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me. He put out again to sea; and, after some days sail, we arrived at the harbour of a great city, the houses of which were built with good stone.
One of the merchants of the ship, who had taken me into his friendship, obliged me to go along with him, and carried me to a place appointed as a retreat for foreign merchants. He gave me a great bag, and having recommended me to some people of the town who used to gather cocoas, he desired them to take me with them to do the like. Go, says he, follow them, and do as you see them do, and do not separate from them, otherwise you endanger your life. Having thus spoken, he gave me provisions for the journey, and I went with them. We came to a great forest of trees, extremely straight and tall, the trunks of which were so smooth that it was not possible for any man to climb up the branches that bore the fruit. All the trees were cocoa ones; and when we entered the forest, we saw a great number of apes of several sizes, that fled as soon as they perceived us, climbing up to the tops of the trees with surprising swiftness. The merchants with whom I was, gathered stones, and threw them at the apes on the tops of the trees. I did the same, and the apes, out of revenge, threw cocoa nuts at us so fast, and with such gestures, as sufficiently testified their anger and resentment: we gathered up the cocoas, and from time to time threw stones to provoke the apes; so that, by this stratagem, we filled our bags with cocoa nuts, which it had been impossible for us to have done otherwise. When we had gathered our number, we returned to the city, where the merchant who sent me to the forest gave me the value of the cocoas I brought: Go on, says he, and do the like every day, until you have got money enough to carry you home. I thanked him for his good advice, and insensibly gathered together as many cocoas as amounted to a considerable sum.
The vessel in which I arrived sailed with the merchants, who loaded her with cocoas. I expected the arrival of another, which landed speedily for the like loading. I embarked on board the same all the cocoas that belonged to me, and when she was ready to sail, I went and took leave of the merchant who had been so kind to me; but he could not embark with me, because he had not finished his affairs. We set sail towards those islands where pepper grows in great plenty. From thence we went to the isle of Comari[Footnote: This island, or peninsula, ends at the cape which we now call Cape Comorin. It is also called Comar and Comor.], where the best kind of wood of aloes grows, and whose inhabitants have made it an inviolable law to themselves to drink no wine, nor to suffer any place of debauch. I exchanged my cocoas in these two islands for pepper and wood of aloes, and went with other merchants a pearl-fishing. I hired divers, who fetched me up those that were very large and pure. I embarked joyfully in a vessel that happily arrived at Balsora; from thence I returned to Bagdad, where I made vast sums of my pepper, wood of aloes, and pearls. I gave the tenth of my gains in alms, as I had done upon my return from other voyages, and endeavoured to ease myself from my fatigues by diversions of all sorts.
When Sindbad had finished his story, he ordered one hundred sequins to Hindbad, who retired with all the other guests; but next day the same company returned to dine with rich Sindbad, who, after having treated them as formerly, demanded audience, and gave the following account of his sixth voyage.
The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor.