Aesop’s Fables : The Oil Lamp Humbled

Aesop’s Fables : The Oil Lamp Humbled

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of The Oil Lamp Humbled .

An oil-lamp, observing how well it was lighting up the area around it, was filled with pride.

"Even the sun could not do better!" he boasted.

Just then the wind started to blow and the lamp went out.

"Next time you think of comparing yourself to the sun," said its owner, re-lighting it, "remember the sun doesn't have to be re-lit."

---

The short story is a literary genre. It is usually fictional, narrative prose and tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction. These stories have their origins in oral story-telling traditions and the prose anecdote, a swiftly-sketched situation that comes rapidly to its point. The history of this kind of stories dates back to the oral story-telling traditions. Modern trend in them emerged as their own genre in the early 19th century. They tend to be less complex than novels. Usually, a short story will focus on only one incident, has asingle plot, a single setting, a limited number of characters and covers a short period of time. 

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Aesop’s Fables : The Foolish Dog

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Aesop’s Fables : The Foolish Dog

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fable ofThe Foolish Dog .

There was once a dog that used to run up quietly behind people and bite their heels.

Fed up of the numerous complaints, the owner tied a bell around the dog’s neck so that the sound of the bell would alert people whenever the animal came near them.

The dog felt the bell was a reward of some sort and became extremely conceited, turning up his nose whenever he met other dogs on the street.

One day a hound brought him down to earth with some plain speaking and when the dog learnt why the bell had been put around his neck he slunk away in shame.

Moral: Sometimes what appears to be a clap on the back is actually a slap on the face.
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Aesop’s Fables : The Clever Sheep

Aesop’s Fables : The Clever Sheep

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’sFables of The Clever Sheep. 

One day a wolf cornered a sheep. 

"You can't escape,” said the wolf, baring his teeth. 

"I know," said the sheep, softly. 

"Please grant me a last wish. Sing a song so that I may dance one last time.' 

"Certainly,' said the wolf and throwing back his head began to howl. 

Hearing him howl the farmer's dogs rushed to the spot and drove him away. 

Moral: Don't attempt anything that is beyond your ability. 

Aesop’s Fables : The Ailing Deer

Aesop’s Fables : The Ailing Deer

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of The Ailing Deer .

A sick stag was lying in a corner, helpless and weak.

He was glad he had collected enough grass to last him through his period of illness.

But suddenly, to his dismay, he saw that some friends who had come to see him were helping themselves to the food.

"Please go away," he said. "My illness will not kill me but your greed certainly could."

Moral: Thoughtless friends are more harmful than enemies.

Aesop’s Fables : Speedy Rabbit

Aesop’s Fables : Speedy Rabbit

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Speedy Rabbit.

A dog spotted a rabbit and started chasing him, but the rabbit got away.

Seeing this, a goat stopped to gloat.

"Too fast for you, wasn't he?" he sneered.

"Why are you surprised?" said the dog. "I was chasing him for fun; he was running for his life."

Moral: Performance depends on motivation.

Aesop’s Fables : Running with Herd

Aesop’s Fables : Running with Herd

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Running with Herd .

A young deer said to his mother, “I’m larger than a dog and swifter and I have horns to defend myself with. Yet when a dog appears I run away with the others. I have decided not to run from dogs, in future.”

Just then they heard the bark of a dog.

The young deer was filled with fear and forgetting his resolve, took to his heels along with his mother and the rest of the herd.

Moral: Fear drives away Reason.

Aesop’s Fables : Running with Herd

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Running with Herd .

A young deer said to his mother, “I’m larger than a dog and swifter and I have horns to defend myself with. Yet when a dog appears I run away with the others. I have decided not to run from dogs, in future.”

Just then they heard the bark of a dog.

The young deer was filled with fear and forgetting his resolve, too

---

Aesop’s Fables : Plane Truth

Aesop’s Fables : Plane Truth

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Plane Truth.

Two travelers, seeking respite from the searing heat of the midday sun, took shelter under a leafy tree.

They soon felt cool and refreshed.

“What sort of tree is this? Does it produce edible fruits?” asked one of the men to the other.

“It’s a plane tree,” said his companion. “Don’t waste your time looking for fruits. It produces neither edible fruits nor good wood. It’s one of the most useless trees around.”

“How can you say that when you’re enjoying my shade at this very moment?” snapped the tree.

