A poor man of Baghdad rests by the gates of a fabulously wealthy merchant.

He is invited in by the owner

and discovers that they share the same name Sinbad. The wealthy Sinbad relates how he made his fortune
in seven adventures at sea.
Adapted

by

Read

by

Bertie
Elizabeth

Donnelly

Proofread by Jana Elizabeth

This is Elizabeth, and Im here with a story from 1001 Nights, that was originally told by the storyteller
Scheherazade to her master the Sultan.
Long ago, in the city of Baghdad, there lived a man named Sinbad the Hamml. He made his living by
lugging around heavy objects on his head. In short he was a porter, as hard working, as he was poor. One
exceedingly hot and dusty day, he was weary and sweating, and not sure if the heat or his load was causing
him the most trouble. He staggered past the entrance of a wealthy merchants house. The sight of a bench
by the gates was so tempting, that he could not resist setting down his load, and sitting down for a while.
As he rested he felt a pleasant breeze and heard the sound of a lute playing and light voices full of laughter
and song. He stood up and pushed the gates open slightly. As he peaked through them, he saw a garden full
of flowers, and servants carrying all sorts of rich and delicate meats. The delicious aroma greeted his
nostrils and filled him with hunger. As he stood there he recited some lines:
Each
I

morn
pick

up

while
with

that

dawns
my

load

others
pretty

song,

living

things

But

some

live

Thee,

awake
and

live

All
At

were
like
God

off

in
good

in
to

comfort
food,

born

and
I

and

work

dare

light..

birthday

others

like
not

go..
delight..

laughter

their

woe..
I

and

and
in

Lords
all-wise!

pain

suit..
brutes..

to

rail..

Whose creation is just and whose justice cannot fail.

When Sinbad the Porter had finished his verse, he picked up his heavy crate and started to move off. Just as
he put one foot forward, there came from the gate a little servant boy who tugged at his sleeve and said:
Step inside, my Lord wishes to meet you. The porter tried to make excuses, but the boy would have none
of them, and eventually they went through the gate together. They walked through a majestic house to the
grand dining room which was full of Lords sitting at tables laden with rich food and drink. The sound of
music and laughter and lovely slave girls playing and singing filled the air. The diners were seated
according to rank, and at the head of them all sat a man of worshipful and noble appearance. Sinbad the
1

Porter was so overwhelmed by all that he saw that he said to himself: By Allah, this must be either a piece
of paradise or some kings palace! He bowed down and kissed the ground. The master of the house bid
him to stand up. Servants placed food before him and and the porter, after saying his Bismillah, ate his fill,
after which he exclaimed: Praised be Allah for your generosity my Lord. His host replied: You are most
welcome and may your day be blessed, but tell me, what is your name and what do you do all day?
O my Lord, my name is Sinbad the Hammal, and I carry folks goods on my head for hire.
The master of the house smiled and said:
You should know, oh porter, that you and I have something important in common our name! For I am
Sinbad the Sailor. Now if you will be so kind, let me hear those verses that you recited outside the gate of
my house.
The porter blushed, because he did not wish to repeat the lines about injustice among such wealthy and
fortunate company.
By Allah excuse me! he exclaimed. Poverty and hardship have given me boorish ways!
Tish Tish, do not be ashamed, said the Lord, but say them again, for they pleased me when I heard you
speak them at the gate.
The porter duly recited the lines and the merchant slapped his back affectionately and said: No one ever
spoke a truer word. But you should know that I myself only rose to this happy state that you see all around
you after long suffering and woe. I made seven voyages at sea, and by each of them hangs a marvellous
tale that is almost beyond belief. If you have time, I shall tell you the first of these tales so that you can
better understand what pain I endured in my early days. All this happened because of fate, for no one can
escape destiny.
And this is the tale of the first voyage of Sinbad the Sailor.
My father was a merchant, a successful man of trade, who left me no short of wealth and comfort. I was
young, and headstrong, and foolish, and I ate and drank and played thinking that I would continue that way
for all my days. And then one day I awoke and found that the money was almost gone. Then I remembered
my father, and how he used to say: A grave is better than poverty. And I came to my senses. I sold my
fine clothes, my property, and my playthings, and with my last 3000 dirhams I bought merchandise for a
sea voyage. As I boarded the ship with my fellow merchants I said out loud the lines:
He

who

seeks

fame

without

toil

and

strife

The impossible seeks and wastes his life.

2

We set sail for Basra, the city whose name means where many ways come together. We journeyed for
many days and nights, touching in at ports and islands. Everywhere we landed we bought and sold,
bartered

and

traded,

increasing

our

wealth

bit

by

bit.

Eventually we came to the most beautiful island of all. Here some seeds from the gardens of paradise must
have landed and taken root. The captain dropped anchor and put down the landing planks. Everyone on
board came ashore to feel the golden sand between their toes and enjoy the lush and tranquil land. Some
passengers set up fires for cooking, others washed their clothes. A few of us contented ourselves with
walking around the island, and others drank and played. Then all of a sudden, the captain, standing high up
on the deck, rang the ships bell and shouted at the top of his voice: Everyone run for your lives. May
Allah preserve you! Drop your gear and get back to the ship as fast as you can.
We looked up in astonishment, and as we did so we felt the ground heaving and hoeing under our feet. The
formally calm sea swirled around the island and great waves broke against the shore. Then the very centre
of the island curled up in a great ark, and those who had not made it back to the ship began to slide down
into the foaming sea-water. I was among them, but as I fell headlong I grabbed hold of a wooden trough for
washing clothes. This saved my life, for when I found myself in the raging water, I clambered onto it. For a
while the waves tossed me to and fro as I sat astride my make-shift life-boat, but I managed to stay afloat. I
now saw that we had not landed on an island as we had thought, but on the back of an enormous whale.
Somehow sand had settled on him, and trees and vegetation had grown on his back. He must have lain still
for many a year, but when we landed on him, and some of us started fires, that must have annoyed him and
woken him from his sleep. He flipped his tail and thrashed the water, and a great wave picked me up and
washed me further away. Now I was truly on my own, with no chance of being picked up by the ship.
Night fell and I prepared to meet my doom. But the morning brought me to the shore of a high-hilled
island. I scrambled ashore, where I found my legs were cramped and my feet numb. I fell on to the ground
like a dead man and lay for a long time with my eyes closed. It was some time before I began to crawl on
my hands and knees towards the edge of the woods, where I found nuts, berries and reviving spring water.
Feeling somewhat better, I began to explore the island, and found it to be a pleasant one. After walking
sometime I caught the outline of a living thing drawing closer I saw it to be a beautiful and noble horse,
tethered on the beach. I stooped down and picked a clutch of long grass, still wet with the morning dew,
and took it to the horse who was a gentle and lovely mare. She nibbled it out of the palm of my hand. Then
all of a sudden something startled her. She neighed and pulled at her rope. Looking round, I saw, emerging
from the waves, a giant horse a white sea stallion who was coming for the mare. I was as startled as the
mare by this impossible creature, and I ran back for cover of the woods. From there, I saw that the stallion
had taken the mares rope in his mouth and was dragging her into the sea where she would surely drown.
This sight filled my heart with pity. I picked up a stick and ran back to the beach where I began to beat the
sea-stallion around the head. He might surely have turned and kicked me to death, but so furious was my
attack that he thought better of it and ran back into the waves from where he had come.
3

