One day after I had dispatched another woman, I heard something
tread, and breathing or panting as it walked. I advanced towards
that side from whence I heard the noise, and on my approach the
creature puffed and blew harder, as if running away from me. I
followed the noise, and the thing seemed to stop sometimes, but
always fled and blew as I approached. I pursued it for a
considerable time, till at last I perceived a light, resembling a
star; I went on, sometimes lost sight of it, but always found it
again, and at last discovered that it came through a hole in the
rock, large enough to admit a man.
Upon this, I stopped some time to rest, being much fatigued with
the rapidity of my progress: afterwards coming up to the hole, I
got through, and found myself upon the sea shore. I leave you to
guess the excess of my joy: it was such, that I could scarcely
persuade myself that the whole was not a dream.
But when I was recovered from my surprise, and convinced of the
reality of my escape, I perceived what I had followed to be a
creature which came out of the sea, and was accustomed to enter
the cavern and feed upon the bodies of the dead.
I examined the mountain, and found it to be situated betwixt the
sea and the town, but without any passage to or communication
with the latter; the rocks on the sea side being high and
perpendicularly steep. I prostrated myself on the shore to thank
God for this mercy, and afterwards entered the cave again to
fetch bread and water, which I ate by daylight with a better
appetite than I had done since my interment in the dark cavern.
I returned thither a second time, and groped among the coffins
for all the diamonds, rubies, pearls, gold bracelets, and rich
stuffs I could find; these I brought to the shore, and tying them
up neatly into bales, with the cords that let down the coffins, I
laid them together upon the beach, waiting till some ship might
appear, without fear of rain, for it was then the dry season.
After two or three days, I perceived a ship just come out of the
harbour, making for the place where I was. I made a sign with the
linen of my turban, and called to the crew as loud as I could.
They heard me, and sent a boat to bring me on board, when they
asked by what misfortune I came thither; I told them that I had
suffered shipwreck two days before, and made shift to get ashore
with the goods they saw. It was fortunate for me that these
people did not consider the place where I was, nor enquire into
the probability of what I told them; but without hesitation took
me on board with my goods. When I came to the ship, the captain
was so well pleased to have saved me, and so much taken up with
his own affairs, that he also took the story of my pretended
shipwreck upon trust, and generously refused some jewels which I
offered him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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