The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
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The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
Children's literature
I had scarcely placed myself in this posture when one of the
eagles, having taken me up with the piece of meat to which I was
fastened, carried me to his nest on the top of the mountain. The
merchants immediately began their shouting to frighten the eagles;
and when they had obliged them to quit their prey, one of them
came to the nest where I was. He was much alarmed when he saw me;
but recovering himself, instead of inquiring how I came thither,
began to quarrel with me, and asked why I stole his goods. "You
will treat me," replied I, "with more civility, when you know me
better. Do not be uneasy; I have diamonds enough for you and
myself, more than all the other merchants together. Whatever they
have they owe to chance; but I selected for myself, in the bottom
of the valley, those which you see in this bag." I had scarcely
done speaking, when the other merchants came crowding about us,
much astonished to see me; but they were much more surprised when
I told them my story.
They conducted me to their encampment; and there, having opened my
bag, they were surprised at the largeness of my diamonds, and
confessed that they had never seen any of such size and
perfection. I prayed the merchant who owned the nest to which I
had been carried (for every merchant had his own), to take as many
for his share as he pleased. He contented himself with one, and
that, too, the least of them; and when I pressed him to take more,
without fear of doing me any injury, "No," said he, "I am very
well satisfied with this, which is valuable enough to save me the
trouble of making any more voyages, and will raise as great a
fortune as I desire."
I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I related my story a
second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it. I
could not moderate my joy when I found myself delivered from the
danger I have mentioned. I thought myself in a dream, and could
scarcely believe myself out of danger.
The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for
several days; and each of them being satisfied with the diamonds
that had fallen to his lot, we left the place the next morning,
and travelled near high mountains, where there were serpents of a
prodigious length, which we had the good-fortune to escape. We
took shipping at the first port we reached, and touched at the
isle of Roha, where the trees grow that yield camphire. This tree
is so large, and its branches so thick, that one hundred men may
easily sit under its shade. The juice of which the camphire is
made exudes from a hole bored in the upper part of the tree, is
received in a vessel, where it thickens to a consistency, and
becomes what we call camphire. After the juice is thus drawn out
the tree withers and dies.
In this island is also found the rhinoceros, an animal less than
the elephant, but larger than the buffalo.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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