The mare was still frisking to and fro with fright, but I took the rope and calmed her down. A few minutes
later I was joined on the beach by a man who called out to me: Who are you and where are you from?
My Lord, I replied. I am Sinbad the Sailor, whose ship landed on the back of a great whale, and who
would have drowned had not Allah preserved me and sent me a wooden trough, clinging to which I was
washed ashore here on this lovely island. And now I have told you who I am, please return the favour and
tell me who you are.
He replied: I am one of the kings grooms, and I look after his favourite mare whom you just saved from
being dragged into the sea and drowned by the sea-stallion.
And this encounter proved to be my great fortune, for the groom lead me to the capital city and the palace.
Here I had the honour of meeting King Mihrjan and when I had told him my story he marvelled and said:
By Allah you have indeed been miraculously preserved! The fates must have decreed a long life for you,
or you would have surely been drowned a thousand times over. You are one who is blessed by Allah your
safety.
Believing me to be favoured by God, he treated me kindly. Indeed, he gave me a lucrative job as master of
his port and registrar of all the ships that were put in there. One day, the very same ship that I had sailed in
visited the island. The captain immediately recognised me and embraced me in his arms.
Your goods are still safe in the hull of my ship, he said.
This was the most unexpected good news, thanks be to Allah. I offered the goods as a gift to King Mihrjan
who had shown me such good favour. In return he made me a gift of treasure that was worth twenty times
its value. We sailed to Basra where I increased the value of my goods another tenfold in the market place.
And so I returned to Baghdad as a wealthy man. I bought this palace, and many servants, and set up a great
establishment, and soon began to forget all that I had suffered. This then is my first miraculous story.
Tomorrow I shall tell you the tale of my second of seven voyages, if you will return to my house.
And so saying, Sinbad the Sailor gave Sinbad the Porter 100 gold coins for his time, and the porter left for
his humble home, pondering his great good fortune.
And that was the story of the first Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor. Ill be back at Storynory.com to relate to
you more of the marvellous adventures of Sinbad. For now, from me, Elizabeth, goodbye.
Hello,

This is Elizabeth and I am here withthe second voyage of Sinbad from the 1001 nights. In the first episode
a wealthy merchant called Sinbad invited a humble porter into his mansion. By coincidence the poor man
has the same name as the wealthy one. He bemoans the unfairness of the world. The rich Sinbad responds
by telling the stories of the seven sea voyages that made him wealthy.
Adapted
Read

by
by

Bertie.
Elizabeth.

Proofread by Jana Elizabeth.

My first voyage had been very profitable. I was again a wealthy man. I did not lack for luxury or
entertainment. But, my friend, I could not rest for long. I had tasted the salt air and the thrill of travel and
adventure. Soon I was pulled by the will of Allah back to the seaport at Basra, where I found a newly-made
ship with fine sails and the best equipment. The captain was gathering merchants for a voyage. I booked
my place with him, and then went to the market to buy up goods for trade.
We set sail the very next day, and cruised from island to island in the fine weather. Wherever we landed we
found a crowd of merchants and clients eager to do business with us. At last we came to a peaceful island,
with no sign of human inhabitants. It was a lovely place, with green trees, brightly coloured birds, and cool
running streams. I roamed around and found a pleasant spot to eat the lunch that I had brought with me.
After I had enjoyed my food, I allowed my eyes to close, and fell into a pleasant sleep.
When I awoke, I felt uneasy. I hurried back to the beach where we had come ashore. My fellow travellers
had left tracks in the sand. I found the skins of fruit that they had eaten, and the smokey remains of a fire
that they had lit for cooking. But they themselves were gone. They had left me. I was marooned.
Now I sat down on the shore and looked out to sea. All the time I expected to see our ship sail back around
the headland to pick me up, but she did not. The crew, and my fellow merchants, had forgotten all about
me. Tears came into my eyes as I thought of the life I had lost in Baghdad. My fine house, the silken
cushions on my bed, the playful fountain in my courtyard, the purple rose petals of my garden, the smell of
roast meat from my kitchen, my servants, the company of my friends there was no luxury that I lacked
then. Now I had exchanged all those comforts for a bed of leaves on a desert island.
The tears stung my eyes. I felt that a djinn had climbed inside my head and was going to drive me crazy. I
had to stop all this weeping and pull myself together. Perhaps I was not as alone as I thought? After all, I
had not explored the whole island. I got up and walked back to the tall tree underneath which I had slept
earlier. I grabbed hold of a branch and pulled myself up onto it. Then I climbed and climbed round and
round the tree until I reached the top. From there I surveyed the island. I could not see a plume of smoke or
any sign of human life. But I did see some sort of strange building a giant dome, smooth and white. This I
had to examine more closely.
5

I climbed down to the ground and walked in the direction of the dome. When I reached it, I strode all
around and counted 50 paces. I ran my hands over its sides, hoping to find a secret door, but there was none
that I could discover. It felt, if anything, like an eggshell.
I sat down for a while, and towards evening the sky turned dark. At first, I thought that perhaps a large
storm cloud had blown overhead, but as I looked up I realised that the cloud was in fact a giant bird. Its
wings were flapping and gusts of wind sent twigs and leaves flying this way and that. I ran to hide among
the trees and saw the feathered monster descend and land on the egg. While it settled there, I recalled
travellers tales of a bird, monstrous in size, called a Roc.
Yes, this is indeed such a creature, I thought. I was seized by a reckless impulse. I was so desperate to
escape the deserted island that I was willing to try even the maddest of ideas. I crawled out of my hiding
place, and crept towards the brooding bird. When I reached it, I climbed up onto its giant claw and tied
myself to its leg using the cloth from my turban. There, upon the birds foot, I spent the most
uncomfortable night of my life. When morning came, the bird awoke from its slumbers and began to
stretch out gigantic wings. Then it began to flap them, causing great gushes of wind. We arose high into the
air. I could see the island below me, and the sparkling blue sea. Off we flew, crossing the waves, until we
reached a mountainous land. I could see pointed volcanoes with plumes of smoke coming out of them.
Everywhere I looked were rocks and lava. Then I began to weep.
Oh that I had stayed on the island, for at least there were fruits to eat and spring water to drink in that
place. I have exchanged one terrible place for a far worse one but Allah in his wisdom must have willed it
so, and it is the lot of man to submit to His fate.
At least, I thought, my situation could not grow any more dreadful. But it did. We landed in a deep ravine. I
untied myself from the birds foot and dived behind a rock; from there I took a look at where we had
arrived. On either side of us were steep walls, far too high for any man to scale. And the bottom was home
to death in the form of enormous serpents, each the size of a palm tree, who could have eaten an elephant
with one gulp. Their monstrous heads, with razor sharp fangs and darting forked tongues, made me shake
with fear. But the ground beneath my feet held a very different wonder one that under different
circumstances would have filled me with joy. The rocks sparkled and glittered, for they were encrusted
with enormous diamonds. Just one of those stones could make a man wealthy beyond his dreams but that
was back in civilisation. What use were riches in this valley of death?
I spent a day and a night, hiding from the serpents. When darkness fell, I could see their red eyes glowing
in the dark. The sight was too terrible for me, and I hid inside a cave where I piled up rocks to prevent
anything slithering inside. A little later, I realised that at the other end of the cave, a giant serpent was
brooding on her eggs. My flesh quaked and my hair stood on end, but I raised my eyes to Heaven, gave
6

