天方夜谭英文故事：The Third Voyage

Next evening after dinner, the guests and Hindbad sat around Sindbad to hear about his wonderful tale of the third voyage which read…. 

 

 

When I returned from my second voyage and settled in Baghdad, I had no intention of leaving Baghdad ever again but the desire to be on the move was not suppressed. Once more I purchased some exclusive items to trade in and went on a trade ship with some merchants. 

 

 

A few days later, a storm broke out. It was severe that we had to drop anchor at an island where the captain of our ship did not want to land. The captain gave us the reason for his reluctance¹. He said that the island was home to two feet high dwarfs² who were fierce by nature. Their attacks would leave us powerless. If it wasn't for the storm we wouldn't have stopped at the island. As ill luck would have it, we soon faced the fierce dwarfs. These tiny men were covered with long, red hair. Even as we were still in our ship on the harbour, hundreds of them entered the vessel³. They were simply involved in senseless destruction. They went around cutting the ship sails and destroying some parts of the deck. Then they forced all of us to jump into water and sailed away to a nearby island. 

 

 

All of us somehow managed to swim ashore⁴. There we saw a large palace with very high ceiling-rooms. One of the large halls inside had a heap of human bones. A large fire burnt in the fireplace with some glowing coals nearby. We even saw some roasting iron rods. As we were looking at those fearfully, a huge dark giant walked in. He was very tall indeed and had a fierce face with one red eye right in the middle of his forehead. His long, sharp teeth sticking out of his mouth made him look fearsome indeed. When we saw his long ears and sharp, long nails, all of us lost our senses. 

 

 

When we regained⁵ consciousness, we were scared indeed. The large giant took our captain in his palm, thrust an iron roasting rod through his stomach, held him over the glowing coals to roast him and gobbled him up. Then the giant slept but his loud snores all night long did not let us catch even a wink⁶ of sleep. He woke up in the morning and left the palace. We, too, thought of leaving. As we went out of the palace to escape, all we found were trees and large poisonous snakes. To escape the snakes, we had to return to the palace. For many days, the giant ate one of us for dinner each night. We all lived in fear. 

 

 

One day as we were exploring the island once again, we found some woods that had washed ashore. Using the woods, we made some rafts. When the rafts were ready, we thought of a plan. 

 

 

One night as the giant slept after his dinner, the remaining of us heated the iron roasting rods. Then all of us thrusted the hot rod into the sleeping giant's eye and blinded him. As the giant rushed out in pain, all of us ran to the rafts on the shore. As we thought we were safe, just then the giant returned with other giants like himself. They threw large rocks at the rafts and all the rafts sank but the raft on which I was with two of my companions remains⁷ safe but we escaped with great difficulty. 

 

 

After some days we reached another island where we went ashore and slept for hours. When we woke up we saw a snake as long and as thick as a palm tree approaching us. We ran to save our lives but one of my companions became the snake's prey⁸. One of my surviving companions climbed a tall tree to save himself. A while later, the huge snake came and caught my companion, too. He ate him up but I survived because I was hiding on the highest branch of the same tree. To keep myself safe at night, I built a fence of prickly and thorny⁹ bush around the tree so when the snake came to get me he could not harm me at all. After trying all night, the snake left at dawn. 

 

 

I thought it would be better to commit suicide than meet a cruel death. I went to the shore to jump into the sea. To my glee I saw an approaching trade ship. Soon the captain of the ship saw me and lowered a boat to take me to the ship. The captain gave me fresh clothes and hot food and heard my adventurous¹⁰ tale. 

 

 

I soon befriended with other merchants on the ship. I felt that I had met the captain somewhere but I could not recall. One day, as we were nearing a port, the captain gave me some goods to sell there and make money. I looked at the packages which bore the label, 'Sindbad, the Sailor’. I asked the captain, where he had found the package. He told me about Sindbad, the Sailor, who had been left behind on a deserted¹¹ island by mistake. Then I remembered and so did the captain recognise me. He was the same captain and I was on the merchant ship I had sailed on my second voyage. We hugged each other in joy. 

 

 

At the port, I sold my goods and made a lot of money again. As we sailed on, I saw a twelve yards long tortoise basking¹² in the sun on an island. I also happened to see a strange sea-creature that looked very much like a camel. 

 

 

A few days later, I reached Baghdad and again had a lot of wealth to spend." 

 

 

Then Sindbad said, "So friends, that was all about my third voyage. Tomorrow you’re invited to hear about my fourth voyage." 

 

 

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