Moral: Often, a person’s worst critics are those who have benefited the most from him.

Aesop’s Fables : Pale Hunter

Aesop’s Fables : Pale Hunter

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Pale Hunter.

A man who wanted to be known as a fearless hunter set out to bag game.

He found the tracks of a lion and followed them till they disappeared in stony ground.

Just then, a woodcutter came by.

“Look here, my man," said the hunter grandly. "I was following a lion and have lost his tracks. Can you help me find them again?"

""There's no need to look for his tracks," said the woodcutter. "I'll take you to the lion himself."

The hunter turned pale.

"The l-lion," he said, "no, no, just show me his tracks."

Moral: One who pretends to be what he is not is soon exposed.

Aesop’s Fables : Monkey Business

Aesop’s Fables : Monkey Business

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Monkey Business .

A monkey climbed the roof of a house and entertained the people who had gathered below to watch it, with its antics.

After it had gone, an ass who craved popularity climbed the roof and tried to perform the same tricks.

In the process, it dislodged and broke several tiles.

The owner of the house was furious.

His servants went up, drove the ass down, and beat it black and blue.

Moral: Actions that suit others may not suit you. Be yourself.

Aesop’s Fables : Last Boast

Aesop’s Fables : Last Boast

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Last Boast .

A fir tree said boastingly to the bramble bush growing in its shade:

“You are useless. Nobody wants you. I am everywhere used for roofs and houses. Men can’t do without me.”

“You’re so right,” said the bramble. “Here’s a man coming to you with an axe, right now. Farewell.”

Moral: Pride comes before a fall.

Aesop’s Fables : Hanging Together

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Hanging Together .

The cranes were eating grain from his field, so the farmer set a trap and caught several of them.

Among them was a stork.

“You can see I don’t belong here,” said the stork. “I’m a law- abiding bird. Please let me go.”

You may well be what you claim to be,” said the farmer. “But I caught you along with these robbers, so you will have to hang with them.”

Moral: You are judged by the company you keep.

Aesop’s Fables : Foxy Rooster

Aesop’s Fables : Foxy Rooster

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Foxy Rooster .

A fox sneaked into a farm and grabbed a prize rooster.

The farmer saw him and raised the alarm and he and his dogs started chasing the thief.

The fox, though he was holding the rooster in his mouth, was running very fast.

"Get him! Get him!" shouted the farmer to his dogs.

"No!" suddenly screamed the rooster. "Don't come near me!"

"My master was very cruel to me," explained the rooster to the fox. "Tell him to stay away from me."

The fox was delighted. "He wants you to stay away from him!" he shouted at the farmer, in the process releasing his hold on the rooster.

The rooster flew up into a tree and stayed there till he was rescued by his master.

Moral: Think twice before you open your mouth to speak.

Aesop’s Fables : Fox in Cart

Aesop’s Fables : Fox in Cart

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Fox in Cart .

A fox, observing a fish cart coming, lay down and pretended to be dead.

The cart man, tempted by the idea of making some money by selling the fox's fur, picked up the animal by its tail and flung it into the back of the cart among the fish.

Then he resumed his journey. The fox ate his fill of the fish and jumped out of the cart.

A wolf saw him jumping out and asked him what he had been doing in it. The fox told him and also how he had got into it in the first place.

The wolf ran ahead of the cart and lay down in its path, pretending to be dead.

The cart man was delighted to find another animal to sell, but he found the animal too heavy to lift.

So he pushed it into a sack, tied the sack to his cart and dragged it away.

Moral: What works for one may not work for another.

Aesop’s Fables : Defeated by Pride

Aesop’s Fables : Defeated by Pride

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Defeated by Pride .

Two roosters fought for supremacy in the farmyard.

Finally one was vanquished and he went and hid himself in a corner of the hen-house.

The victor flew up to the roof of the barn and begin to crow, “I’ve won, I’ve won!”

An eagle swooped down and carried him away and the rooster that had been defeated suddenly found himself unchallenged master of the farmyard.

Moral: The enemy is often defeated by his own pride.

---

The short story is a literary genre. It is usually fictional, narrative prose and tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction. These stories have their origins in oral story-telling traditions and the prose anecdote, a swiftly-sketched situation that comes rapidly to its point. The history of this kind of stories dates back to the oral story-telling traditions. Modern trend in them emerged as their own genre in the early 19th century. They tend to be less complex than novels. Usually, a short story will focus on only one incident, has a single plot, a single setting, a limited number of characters and covers a short period of time.