myself up to fate, and spent all that night without sleep sharing my refuge with a monster. At daybreak, I
took down the rocks, and staggered out like a drunken man, giddy with fear and hunger.
I wondered a little way down the valley. As I walked, first one, and then another, huge piece of meat
dropped down from the sky and landed on the rocks. Had a giant bird let them go? Then I recalled a
travellers tale of a dangerous mountain range that is full of riches. The story went that merchants would
drop pieces of meat into a valley in the hope that diamonds would stick to them. They would wait for an
eagle or another bird to swoop down, pick the meat, and carry it to its nest. Then the merchants would
climb up to the nest, and scare away the bird by shouting and throwing sticks and stones. In this way they
could recover a diamond. When I had recalled this tale, it was clear to me what I had to do. First I filled my
pockets with diamonds. Then, taking off my turban, I attached the meat to my chest. I lay and waited for a
giant eagle to spot the easy meal and pick it up in its claws. When it carried the meat off to its nest, it took
me with it. And so I was lifted out of the valley. When we settled down in the nest, the eagle had little time
to peck at its meal, for it was soon disturbed by loud shouting, and sticks and stones landed in the nest. It
flapped its wings and flew off. Men approached and were surprised to see me rise up and wave my arms to
greet them. My heart was filled with joy, but at first they were disappointed and angry.
What trick of fate is this? said one. We risked our lives to rescue a fortune from the valley, not a man!
Do not fret, I called out in my happiness. My pockets are filled with enough riches to satisfy all of us! I
will share them with the man who threw down the piece of meat.
As we went off, I told the merchants of my adventures, and all that had happened to me, and they were
filled with marvel. It took us two days to walk down from the mountain range. At last we arrived in a flat
and pleasant land shaded by giant trees. The only danger was from giants with leathery skins and horns on
their noses. These rhinoceroses can easily trample a man to death if they are disturbed. We managed to
avoid them by staying down wind, so that our scent did not carry to their nostrils. We safely reached the
ship and sailed for Baghdad where we sold our diamonds for a great fortune. Now I was twice as wealthy
as before, and I swore that I would never walk up the gangplank of a ship again. Oh, my friend, if only I
had kept my promise.
The porter was in awe of all that he had heard. The merchant gave him 100 gold dinars and invited him to
return the following evening to hear another tale.
I do hope that you enjoyed this story of Sinbad. I will be back soon with his next adventure. In the
meantime you can find more free stories from all over the world at storynory.com. And if you are able to
support us with a small donation we would be most grateful. You can find a donate button on the front page
of the website.
7

The Sinbad stories are part of the 1001 Nights, a series of amazing and magical tales which were told by
the princess of storytellers, Scheherazade to her husband the Sultan. But there are many stories within
stories, and in this case, she is relating how Sinbad the merchant told this story to Sinbad the porter.
Confused? Well just listen on because it will all make sense.

Adapted
Read

by
by

Bertie.
Elizabeth.

Proofread by Jana Elizabeth.

The following evening the porter whose name was Sinbad returned to the house of the merchant whose
name he shared. Eat well, my friend, said the merchant, and I will continue to tell you how I paid for my
wealth with pain and suffering. This is the story of my third voyage and it is even more terrible than the
ones that preceded it.
Once again, I grew weary of luxury. I could not rest well in my soft bed of silken cushions, with a belly full
of fine food. Perhaps I was too restless living a life of ease, or perhaps I was too greedy for yet more gold.
Gold is a tempting thing look around my halls you will see it brings not only luxury, but the respect of
your friends and family. I was not content. I wanted as much gold as I could get.
And so, in my rashness, I took to the seas once more.
As before, I joined a ship of merchants, and we travelled from port to port trading here and there in cloths,
spices, dried fruits, and trinkets of gold. For the first two weeks, we enjoyed fine weather, but on the
fifteenth day of our voyage a gale blew up, and tossed our boat here and there. When the storm settled, we
sighted land. The captain gathered us passengers on deck, and said:
The wind has got the better of us, and driven us off course. Destiny has brought us to this shore. I fear it is
a savage place. We shall soon find out the fate that Allah, in his wisdom, has decided for us.
And he was right, for not long after we came up close, oh too close, to the inhabitants of that land. For here
lived a tribe of apes. These creatures were not content like most of their brethren to live in the tree tops.
Instead they carried spears and made mischief on land and sea. They dropped boats from the tops of the
cliffs, and then jumped down into them. An armada of ape-ships sailed swiftly after us. Soon these hairy
pirates were scaling up the sides of our ship. They cut the ropes of our rigging so that we could not sail. We
dared not fight them, as they were too numerous. Instead we ourselves jumped overboard, into the sea, and
swam for the shore.

Those of us who had survived the attack gathered on the beach. We decided it was too dangerous to linger
there, and we moved inland. We spied a castle on top of a hill. I roused my comrades.
Brothers, let us climb up to the fortress and put ourselves at the mercy of those who live there. Whatever
fate awaits us on the hill is bound to be less cruel than being torn apart by apes.
The others agreed, and followed me up the steep track. At the top we walked through a massive entrance
and found ourselves in an empty courtyard. We could see no living thing, though there were signs that life
had been there recently. The fire still smoked. A smell of roast meat lingered in the air, and the remains of a
feast of mutton lay around. We decided to lie down and rest our weary limbs.
We were woken by a minor earthquake. The ground trembled and the solid stone walls of the castle shook:
Thud, Thud, Thud Soon the cause of all this disturbance came through the doorway it was a monster of
a man as tall and broad as a date tree. His eyes burned like coals of fire, his teeth were like boars tusks, his
nails like lions claws, and his mouth gaped like a well. We ran this way and that, looking for places to hide
but there were none. He stooped down and picked me up by the arm. I dangled in front of his eyes, and
he felt me as a butcher feels a sheep he is about to slaughter. But there was no meat on me. I eat little when
I travel by sea, and I was all skin and bone. He put me down and picked up another of our crew. He, poor
man, was fatter than I, and made a nice meal for the giant. Having satisfied his stomach, he lay down and
fell asleep.
Stop this weeping, I said to the others. What use is it to tear at your clothes and pour dirt in your hair?
Do not mourn your own deaths yet. If Allah wills it so, we shall escape an awful fate and avenge our
comrade. We are not prisoners here. The door of the castle lies open.
The men were in two minds. Which fate did they fear most? To be eaten by a giant or torn apart by apes? In
the end my view prevailed we could not just sit and wait to be eaten for breakfast. We returned to the
shore and found that The Almighty had taken pity on us. Our ship, although badly damaged had run
aground. The apes were not such great sailors after all. We worked to repair it by the light of the stars and
the moon and by the time the sky was reddening with the morning sun we were ready to sail. The men were
eager to leave that awful shore, but I burned for revenge.
Let

us

hurry back

to

the

castle,

said.

We may yet

catch

the

criminal

asleep.

Here is my plan. We will sharpen two sticks and harden them in the fire. If God is willing we shall have
justice for our comrades life.
Again the men were of two minds of what we should do, but their thirst for justice proved stronger than
their love of life. We returned to the castle where we found the monster still slumbering. We split into two
teams, and made our weapons in the embers of the fire. Then moving together we approached the sleeping
9

giant and plunged our spears into his eyes. He awoke with a terrible roar and stumbled around the cave,
shrieking fearfully, and groping around the ground hoping to find us.
We wasted no time in slipping out of the castle, and running as fast as we could in the direction of the
beach. Thanks to the will of He who directs everything, we reached our boat safely and set sail. Three
giants stood on the cliffs and threw giant boulders down into the sea. Our ships were buffeted by powerful
waves but we got away safely. By mid morning on the following day we spied land, and thanking The
Almighty for His mercy, we stumbled ashore.
But fate had allowed us to escape one peril only to face a far worse one. Once ashore, we discovered fresh
water and fruit, but soon danger found us. A huge serpent dropped down from a tree and entwined itself
around one of our men. We attacked the monster with knives and rocks, but its grip was too terrible. Then
still more giant serpents slithered out of the bushes. In terror we ran this way and that, but the woods were
full of these abominable and viperish monsters.
Darkness was falling, and I could not find my way back to the beach. I could not rest in the open, for fear
of being crushed by a serpent. I decided to build a shelter and began to cut down branches from the trees. I
used the wood to build a kind of cage around myself, and inside this I managed to get some rest for the
night.
When morning came, I lifted the cage up and walked down along the path, still safe from serpents inside
my wooden suit of armour. I only discarded my cage when I reached the beach. And then, looking out to
sea I saw my salvation the sail of another ship. How I jumped for joy, waved my arms, and called out
until at last they spotted me and set down a small boat. Two sailors rowed ashore and rescued me, thanks be
to Allah.
On board I told my story and all of my remarkable adventures to the captain. At the end of my tale he
looked at me and said:
Truly your story proves the greatness of Allah. At first I did not recognise you. Such is the sorry state that
you are in, worn down by suffering. But now I see that I know you. You are Sinbad who travelled on our
ship, and whom we lost. As you described in the story of your second voyage, we set sail without you.
When we realised our mistake, we debated whether or not we should divide up your merchandise between
us, but I ruled that we should keep it. All your goods are safe in the hold of the ship.
From that day on, my journey and my business went well.
We bought and sold wherever we went. I built up a stock of cloves and ginger and all manner of spices.
And thence we fared on to the land of Sind, where also I sold them at a great profit.
10

Then we set sail again with a fair wind and the blessing of Almighty Allah, we arrived safe and sound at
Bassorah.
I had gained on this voyage what was beyond count and reckoning. I gave freely to widows and orphans
out of thanks for my happy return. Then fell to feasting and making merry with my friends and forgot all
the hardships I had suffered.
Then Sindbad the Seaman gave Sinbad the Porter a hundred golden dinars. The porter after taking his gold
passed the night in his own house, wondering at what his namesake the seaman had told him.
The story is rather dark and scary in parts. We have toned it down quite a bit from the original, but its still
not a tale for more sensitive listeners.
Its the central story of the Seven Voyages of Sinbad. Its the most profound, and the one that casts the most
doubt on the good character of its hero, the wealthy merchant Sinbad. If you dont mind a plot that deals
with death and an underground tomb, then listen on, because it is a fascinating tale.
Adapted
Read

by
by

Bertie.
Elizabeth.

Proofread by Jana Elizabeth.

The following night, there was again feasting and merriment inside the house of Sinbad the Merchant. He
spoke to his namesake the porter and said:
You see all around you that my house is bright and full of fun and laughter. When you have heard the
story of my fourth voyage, you will know that in order to reach this happy state I had to crawl through a
grim place more dead than alive.
Once again I journeyed down to the Port of Basrah and boarded a merchant ship. We sailed through the
straits of Hormuz and beyond. As before, we sailed from place to place doing brisk and profitable business.
Then one day, the wind blew against us and and the captain cast out his anchors and brought the ship to a
standstill, fearing lest she should founder in mid-ocean.
Then we all fell to prayer and humbling ourselves before the Most High, but as we did this we were hit by
a furious squall which tore the sails to rags and tatters. The anchor cable snapped and the ship rolled this
way and that until we were cast into the sea, goods and all.
The waves washed some of us ashore, almost dead with weariness and lack of sleep, cold, hungry, thirsty
and fearful.
11

And so we walked about the island until we came to the gate of a fine house. A number of men came out.
They did not speak our language, but they bowed and greeted us in a way that was welcoming and not at all
threatening. We believed that we had been fortunate.
They led us through gardens and courtyards and into a great hall where they presented us to their king. He
too proved to be most courteous and friendly, and signalled to us to sit down at the table. Servants brought
plates full of delicious fruits and bread and placed them before us. Our men began to eat, but they had
forgotten their good manners. They could not help themselves, but they greedily grabbed more and more
food with their hands and stuffed it into their mouths. They chomped and slavered like animals. This rude
behaviour was most unusual in them. It was as if they had been possessed by an evil spirit.
Our hosts did not seem to mind. They brought coconut milk and when the men had drunk this, they became
still more greedy. Only after they had eaten enough to burst did they eventually cease to gobble the food.
Now sated and drowsy, they allowed themselves to be led out to a pen where they were kept like cattle. For
the next few weeks, they wandered amongst the trees and rested at will, growing fatter and fatter. But I,
who had no interest in this animal behaviour, wasted away with lack of food and fear. I had by now realised
the true intention was of our hosts. We had fallen into the hands of cannibals. The men were being fattened
up to be eaten.
But one day, when the shepherds drove the men out onto the fields to graze, an old shepherd saw that I was
standing apart from them. I understood from the look in his eye that he would make no objection if i made
my escape. In fact, he pointed me the way to go. I left and found a road, which I followed for several days.
I walked and walked, and lived on berries and herbs. Thanks to Almighty Allah for all his favours, I
eventually saw the walls of a magnificent city.
When I was close to the city I fell in with some travellers who asked my name and where I was from.
When they heard how I had escaped the cannibals farm, they marvelled and said that my story proved the
greatness of Allah. Fate had once again favoured me, for these people were well connected and promised to
introduce me to their king.
We entered the city and I was impressed by the fine houses, the prosperous people, and the markets well
stocked with food. I saw that all the citizens, great and small, rode fine horses, high-priced and
thoroughbred, but oddly they lacked saddles.
Well now, I thought, these people lack for nothing but a comfortable seat to travel on. I see a gap in the
market a fine opportunity for a man of business to make money.
When I met the king, he received me kindly. I told him my story, and he listened with great interest and
amazement. When I had finished, he asked me my station in life in the city of Baghdad:
12

