the nest scaring away the eagle. Their amazement was great when they discovered me, and also their disappointment, and with one accord they fell to abusing me for having robbed them of their usual profit. Addressing myself to the one who seemed most aggrieved28, I said: "I am sure, if you knew all that I have suffered, you would show more kindness towards me, and as for diamonds, I have enough here of the very best for you and me and all your company." So saying I showed them to him. The others all crowded round me, wondering at my adventures and admiring the device by which I had escaped from the valley, and when they had led me to their camp and examined my diamonds, they assured me that in all the years that they had carried on their trade they had seen no stones to be compared with them for size and beauty.
I found that each merchant chose a particular nest, and took his chance of what he might find in it. So I begged the one who owned the nest to which I had been carried to take as much as he would of my treasure, but he contented29 himself with one stone, and that by no means the largest, assuring me that with such a gem30 his fortune was made, and he need toil31 no more. I stayed with the merchants several days, and then as they were journeying homewards I gladly accompanied them. Our way lay across high mountains infested32 with frightful33 serpents, but we had the good luck to escape them and came at last to the seashore. Thence we sailed to the isle34 of Rohat where the camphor trees grow to such a size that a hundred men could shelter under one of them with ease. The sap flows from an incision35 made high up in the tree into a vessel hung there to receive it, and soon hardens into the substance called camphor, but the tree itself withers36 up and dies when it has been so treated.
In this same island we saw the rhinoceros37, an animal which is smaller than the elephant and larger than the buffalo38. It has one horn about a cubit long which is solid, but has a furrow39 from the base to the tip. Upon it is traced in white lines the figure of a man. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, and transfixing him with his horn carries him off upon his head, but becoming blinded with the blood of his enemy, he falls helpless to the ground, and then comes the roc, and clutches them both up in his talons40 and takes them to feed his young. This doubtless astonishes you, but if you do not believe my tale go to Rohat and see for yourself. For fear of wearying you I pass over in silence many other wonderful things which we saw in this island. Before we left I exchanged one of my diamonds for much goodly merchandise by which I profited greatly on our homeward way. At last we reached Balsora, whence I hastened to Bagdad, where my first action was to bestow41 large sums of money upon the poor, after which I settled down to enjoy tranquilly42 the riches I had gained with so much toil and pain.
Having thus related the adventures of his second voyage, Sindbad again bestowed43 a hundred sequins upon Hindbad, inviting44 him to come again on the following day and hear how he fared upon his third voyage. The other guests also departed to their homes, but all returned at the same hour next day, including the porter, whose former life of hard work and poverty had already begun to seem to him like a bad dream. Again after the feast was over did Sindbad claim the attention of his guests and began the account of his third voyage.
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1
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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2
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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3
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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4
abounding
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| adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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5
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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6
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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7
lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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8
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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9
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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10
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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11
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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12
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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13
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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14
cowered
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的过去式 ) | |
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15
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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16
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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17
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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18
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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19
pouncing
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的现在分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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20
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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21
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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22
caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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23
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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24
dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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25
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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26
pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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27
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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28
aggrieved
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| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
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29
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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30
gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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31
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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32
infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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33
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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34
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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35
incision
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| n．切口，切开 | |
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36
withers
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| 马肩隆 | |
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37
rhinoceros
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| n.犀牛 | |
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38
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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39
furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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40
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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41
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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42
tranquilly
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| adv. 宁静地 | |
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43
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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