Aesop’s Fables : Boar with Foresight

Aesop’s Fables : Boar with Foresight

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of Boar with Foresight .

A wild boar was rubbing his tusks against a tree.

A fox passing by asked him what he was doing.

"My tusks are my weapons," said the boar. "I'm sharpening them."

"Why waste time sharpening your weapons when there's no danger in sight?" said the fox. "You're being foolish."

Just then a hunter appeared on the scene.

Frightened by the boar's sharpened tusks, he turned on the fox instead and shot him dead.

Moral : Be prepared.

Aesop’s Fables : A Cartload of Almonds

Aesop’s Fables : A Cartload of Almonds

Let us enjoy reading this one of Aesop’s Fables of A Cartload of Almonds .

A squirrel joined the service of the King of the Forest, the lion.

He did whatever work was given him, quickly and well. The lion became fond of him and promised to give him a cart full of almonds as pension when he retired.

The squirrel envied the other squirrels in the forest because of their carefree life. He longed to run up and down trees and leap from branch to branch like them but he could not leave the king's side and even if he could he had to move with courtly dignity.

He consoled himself with the thought that at the end of his career, he would receive a cart full of almonds, a food that few squirrels got to taste in their lifetime.

"They will envy me then," he would tell himself.

The years passed. The squirrel became old and then it was time for him to retire.

The king gave a grand banquet in his honor and at the end of it, presented him with a cart full of almonds as he had promised.

The squirrel had waited so long for this day but when he saw the almonds, he was seized with sadness.

He realized they were of no use to him now. He had lost all his teeth.

The Seventh Voyage

The Seventh Voyage :

"After my sixth voyage, I felt that I had enough of travel. I had decided to settle down because I was much older now. But alas!


That was not to be.


One fine morning, a royal messenger knocked at my door. He told me that the Caliph had asked for me. I went to the palace immediately. Once there the Caliph said, "Dear Sindbad, you brought many great gifts from the wealthy King of Serendib. Now I want you to take some gifts in return to him."


I said, "Sir, I am old now. I can't take much of sea travel any more."


But the Caliph insisted that I was the only person fit for the task. .~


"You can lead a restful life on your return. Moreover, I am giving you a thousand gold coins for this voyage."


I accepted that proposal with great reluctance. So a few days later, I was on the sea with the Caliph's ship and crewmen. I carried a letter from the Caliph to the King of Serendib. Gold clothes, silk garments, emerald-studded pots and plates, two large, finely carved royal beds and a rare tablet once possessed by King Solomon made up the list of gifts I carried for the King of Serendib.


After a peaceful trip, I anchored at the port of Serendib. I delivered the letter and the gifts to the king. He asked me to stay but I was eager to get back to Baghdad. So he gave me a wonderful gift and bid me a tearful farewell. As my ship sailed away we were attacked by pirates. They took hold of all our precious treasures and gifts and then took all of us prisoners. They took us onto their ships and left us in a strange land where they had sold all of us as slaves.


Due to God's blessings, I had a kind and rich merchant as my master. I served him well as he treated me well. In time he learnt that I was good at shooting with a bow and arrow. He asked me to accompany him to the forest. There he showed me a tall tree and said, "Sindbad, go up the tree. Soon a herd of elephants will come by. You must shoot as many as you can." With these instructions, he left me in the forest.

I passed the night waiting for the elephants but none came in sight at dawn. I heard their trumpets from far. As they came under the tree, I took aim and hit the largest of the herd. I let the herd pass and then climbed down the tree. I went and told my master of my feat. He was very pleased to see that I had slain the tusked elephant. He said, "These ivory tusks are of great value. Pull them out and bury the elephant in a large pit."


My master helped me in that task. Then we went home with the tusks. Now I was sent to the forest everyday and I killed many elephants for my master. In a few days, my master became very rich by selling all the ivory he got from the dead elephants.


One day as I was sitting on a tall tree to wait for the elephants, they did arrive. But this time all of them surrounded the tree and looked up at me. I thought that they had revenge on their mind and I would be dead in minutes. One of the elephants uprooted the tree I sat on, so I found myself lying on the ground. One of the elephant picked me up by his trunk and placed me on his back. Then all the elephants followed him as he walked on with me on his back. The elephant walked on to a hill side. There he put me down on the ground using his trunk and walked away. I looked around to observe many elephant bones and ivory tusks lying in heaps. It was an elephant's graveyard. The elephants did not want me to kill them so they had brought me to their store of ivory.