Sire, I am a merchant, I said. When I am at home, I live a quiet life and have a great many friends. But
let me say, I have an idea to remain in your fine city and set up a business. I have noticed how your citizens
ride horses but make no use of saddles.
Saddles? asked the king. What are they?
I described the leather seat and the other equipment that we use to ride a horse in comfort, and his Majesty
was most interested. Indeed he asked if I could make one to show him. I answered that I would gladly do
so.
I sought out a clever carpenter to make the frame, and a tanner to produce a comfortable leather seat and
fine reins, and a blacksmith to hammer out the stirrups and bit. Moreover, I made beautiful fringes of silk.
I presented the work to the king, and demonstrated how to make use of it to ride a horse. He was greatly
impressed by the comfort of this arrangement so much less bruising than riding bareback. He paid me a
fine price for my equipment, and his officials and all the nobility in the land wished to imitate him. A great
number of wealthy people ordered saddles and horse equipment from me, and I soon became quite wealthy.
One day the king called me to his office and said:
Your industry and business have improved the quality of life in our city. I have in mind to reward you with
a beautiful and wealthy wife, so that you will wish to stay in our country and continue your work.
So he summoned the prime minister and witnesses and married me straightway to a lady of a noble family,
the flower of an ancient race of beauty and grace, and the owner of farms and estates and many houses.
I said to myself: When I return to my native land, I will take her with me. But I should not have tempted
fate, for no one knows what destiny has in store for them.
From then on, my ease and prosperity, already great, continued to grow. Then about a year after I was
married, ill-fortune struck my neighbours house. My friend, who lived next door, lost his wife to illness.
He was beside himself with grief. I said to him:
Do not mourn for your wife, who has now found the mercy of Allah. The Lord will surely give you a
better one in her place, and your life shall be happy, prosperous, and long, God Willing!
But the man could not be comforted. You are a stranger here, he said. You do not yet know all our ways.
This very day they bury my wife, they will bury me with her in the same tomb. It is our custom that if a
man dies first, his wife is buried with him, and if a wife dies first the husband is buried with her.

13

And then I understood why my neighbour could not be consoled. The women of the house dressed the
wretched mans wife in her finest clothes, and decked her in her richest jewellery, with gold and diamonds.
Later that day, soldiers took husband and wife on their last journey to the tomb. They set aside a great
stone, and first lowered her down into it. Then they placed a rope of palm fibers under the husbands
armpits, they let him down into the cavern, and with him a great pitcher of fresh water and seven pieces of
bread.
I asked the people who were gathered around: And if the wife of a foreigner like myself were to die
among you, would you do the same to him as you have done to this man?
And they replied that assuredly, the would do just the same to me, for it was the custom of the place.
I feared greatly when I heard those words, but I remained in my comfortable house with my agreeable wife.
Then a few months later, she sickened and took to her bed. I prayed to Allah who is merciful for her to get
better soon, but her illness took a turn for the worse, and she passed away.
As soon as the doctor let it be known that my wife was gone to the next world, soldiers came to fetch both
her and me. I cried out:
Almighty Allah never made it lawful to bury the living with the dead! They took no notice of my
protests, but tied me up by force and let me down into the cavern, with a large jug of water and seven
loaves of bread, according to their custom.
At the bottom of that dark pit, I said to myself:
What curse was upon me to take a wife in this city? There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great! As often as I escape from one calamity, I fall into a worse.
I looked around at the grim tomb and its grimmer contents. Even in this terrible place, the will to live was
strong inside my heart. I resolved to eat and drink as little as possible to prolong my life.
And so I lived in the darkness among the bodies not knowing how many days and nights had passed.
Groping in the dark I found collars and necklaces of pearls and jewels and trinkets of gold and silver set
with precious stones and other ornaments and valuables that were worn by the deceased. I gathered this
fortune and piled them into my turban. But what use was this fortune to me me here, below ground in the
tomb.
But it was not my fate to die there. For eventually I heard a rustling and a scurrying. I realised that some
animal, perhaps a fox or a dog, had found its way down into this grim place. And if it could get in, it must
surely be able to get out. I followed its sound, crawling and wriggling on my belly like a worm. I made my
14

way through a tunnel until eventually I saw a chink of light. This gave me strength to crawl faster. The hole
was just big enough for a skinny man such as myself to get through. And then I found myself on the shore
of the sea. I gulped in the fresh air and covered my eyes from the blazing sun. I gradually opened them,
adjusting to the light. When I could see once again I spotted a ship at sea. I took a piece of a white shroud I
had with me, and tying it to a stick, ran along the seashore making signals therewith and calling to the
people in the ship, until they noticed me, and hearing my shouts, sent a boat to fetch me.
The captain and crew received me kindly and listened in awe of my return from the land of the dead. I
travelled with them to Basrah via the islands of Bell, Kala and Hind. When I reached home I had once
again added to my wealth, thanks to the rich ornaments of the dead that I had brought with me. I gave
freely to beggars, widows and orphans, and still had plenty left over for a life of ease. Then I gave myself
up to pleasure and enjoyment, returning to my old merry mode of life. for sure
You may say that I am prone to make the same mistake over and over again. I return from a trip, happy just
to be alive and to see my loved ones. I settle into my old ways of feasting and comfort. Then, as time goes
by, my memory plays a cruel trick on me. It reminds me of the thrill of travel and business, and forgets the
cruel string of suffering. So it happened a fifth time that I set out on a voyage.
At the port of Basrah I walked along the quay looking for a ship that was tall and in good shape. I found
one that was pleasing to my eye.
As I was already a rich man, I was able to buy it. Next I hired a captain and crew. The men loaded my
goods onto the ship and other merchants paid me to use the space that was left over. In this way, I was
guaranteed to make a good sum of money even before I set sail.
We sailed over Allahs pond, from city to city, from island to island, from sea to sea. All the way we were
in good cheer, rejoicing in the profits that we were making. There is no greater sport than haggling in the
marketplace and striking a good bargain. Both sides argue furiously over the price, joshing and pleading,
throwing up their hands, begging and accusing, pretending to have hurt feelings, and at the end they laugh
and smile and make the exchange, each convinced that they have the better side of the deal. Goods and
money change hands everywhere that people can count on their fingers.
And so our journey prospered, until one day we reached a small island floating in the sea.
I did not have any particular interest in this deserted place, and I remained below deck. Some of the
merchants were curious to investigate an unusual rock on the shore. It lay half buried in the sand, the top
half forming a great white dome. When they ran their hands over its smooth surface, it felt to them like an
egg. They bashed it with stones until it cracked open and water gushed out. Inside they found a giant chick
which soon made a fine dinner. The smell of the roast meat met my nostrils as I lay in my bunk, and I heard
15

