When Sinbad had finished his story, he ordered one hundred sequins to be given to Hindbad, who retired with the other guests; but next morning the same company returned to dine with rich Sinbad; who, after having treated them as formerly, requested their attention, and gave the following account of his sixth voyage.

The Sixth Voyage.

Gentlemen, you long without doubt to know, how, after having been shipwrecked five times, and escaped so many dangers, I could resolve again to tempt fortune, and expose myself to new hardships?  I am, myself, astonished at my conduct when I reflect upon it, and must certainly have been actuated by my destiny.  But be that as it may, after a year’s rest I prepared for a sixth voyage, notwithstanding the intreaties of my kindred and friends, who did all in their power to dissuade me.

Instead of taking my way by the Persian gulf, I travelled once more through several provinces of Persia and the Indies, and arrived at a sea-port, where I embarked in a ship, the captain of which was bound on a long voyage.  It was long indeed, and at the same time so unfortunate, that the captain and pilot lost their course.  They however at last discovered where they were, but we had no reason to rejoice at the circumstance.  Suddenly we saw the captain quit his post, uttering loud lamentations.  He threw off his turban, pulled his beard, and beat his head like a madman.  We asked him the reason, and he answered, that he was in the most dangerous place in all the ocean.  “A rapid current carries the ship along with it, and we shall all perish in less than a quarter of an hour.  Pray to God to deliver us from this peril; we cannot escape, if he do not take pity on us.”  At these words he ordered the sails to be lowered; but all the ropes broke, and the ship was carried by the current to the foot of an inaccessible mountain, where she struck and went to pieces, yet in such a manner that we saved our lives, our provisions, and the best of our goods.

This being over, the captain said to us, “God has done what pleased him.  Each of us may dig his grave, and bid the world adieu; for we are all in so fatal a place, that none shipwrecked here ever returned to their homes.”  His discourse afflicted us sensibly, and we embraced each other, bewailing our deplorable lot.

The mountain at the foot of which we were wrecked formed part of the coast of a very large island.  It was covered with wrecks, and from the vast number of human bones we saw everywhere, and which filled us with horror, we concluded that multitudes of people had perished there.  It is also incredible what a quantity of goods and riches we found cast ashore.  All these objects served only to augment our despair.  In all other places, rivers run from their channels into the sea, but here a river of fresh water runs out of the sea into a dark cavern, whose entrance is very high and spacious.  What is most remarkable in this place is, that the stones of the mountain are of crystal, rubies, or other precious stones.  Here is also a sort of fountain of pitch or bitumen, that runs into the sea, which the fish swallow, and evacuate soon afterwards, turned into ambergris:  and this the waves throw up on the beach in great quantities.  Trees also grow here, most of which are wood of aloes, equal in goodness to those of Comari.