I started walking back to my master's house and it took me two days to reach there. He was worried when he had seen the uprooted tree. I told him what had happened. Then both of us went to the hillside and gathered a lot of ivory. On our way back, my master said, "Dear Sindbad, I am glad for all that you've done for me. You are free from today. I will give you a share of these valuable ivory. You can take them back to Baghdad on the next ship that sets sail for Baghdad."


So the next day, my master put me on a ship to Baghdad with some ivory tusks. He also gave me some other goods. I traded all these at the ports we stopped at on my way back to Baghdad.


When my ship reached Baghdad, I went to the Caliph's palace and told him about my new adventures. He, too, wished to record my story in gold letters. His manuscript maker completed the task and I received some gifts from the Caliphs. At last, I settled to a peaceful life in Baghdad."


Sindbad turned to Hindbad and said, "So Hindbad, now you know that I have gone through much to lead a wealthy, comfortable and luxurious life at this age."


Hindbad agreed and said, "Yes, dear Sindbad, your troubles deserve the pleasures and riches, you possess now. May you live for a hundred years more?"


Sindbad gave a hundred gold coins to Hindbad and said, "Hindbad, I'd like you to be my best friend. Do not work as a porter any more. Come to meet me everyday."


So Hindbad became a dear friend and a regular visitor at Sindbad's mansion. Soon kind Sindbad made Hindbad a rich man and Hindbad led a comfortable life to the end.

The Sixth Voyage

The Sixth Voyage :

"Before a year after my fifth voyage, I was on my sixth voyage, the longest of all my voyages. As we set sail we had a calm sea. After some days the weather grew bad and huge waves threatened to drown us.


One afternoon, the captain of the ship looked troubled. In desperation, he tore of his turban and paced the deck. He told us that the ship was out of control and soon the ship would crash into a high, rocky mountain. That would mean that we would all be dead. As he had said in a quarter of an hour, our ship did crash into a huge mountain and the ship was in smithers. Good luck and God's blessings saved all abroad. We swam to a narrow strip of land at the foot of the mountain. We soon recovered some food and goods from the shipwreck but it was not heartening news at all. We were caught between a high, steep mountain and a raging sea.


We had divided the food equally amongst ourselves but we knew the food wouldn't last long. My companions were worried and hopeless but I kept heart. I went to the seashore everyday and gathered whatever swept over from our wrecked ship to the shore. Once when I explored the mountains, I discovered hoards of diamonds, rubies and pearls. I gathered some of them and kept in a safe place thinking of selling them if I got out of the situation.


One fine morning, I discovered a cave. To my surprise, I saw a river that flew through the cave from the sea to the land while as a rule, all rivers flew from land to the sea. I did not tell about the river to anyone.


After a few days all my companions were dead as they had eaten off all their shares of food. I had eaten a little food at a time and had some in store so I had managed to live. As my store of food diminished I thought of the river which I had discovered. I thought it would give me a path to escape. I went to the spot where I had gathered pieces of wood from my ship. I made a raft out of the wood, took my precious hoard of gems and some food and set sail on the raft. When I rowed into the cave, there was complete darkness but I kept rowing in the darkness for some days. Some times I had to lie on my back to go through the low roof of the cave. Soon my food stock was finished and I grew weak from hunger. I lay back on my raft and was sure that I would die.


I guess I must have slept off for many hours. I woke up to see daylight. I found myself lying on a riverbank and my raft was floating away. 1 looked up to see some Negroes looking down on me. The Negroes spoke to me in a language which 1 could not understand. Then one of them spoke in Arabic. He said, "I know Arabic too. For many of us lived in Arabia long ago. We found you floating on the raft when we came to dig a canal here. How did you reach this place?"


I ate some of the food and drink that they offered me and told them of my recent experiences. They asked me to tell my story to their king, too.

They took me to their king in Serendib which was the capital of their island. I was given a warm welcome at the palace. After hearing my story, the king invited me to be his royal guest as long as I wished to be. Out of gratitude I wanted to give one of my gems to the king but he refused. He, instead, asked my permission so that he could have my story written in gold lettered manuscript and to be kept in his treasury. I agreed to this gladly.