the merry merchants as they made a party of it. I got to my feet and waded ashore, keen to join the feast.
When I saw the broken eggshells and the giant roast chick I fell down on my knees and cried:
In the name of Allah the merciful and the great, we are doomed. Do you not realise what you have done?
You have killed the young of a roque a monstrous bird who will soon return and reap vengeance for this
folly.
We splashed through the surf, reboarded our ship, and set out for the open sea. We had not got far before
we saw the silhouette of a giant bird that held a great boulder in its talons. He dropped this load so that it
landed by the side of our ship. The waters opened to reveal the bottom of the sea and down we slid into the
great trough before being tossed up again onto the foaming summit of a mountainous wave. Our ship was
not sunk until a second, larger bird dropped a stone that cut through the deck and now we were ruined. I
swam for my life among the surging surf and grabbed hold of a piece of wreckage. A while later, by
permission of The Most High, I was washed ashore, half drowned, on the beach of another island.
I found myself in a kind of paradise, home to sweet smelling flowers, delicious low hanging fruit, and birds
singing the praises of the one who is eternal. A mossy bank was my pillow for the night, by the side of a
stream. In the morning when I awoke I saw, sitting not far from me, an old man dressed in a skirt of palm
leaves. He made signs, as if begging me to pick him up on my shoulders and carry him across the water. I
thought to myself:
I may profit in Heaven if I help this old man, and I did as he asked, and let him climb onto my shoulders.
I waded across the water and knelt down to let him clamber back onto the ground. But he did not leave my
shoulders. Instead he wrapped his leathery legs around my neck, half strangling me. I was finding it hard to
breath, and for a moment the world went black to me and I lost consciousness. I came round a few
moments later, and felt the old man, still on my shoulders, now kicking my sides. The pain forced me to
rise again to my feet. Then he pointed for me to take him among the fruit trees, so that he could reach up
and grab whatever he wanted to take and eat. If ever I refused to do his bidding, he beat or strangled me
into submission.
For some days, I carried my burden around the island. At night I slept with him, still entwined around my
neck. There was nothing I could do to shake him off, try as I might. I was growing weaker by the day. I
began to curse my own kindness.
By Allah! As long as I live I shall never do a free favour for another man again! My only thought was to
help this fellow, and he has repaid me with suffering.
Soon I was begging the Most High that he bring an end to my stress and weariness, and let me die. But he
who is Glorious and Merciful had a different plan for me.
16

It happened one day that we came to a part of the island where the ground was covered by gourds. These
were large fruits with hard outer skins. An idea came to me to relieve my pain. I broke open a number of
these gourds and scooped out the flesh of the fruit to make them into cups. Then I gathered some grapes
that grew nearby and placed them inside the gourds, and pulverised them with a rock. After leaving these
vessels in the sun for a few days, they fermented and turned into strong wine. One evening I drank from
them. My pain lessened and I lost my reason. I began to sing, clap my hands, and jig around from one foot
to the other with the old man on my back. The old man tapped me on the shoulder. Understanding what he
wanted, I handed a gourd of wine up to him. He too drank from it and began to get merry. Soon he
demanded another, and another, and I obliged until eventually the wine got the better of him and he fell
asleep. For the first time in weeks, I felt that the grip of his legs around my neck had loosened. Taking my
chance, I tossed the devil off my shoulders and onto the ground. The first use I made of my freedom was to
find a great rock and use it to kill him while he slept. No Mercy of Allah be upon him!
I then returned to the shore with a heart full of happiness and relief, reciting praise to the Almighty who, in
due course, brought a ship into sight. I signalled furiously to the sailors and was soon saved from that
accursed paradise of an island. When I told the captain the story of all that had happened there, he said:
He who rode on your shoulders is called Shaykh al-Bahir, the Old Man of the Sea, and none who has ever
felt his legs on their neck has come away alive. He has eaten all who died below him. Praise be to Allah for
your safety!
The captain transported me freely to the next Island where the capital is known as the City of the Apes.
Here, even the strong walls of the city do not protect the people from an uncomfortable fate. Every evening
when it grows dark, apes come down from the trees and invade the city. To avoid them, the people have no
choice but to leave their houses and sleep in boats. It was my good fortune to fall in with some business
minded folk who showed me how they made the best of this ill luck. Every day they collected pebbles on
the beach, and then stepped a little way into the forest and pelted the apes who lived in the trees. The apes
responded by throwing back coconuts. This battle of stone and coconut took place every day, but the trade
was fair, because the people picked up the nets and took them to trade in the market. I joined in this
amusing but dangerous sport, and Allah permitted me to make a fair profit, day after day, until I had
massed a good sum of money. When I was once again well off, I hired a passage on a passing ship. While
travelling on my way back I traded my gold for pearls, and made an even greater profit.
By the time I reached the welcome port of Basrah I had amassed a fifth fortune to add to my others.
And that was the fifth voyage of Sinbad. Bertie says that the Old Man of the Sea crops up in myths from all
over the world. For instance, in Greek mythology he is a slippery character. If you catch hold of him, he
can answer any question you ask, but he is difficult to catch because he keeps changing his shape into
forms like a serpent, a lion, a tree or even water.
17

Hello this is Elizabeth, and I am here to continue the story of the merchant Sinbad and his voyages.
The next morning, Sinbad the Porter prayed the dawn-prayer before setting off for the mansion owned by
his namesake, Sinbad the Sailor. The wealthy Sinbad wished the poor Sinbad a good day, and invited him
to sit and listen to the story of his sixth voyage.
My soul yearned for travel. I had all the riches that anyone could need, but I still loved the satisfaction of
making a good deal, and adding to my pile of treasure. Besides, living in luxury and comfort has the
disadvantage of following the same pattern every day. Like this silk cushion that I rest my arm on soft
and comfortable yes, but thrilling no.
Once again I made the great mistake of packing up my goods and heading to the port of Basrah. I boarded a
good ship and travelled with other merchants from island to island, trading here and there. It seemed to us
merchants that fortune was smiling on us. But then one day, after a particularly long voyage, the captain
came up onto the deck, knelt down on his knees and began wailing and plucking out his beard, crying out:
Oh Alas! For my children will be orphans!
We had no idea what was troubling him. One merchant asked:
Captain, what is troubling you?
We have wandered off course and sailed into seas that are unknown to me. I have not the least idea where
we are. We shall never find our way home! he wailed.
This was not welcome news, and things went from bad to worse. A sailor called out from the top of the
mast:

Look

out!