One fine morning, the king's men took me to show around the island. I observed some rare plants and very well cut precious stones. After some days, I had the urge to go back to my country. On my request, he said that he would arrange for my trip to Baghdad. He gave me a letter written on a leather piece with blue ink. The letter was addressed to the ruler of Baghdad, the Caliph. It spoke of the king's love and respect for the Caliph. The king of Serendib packed sweet-smelling wood, rare spices, a one-foot high ruby cup full of pearls and a snake skin with medicinal qualities to heal any ailment as gifts for the Caliph. He also sent a beautiful slave woman decked in jewel studded robes for the Caliph. I, too, received many rare gifts and soon set sail for Baghdad.


In Baghdad, I delivered the letter and gifts from the King of Serendib to the Caliph of Baghdad. I told the Caliph of how rich the King of Serendib was, who owned twenty thousand diamond studded crowns and lived in a palace whose roof is decked with a hundred thousand rubies. The Caliph of Baghdad was convinced of the King of Serendib's wealth and was eager to hear about my adventures. After I had narrated my story to the Caliph, he gifted me some precious jewels as a gift and so I settled for some time in Baghdad once again before I went on my seventh and last voyage."


The guests and Hindbad were struck to hear Sindbad's tale. They were excited to hear the last voyage's tale next evening. Hindbad left Sindbad's company richer by a hundred gold coins.

The Fifth Voyage

The Fifth Voyage :

"My fifth voyage was made on a trade ship that I owned. Some merchants made them ready to be my companions.


We soon set sail. After many days, we threw anchor at a deserted island. There I discovered a roc's egg as I had seen on my second voyage. 1 showed it to my other companions. One of them noticed it was about to hatch. He took his axe and asked the others to break the roc's egg. I advised them not to do so but all in vain. They broke the roc's egg, took the hatchelling, roasted it and ate it up.


Just as they finished eating the roc's egg, the parent birds flew in. We saw them from far and all of us rushed to the ship in panic. In minutes, our ship was sailing on the sea waters. But to our horror, we saw the rocs following our ship overhead. They held huge rocks in their claws which they dropped on our ship. As the rocks hit the ship, it broke into pieces and sank with all my companions on board. By sheer luck I survived when large waves swept me on to the shores of an island.


On the island I rested for a while and then ate some wild fruits that grew there. As I went around looking for some inhabitants on the island, I saw an old man sitting by a stream. His hairs were long and a long beard covered his cheeks. He had a blank look on his face. He looked weak and haggard. I approached him and asked him if I could help him. He signed to me and asked to be lifted on my back to help him cross the stream. I obliged but after a while he tightened his hold around my neck that I nearly choked and fainted. When I regained consciousness, the old man was still clinging to me. Then he signalled me to get up and walk to some fruit trees. I plucked the fruits for him. Thus he ordered me around all the time, even when I slept. I realized my life was in danger so I thought of finishing off the wicked old man.


I found some grapes when the old man was sleeping. I took their juice in a large seashell and left it hidden under a small bush. A few days later, I tasted the juice and it had turned into wine. I took the seashell full of wine before the old man. I sipped it and exclaimed, "Ah! It's the sweetest wine I've ever tasted."


The wicked man signalled me to give him the remaining wine. He drank all of the wine and was drunk senseless. Soon his hold on my back loosened and he set me free. I quickly picked up a heavy stone and struck the old man's head and he fell down dead.

Thus, rid of an evil man, I rushed to the shore. I saw some sailors there. They had come ashore from their docked ship in search of some fruits. They saw me and asked who I was. I told them all that I had gone through. Then one of them said, "Oh! You are lucky to be alive. The man was called the old man of the sea who killed all people he met."


The sailors took me to their captain who allowed me to sail with them. A few days later, we landed on an island where a lot of coconuts grew. I gathered many coconuts and asked the other sailors to do the same. I intended to trade them for goods on other seaports. But we could not climb the tall coconut trees though we tried many a time. A while later, I saw some monkeys on the coconut trees. I knew that monkeys always copied others' actions. My companions and I collected some pebbles which we threw at the monkeys. In reply, the monkeys threw many coconuts at us. We gladly collected all the coconuts and took them to our ship. Once we reached the next port, I exchanged the coconuts for some rare spices and shiny pearls.


When the ship reached Balsora and I arrived in Baghdad I sold the rare spices and pearls at high prices and acquired a lot of money all over again. Then I settled for a restful life. "


Sindbad finished his tale and bid farewell to his guests. But he reminded them to come the next day to learn about his sixth voyage. Hindbad was very taken up by the wonderful experiences of Sindbad the Sailor. He received a hundred gold coins thankfully and left Sindbad's house. He eagerly awaited the next evening's feast.

The Fourth Voyage

The Fourth Voyage :

Sindbad told of the fourth voyage.


"Once again a restful, luxurious life bored me. My wandering heart led me to take another voyage on a merchant ship. Bad luck was our constant companion even as we began the voyage. A while after our ship set sail, a storm drove it into rocks and our ship broke. Many of my companions drowned. The survivors like me held on to a rock till the high waves subsided and so were saved. We managed to hold on to some woods from the shipwreck. We floated with the woods and soon reached an island. There ill luck struck once again. Some Negroes who inhabited the island captured us. They offered us some herbs to eat. I felt suspicious and did not eat them but my hungry companions ate them. They started behaving like mad men. As they were not in their senses, they could not do anything. The Negroes then offered my companions some boiled rice. I ate some but my companions ate a lot. This went on for some days. My companions grew fat day by day. One fine morning, the Negroes seized some of my companions, cooked them in a large vessel and ate them up. They did not get me for I was too thin.


One night I managed to escape and reached the shore. There I saw people gathering pepper. I told them my tale and they took me to a nearby island. They introduced me to their king. I lived in the king’s palace as the royal guest. One day, I went around the island. I observed that most people rode horses but none of them had saddles or stirrups. I thought of gifting the king with these, so I got some leather to make them such sets. When I gifted these to the king and told him of their advantage, he was very happy and thankful. He said, "Sindbad, my friend, you've made riding such a pleasure."


When the courtiers saw the Saddle, they as well as the subjects ordered for more to be made. I got busy making more such items and earned some money. Then one day the king called me and '''Sindbad, in return for all you've done I give a lady of my haram in marriage to you.'"


I was not at all keen to marry anyone but I relented so as not to the king's feelings. When the lady was introduced to me, I was speechless. She was indeed a very beautiful woman and had a very sweet smile, too. She was soft spoken and humble. I married her according to the rituals of the island and spent a happy life with her.


But as ill luck would have it, she fell sick a few months later. The severe illness caused her death and I was very grieved. But more, misfortunes lay in store for me. The island's custom was such that I was to be buried alive with my wife's dead body. All my pleas for an exception were in vain. So it was that amidst a grand traditional funeral ceremony my wife was buried. Alongside her grave was another in which I lay down alive. Some food and drink enough for seven days was buried in the grave with me. Once, the grave was shut with a heavy stone. There was darkness all around me and desperation in my heart.


My grave was actually in a cave mountain. In desperation, I felt around in the darkness to find some way to get out. I ate some of the food and drank left for me but, after seven days, even that was finished and I had nothing to do but wait to meet death.


As I lay there in silence, I heard a sound. It was as if some animal was rustling around. I moved in the grave and tried to look around the cave. I seemed to see a shape in the dark that moved away when I approached. I thought there must be a way from where the animal had got in, which meant there was surely a way to get out. With this hope in my heart, I followed the shadow at a distance. After about a quarter of an hour of crawling in the dark cave, I saw a dim ray of light. It was coming in through a crack in the rocky walls from which the creature had squeezed into the cave. I went out through the crack with some difficulty and to my joy I found myself on a deserted beach of the island.


I remembered that my wife had been buried with many precious ornaments and gems adorning her body. I went back into the cave and reached my wife's coffin. I gathered as many gems as I could and came out of the cave again. Perhaps God heard my prayers so I saw a merchant ship heading for the beach. The captain saw me waving cloth and took me up his ship. Then I told him how I happened to be on that Island.


When the ship docked at the next port, I traded my wife's gems for some goods which I sold at the next port to make good money.


Soon the ship returned to Baghdad when a comfortable, wealthy life awaited me once again." Sindbad sighed and said, "I had an adventurous fifth voyage about which you will hear at the dinner table tomorrow."


The guests went off with a promise to come again. Sindbad bid a farewell to Hindbad to whom he gifted a hundred gold coins once more.