Rocks

ahead!

Hearing this, the captain wailed even louder saying:

No man can prevent what is preordained by fate! By Allah, we have come to a place of sure destruction
and not one of us can be saved!
And as if answering him, the winds whistled and whirled. Our ship spun around three times and its hull
was ripped apart on a rock. We were all plunged into the sea. Many of us drowned but I was one of those
who survived. Bedraggled, covered in cuts and bruises, and half dead with exhaustion, I managed to
scramble up on to the rocks that were strewn with the wreckage of many a ship that had been dashed to
pieces before ours.
Now all over this island, precious stones were lying around like pebbles. The stream beds sparkled with
diamonds. I picked up handfuls of royal pearls as easily as gravel. On the beaches and in the surf of the sea
we found Ambergris, the floating gold that is made in the bellies of sea-monsters and spewed up by them.
18

The other merchants went crazy, wondering here and there, praising the works of Allah, and gathering as
many precious things as they could carry. But nowhere could we find anything more than a few wild herbs
and grass to eat. Over time we became weaker and weaker. It was not long before all my companions had
died. I was angry with myself for my folly. What need had I for this sixth adventure when I already had
more money than any man could need for his luxury and comfort?
Eventually Allah sent me a thought to explore the island further, to see if there would be any inhabitants
who somehow had discovered a way to live here. After staggering some way, I came across a river, which
provided me with an easy way to travel. I bound together some logs and made a raft. This I loaded with
precious goods and the little food that I could find.
As I set sail I recited the poem:
Fly,

fly

Follow

fate

Trust

in

Land
Fret

across
in

not

the

yourself
after
for

and

land
your

the
salty
in
you

life

when

seas
breeze
no

other

shall
you

sleep

discover
at

night

For all will pass when the time is right..

The waters carried me along, past woods and rocky plains, until eventually it passed into a tunnel that ran
straight through a wall in the rock. I ducked my face down into the boat and was carried into the darkness,
feeling the roof brush against my turban as we went. I began to wonder if my raft would become stuck
deep inside the mountain and I should never see day again, until all of a sudden my eyes were filled again
with the light of heaven. The stream had flowed out into the open. Some people had seen me and were
calling out. One of them threw me a rope, which I grabbed, and they hauled me onto the bank, where I fell
down exhausted. They spoke a language which I did not understand, until one of them said in Arabic:
Peace be upon you brother!
They were good men workers in the field. They carried me, my boat, and the precious gems that were
stored on it to the palace for an audience with the king. I offered up my store of treasure as a gift to His
Majesty, the King of Sri Lanka, and told him my story from beginning to end. He asked me about my own
country, and when he had heard all I had to say, he proclaimed:
Your Caliph is wise and praiseworthy. You have made me admire him by all you have said.
I wish you to return to Baghdad and take greetings and gifts to him.

19

I lived in great honour in the palace of the king until one day I heard that a company of merchants was
fitting out a ship to set sail for Basrah. The king paid my passage, loaded a rich cargo on board, and gave
me a letter for Caliph Harun al-Rashid. He said to me:
Carry this with your own hand to the Commander of the Faithful and give him many greetings from us!
I hear and I obey, I replied.
The letter was written on fine deer skin, in ink of ultramarine and read:
Peace be upon you from King Al Hind, who commands a thousand elephants each bedecked with a
thousand diamonds. You are a brother to us and a sincere friend. We are sending some trifling gifts in the
hope that you shall be pleased to accept.
The gifts included a cup of ruby a yard high, filled with precious pearls, the skin of a serpent that had
swallowed an elephant, (and whosoever sat upon it should never grow sick), a tonne of sweet smelling
perfumes, and a beautiful dancing girl who shone like the moon.
We set sail with a fair wind, and thanks be to Allah, (may he be praised and exalted) we arrived safely in
Basrah, from where I travelled to Baghdad, the city of peace, where I requested an audience with the
Caliph. He asked me:
Sinbad, is it true what he writes?
I kissed the ground before his feet and replied:
Majesty, it is true and much more. For state processions, his throne is set upon a huge elephant, and men
with golden javelins walk before and after him. He is followed by a thousand horsemen in gold brocade
and silk.
The Caliph was pleased with all that I told him, and only permitted me to return to my home after he had
bestowed

on

me

many

honours,

rich

gifts

and

favours.

I distributed presents among my own friends and family, and gave help to the poor. Then I returned once
again to my old life of comfort and feasting.
When Sinbad had finished telling the story of his sixth voyage, he gave a gold coin to his namesake,
Sinbad the Porter, and they agreed to meet again the following morning to hear the seventh and final
voyage of the merchants career.
And if you would like to send a little gift to Storynory to help us continue our storytelling, please dont
forget that we have a donate page at Storynory.com, where you can also find hundreds of free stories.
20

Long ago, in the city of Baghdad, there lived a man named Sinbad the Hamml. He made his living by
lugging around heavy objects on his head. In short he was a porter, as hard working, as he was poor. One
exceedingly hot and dusty day, he was weary and sweating, and not sure if the heat or his load was causing
him the most trouble. He staggered past the entrance of a wealthy merchants house. The sight of a bench
by the gates was so tempting, that he could not resist setting down his load, and sitting down for a while.
As he rested he felt a pleasant breeze and heard the sound of a lute playing and light voices full of laughter
and song. He stood up and pushed the gates open slightly. As he peaked through them, he saw a garden full
of flowers, and servants carrying all sorts of rich and delicate meats. The delicious aroma greeted his
nostrils and filled him with hunger. As he stood there he recited some lines:
Each
morn
that
dawns
I
awake
in
pain
and
I
pick
up
my
load
and
off
to
work
I
while
others
live
in
comfort
and
with
pretty
song,
good
food,
and
laughter
All
living
things
were
born
in
their
birthday
But
some
live
like
Lords
and
others
like
At
Thee,
O
God
all-wise!
I
dare
not
to
Whose creation is just and whose justice cannot fail.

woe..
go..
delight..
light..
suit..
brutes..
rail..

When Sinbad the Porter had finished his verse, he picked up his heavy crate and started to move off. Just as
he put one foot forward, there came from the gate a little servant boy who tugged at his sleeve and said:
Step inside, my Lord wishes to meet you. The porter tried to make excuses, but the boy would have none
of them, and eventually they went through the gate together. They walked through a majestic house to the
grand dining room which was full of Lords sitting at tables laden with rich food and drink. The sound of
music and laughter and lovely slave girls playing and singing filled the air. The diners were seated
according to rank, and at the head of them all sat a man of worshipful and noble appearance. Sinbad the
Porter was so overwhelmed by all that he saw that he said to himself: By Allah, this must be either a piece
of paradise or some kings palace! He bowed down and kissed the ground. The master of the house bid
him to stand up. Servants placed food before him and and the porter, after saying his Bismillah, ate his fill,
after which he exclaimed: Praised be Allah for your generosity my Lord. His host replied: You are most
welcome and may your day be blessed, but tell me, what is your name and what do you do all day?
O my Lord, my name is Sinbad the Hammal, and I carry folks goods on my head for hire.
The master of the house smiled and said:
You should know, oh porter, that you and I have something important in common our name! For I am
Sinbad the Sailor. Now if you will be so kind, let me hear those verses that you recited outside the gate of
my house.
The porter blushed, because he did not wish to repeat the lines about injustice among such wealthy and
fortunate company.
By Allah excuse me! he exclaimed. Poverty and hardship have given me boorish ways!
Tish Tish, do not be ashamed, said the Lord, but say them again, for they pleased me when I heard you
speak them at the gate.
The porter duly recited the lines and the merchant slapped his back affectionately and said: No one ever
spoke a truer word. But you should know that I myself only rose to this happy state that you see all around
you after long suffering and woe. I made seven voyages at sea, and by each of them hangs a marvellous
21

tale that is almost beyond belief. If you have time, I shall tell you the first of these tales so that you can
better understand what pain I endured in my early days. All this happened because of fate, for no one can
escape destiny.
And this is the tale of the first voyage of Sinbad the Sailor.
My father was a merchant, a successful man of trade, who left me no short of wealth and comfort. I was
young, and headstrong, and foolish, and I ate and drank and played thinking that I would continue that way
for all my days. And then one day I awoke and found that the money was almost gone. Then I remembered
my father, and how he used to say: A grave is better than poverty. And I came to my senses. I sold my
fine clothes, my property, and my playthings, and with my last 3000 dirhams I bought merchandise for a
sea voyage. As I boarded the ship with my fellow merchants I said out loud the lines:
He
who
seeks
fame
The impossible seeks and wastes his life.

without

toil

and

strife

We set sail for Basra, the city whose name means where many ways come together. We journeyed for
many days and nights, touching in at ports and islands. Everywhere we landed we bought and sold,
bartered
and
traded,
increasing
our
wealth
bit
by
bit.
Eventually we came to the most beautiful island of all. Here some seeds from the gardens of paradise must
have landed and taken root. The captain dropped anchor and put down the landing planks. Everyone on
board came ashore to feel the golden sand between their toes and enjoy the lush and tranquil land. Some
passengers set up fires for cooking, others washed their clothes. A few of us contented ourselves with
walking around the island, and others drank and played. Then all of a sudden, the captain, standing high up
on the deck, rang the ships bell and shouted at the top of his voice: Everyone run for your lives. May
Allah preserve you! Drop your gear and get back to the ship as fast as you can.
We looked up in astonishment, and as we did so we felt the ground heaving and hoeing under our feet. The
formally calm sea swirled around the island and great waves broke against the shore. Then the very centre
of the island curled up in a great ark, and those who had not made it back to the ship began to slide down
into the foaming sea-water. I was among them, but as I fell headlong I grabbed hold of a wooden trough for
washing clothes. This saved my life, for when I found myself in the raging water, I clambered onto it. For a
while the waves tossed me to and fro as I sat astride my make-shift life-boat, but I managed to stay afloat. I
now saw that we had not landed on an island as we had thought, but on the back of an enormous whale.
Somehow sand had settled on him, and trees and vegetation had grown on his back. He must have lain still
for many a year, but when we landed on him, and some of us started fires, that must have annoyed him and
woken him from his sleep. He flipped his tail and thrashed the water, and a great wave picked me up and
washed me further away. Now I was truly on my own, with no chance of being picked up by the ship.
Night fell and I prepared to meet my doom. But the morning brought me to the shore of a high-hilled
island. I scrambled ashore, where I found my legs were cramped and my feet numb. I fell on to the ground
like a dead man and lay for a long time with my eyes closed. It was some time before I began to crawl on
my hands and knees towards the edge of the woods, where I found nuts, berries and reviving spring water.
Feeling somewhat better, I began to explore the island, and found it to be a pleasant one. After walking
sometime I caught the outline of a living thing drawing closer I saw it to be a beautiful and noble horse,
tethered on the beach. I stooped down and picked a clutch of long grass, still wet with the morning dew,
and took it to the horse who was a gentle and lovely mare. She nibbled it out of the palm of my hand. Then
all of a sudden something startled her. She neighed and pulled at her rope. Looking round, I saw, emerging
from the waves, a giant horse a white sea stallion who was coming for the mare. I was as startled as the
mare by this impossible creature, and I ran back for cover of the woods. From there, I saw that the stallion
had taken the mares rope in his mouth and was dragging her into the sea where she would surely drown.
This sight filled my heart with pity. I picked up a stick and ran back to the beach where I began to beat the
sea-stallion around the head. He might surely have turned and kicked me to death, but so furious was my
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attack that he thought better of it and ran back into the waves from where he had come.
The mare was still frisking to and fro with fright, but I took the rope and calmed her down. A few minutes
later I was joined on the beach by a man who called out to me: Who are you and where are you from?
My Lord, I replied. I am Sinbad the Sailor, whose ship landed on the back of a great whale, and who
would have drowned had not Allah preserved me and sent me a wooden trough, clinging to which I was
washed ashore here on this lovely island. And now I have told you who I am, please return the favour and
tell me who you are.
He replied: I am one of the kings grooms, and I look after his favourite mare whom you just saved from
being dragged into the sea and drowned by the sea-stallion.
And this encounter proved to be my great fortune, for the groom lead me to the capital city and the palace.
Here I had the honour of meeting King Mihrjan and when I had told him my story he marvelled and said:
By Allah you have indeed been miraculously preserved! The fates must have decreed a long life for you,
or you would have surely been drowned a thousand times over. You are one who is blessed by Allah your
safety.
Believing me to be favoured by God, he treated me kindly. Indeed, he gave me a lucrative job as master of
his port and registrar of all the ships that were put in there. One day, the very same ship that I had sailed in
visited the island. The captain immediately recognised me and embraced me in his arms.
Your goods are still safe in the hull of my ship, he said.
This was the most unexpected good news, thanks be to Allah. I offered the goods as a gift to King Mihrjan
who had shown me such good favour. In return he made me a gift of treasure that was worth twenty times
its value. We sailed to Basra where I increased the value of my goods another tenfold in the market place.
And so I returned to Baghdad as a wealthy man. I bought this palace, and many servants, and set up a great
establishment, and soon began to forget all that I had suffered. This then is my first miraculous story.
Tomorrow I shall tell you the tale of my second of seven voyages, if you will return to my house.
And so saying, Sinbad the Sailor gave Sinbad the Porter 100 gold coins for his time, and the porter left for
his humble home, pondering his great good fortune.

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