The Third Voyage

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 reluctance. He said that the island was home to two feet high dwarfs 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 vessel. 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 ashore. 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 regained 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 wink 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 remains 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 prey. 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 thorny 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 adventurous 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 deserted 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 basking 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."


Hindbad received a hundred gold coins from Sindbad once again and left for home happily. He and the guests returned the next day for a feast and an adventurous tale once more.

The Second Voyage

The Second Voyage :

Next evening Sindbad, the sailor received Hindbad and the other guests. After a delicious feast, the guests were eager to hear of Sindbad's second voyage. So Sindbad began his story :


After a few years, I again grew tired of an easy lifestyle. I met another group of merchants. I bought some goods and went with them on their ship. During the trip, we visited many ports and I had good trade that fetched me good money.


One fine morning we anchored near a deserted island. Some of the merchants and I got off the ship and went ashore. We found some juicy fruits there which we ate to our heart's content. Then the merchants decided to sleep under the shady trees but I decided to sleep behind a large rock that was a little farther from the others. So I went there and slept alone. I woke up hours later and felt refreshed. But as I looked around I saw that my friends were nowhere to be seen. They had woken up, boarded the ship and sailed away.


Once again, I was left alone on an island. In desperation I tried to go round the island to find someone though I knew it was a deserted island. As I was walking in the sands, I saw a large, white, rounded rock. I thought of climbing it to look around but as I tried to climb it, I slipped back down. It was a truly smooth rock indeed. As I was trying to climb the rock, it suddenly grew dark. I looked up to see if a cloud had covered the sun. But, to my surprise, I looked up to see a giant rock. It was a huge bird indeed.


At once I realized that the rock I was trying to climb was in fact the giant rock's egg. Actually, I myself was in its huge nest. I hid in the shadow of the egg to escape the rock. But, as luck would have it, the giant bird came and sat on the egg to hatch it. I spent the night in great contemplation. In the morning, I knew the bird would fly off in search of food. I untied my turban and tied its one end to the giant bird's leg while the other end I wound round my waist. At dawn when the giant rock took flight I was carried along.


The giant rock flew over islands and hills. At last it landed on an island. I took the chance to untie my turban's end from the bird's leg. Then I looked around and felt even more miserable than before for I found myself in a rocky valley surrounded by very high mountains. Then I saw the rock flying away with a snake in its beak.


As I walked around, I realized that I was actually tredding on diamonds. They were lying around and were of various sizes. They were as small as my finger nail and some were larger than even my head. I noticed a hissing sound from rocks and I understood that deadly snakes were hiding behind the rocks. All at once, I remembered the tales that my merchant friends had told me. Where I was standing was the well-known Valley of Diamonds. It attracted many people from the world over who collected diamonds and then sold them in their countries. I, too, picked some rocks which were actually diamonds. I filled my pockets with the small ones and the large ones I kept in a bag that hung from my waist. I realized it was getting dark, so I found an empty cave for myself. There I got in and shut the entrance with a huge rock to prevent any snakes from entering. I spent a restful night. I woke up at the dawn.


When I came out of the cave, I noticed large chunks of meat lying all around. I realized that they were thrown by diamond collectors who were afraid to come down to the valley for they were scared of snakes. They threw the chunks of meat to which the diamonds stuck. When huge rock picked up the meat and carried them to their nests, the diamond merchants would reach the nests and gather the diamonds. Once again I untied my turban. This time I tied one of its ends to a chunk of meat and the other round my waist. When a huge rock flew off with the meat, I was carried away too. Soon, enough I found myself in rock’s nest.


A while later, I heard shouts and the rock flew off in fear. A diamond merchant climbed up the tree to the nest. When he found me there, he was surprised and angry. He thought that I was there to take his diamonds. But I claimed him down and told him my story. He agreed to take me along to the nearest port. In gratitude, I gave him a large diamond as a gift. I travelled a few days with my new friends and soon I reached the port. There we parted ways when he took a ship to Balsora and I boarded a ship to Baghdad.


I was happy to be back in Baghdad and gave alms to the poor and thanked Allah for my safe arrival. I bought another luxurious mansion and spent my time enjoying my wealth after selling the diamonds I had acquired."


Ending the story, Sindbad thanked his guests for being patient listeners. Once again he invited all of them for a feast the next evening where he promised to narrate the tale of his third voyage. He thanked Hindbad and invited him, too. Sindbad then presented Hindbad with a hundred gold coins once more. Hindbad was happy beyond words.