5. Sinbad the Sailor (The Fifth Voyage)

A short time had passed, and Sindbad once again grew weary of living in his beautiful home in the City of Peace. For anyone who has sailed the seas, who has grown accustomed to falling asleep to the howling and whistling of the wind, the solid ground feels too confining.

One day, he had to travel to Basra on business, the very place from which he had often embarked on his adventures. He once again saw this rich, lively city where the sky was always so blue and the sun shone so brightly. He saw ships with tall masts and multicolored sails, heard the shouts of sailors unloading exotic goods from distant lands from the holds, and felt such a strong desire to travel that he decided without delay to prepare for a journey.

Ten days later, Sindbad was already sailing on a large, sturdy ship loaded with goods. A few other merchants were with him, and the ship was commanded by an old, experienced captain with a large crew of sailors.

For two days and two nights, Sindbad’s ship sailed across the open sea. On the third day, when the sun was directly overhead, a small rocky island appeared in the distance. The captain ordered the ship to head toward the island, and as they approached its shores, everyone saw a massive white dome rising in the middle of the island, sparkling with a sharp peak. At that moment, Sindbad was sleeping on the deck in the shade of the sail.

"Hey, Captain! Stop the ship!" shouted Sindbad’s companions.

The captain ordered the anchor to be dropped, and all the merchants and sailors jumped ashore. When the ship came to a halt, the jolt woke Sindbad, and he stepped out onto the deck to see why the ship had stopped. Suddenly, he saw all the merchants and sailors gathered around the enormous white dome, trying to break it open with crowbars and hooks.

"Don’t do that! You’ll perish!" Sindbad shouted.

He immediately realized that the dome was an egg of the Roc bird, just like the one he had seen on his first voyage. If the Roc returned and saw its egg destroyed, all the sailors and merchants would surely meet their doom.

But Sindbad’s companions did not listen and struck the egg even harder. Finally, the shell cracked. Water poured out of the egg, followed by a long beak, then a head and legs: inside the egg was a chick. If the egg had not been broken, the chick would have likely hatched soon.

The sailors grabbed the chick, roasted it, and began to eat. Only Sindbad did not touch its meat. He ran around his companions, shouting:

"Hurry up, or the Roc will come and kill you all!" Suddenly, a loud whistle and the deafening flapping of wings echoed through the air. The merchants looked up and rushed back to the ship. Directly above their heads flew the Roc bird. In its talons writhed two enormous snakes. Seeing its egg destroyed, the Roc let out such a shriek that the men fell to the ground in terror, burying their heads in the sand. The bird released its prey from its talons, circled in the air, and disappeared from sight. The merchants and sailors got to their feet and ran to the sea. They raised the anchor, unfurled the sails, and sailed away as fast as they could to escape the terrible Roc.

The monstrous bird was no longer visible, and the travelers began to calm down, but suddenly the flapping of wings was heard again, and in the distance appeared the Roc—this time not alone. With it flew another bird, even larger and more terrifying than the first. This was the male Roc. Each bird carried an enormous stone in its talons—an entire cliff.

Sindbad’s companions ran around the deck, unsure of where to hide from the enraged birds. Some lay down on the deck, others hid behind the masts, and the captain stood motionless, his hands raised to the sky. He was so frightened that he couldn’t move.

Suddenly, a terrible crash resounded, as if from the largest cannon, and waves surged across the sea. One of the birds had dropped its stone but missed. Seeing this, the second Roc let out a loud cry and released its stone directly above the ship. The stone hit the stern. The ship groaned, tilted, righted itself again, tossed by the wave, and began to sink. Waves flooded the deck and swept away all the merchants and sailors. Only Sindbad survived. He grabbed onto a piece of the ship’s plank, and when the waves calmed, he climbed onto it.

For two days and three nights, Sindbad drifted at sea, and on the third day, the waves carried him to an unknown land. Sindbad climbed ashore and looked around. It seemed to him that he was not on an island in the middle of the sea but at home, in Baghdad, in his marvelous garden. His feet stepped on soft green grass dotted with colorful flowers. Tree branches bent under the weight of fruit. Round, gleaming oranges, fragrant lemons, pomegranates, pears, and apples seemed to beg to be eaten. Small, colorful birds chirped loudly as they flitted through the air. By the fast, sparkling, silver-like streams, gazelles leaped and played. They were not afraid of Sindbad because they had never seen humans and did not know to fear them.

Sindbad was so exhausted that he could barely stand. He drank water from the stream, lay down under a tree, and plucked a large apple from a branch, but before he could even take a bite, he fell asleep, still holding the apple in his hand.

When he woke, the sun was high again, and the birds chirped just as merrily in the trees: Sindbad had slept through the entire day and night. Only now did he feel how hungry he was, and he eagerly devoured the fruit.

After regaining some strength, he got up and walked along the shore. He wanted to explore this wondrous land and hoped to meet people who would lead him to some city.

Sindbad walked along the shore for a long time but saw no one. Finally, he decided to rest a little and turned into a small grove where it was cooler.
And suddenly he sees: under a tree, by a stream, sits a small man with long, wavy gray hair, dressed in a shirt made of leaves and girded with grass. This old man sat right by the water, his legs tucked under him, and looked at Sindbad with a pitiful expression.

"Peace be upon you, old man!" said Sindbad. "Who are you, and what is this island? Why are you sitting alone by this stream?"

The old man did not answer Sindbad with a single word but gestured to him: "Carry me across the stream."

Sindbad thought to himself: "If I carry him across the stream, nothing bad will come of it, and doing a good deed is never a bad idea. Perhaps the old man will show me how to find people on the island who can help me get to Baghdad."

And so he approached the old man, placed him on his shoulders, and carried him across the stream.

On the other side, Sindbad knelt down and said to the old man:

"Get down, we have arrived."

But the old man only clung tighter to him and wrapped his legs around Sindbad's neck.

"How long are you going to sit on my shoulders, you wretched old man?" shouted Sindbad, wanting to throw the old man to the ground.

And suddenly the old man laughed loudly and squeezed Sindbad's neck with his legs so hard that Sindbad almost suffocated.

"Woe is me!" exclaimed Sindbad. "I escaped from a cannibal, outsmarted a serpent, and made the Roc carry me, and now I have to carry this wretched old man myself! If only he falls asleep, I will drown him in the sea! And evening is not far off."

But evening came, and the old man showed no intention of getting off Sindbad's neck. He fell asleep on his shoulders and only slightly loosened his grip. And when Sindbad tried to quietly push him off his back, the old man grumbled in his sleep and painfully kicked Sindbad with his heels. His legs were thin and long, like vines.

And so the unfortunate Sindbad turned into a pack camel.

For days on end, he had to run with the old man on his back from one tree to another and from stream to stream. If he walked too slowly, the old man would cruelly kick him in the sides with his heels and squeeze his neck with his knees.

A lot of time passed—a month or more.

And then one day at noon, when the sun was particularly scorching, the old man fell fast asleep on Sindbad's shoulders, and Sindbad decided to rest under a tree somewhere. He began looking for a shady spot and came upon a clearing where many large gourds grew; some of them were dry. Sindbad was overjoyed when he saw the gourds.

"They might come in handy," he thought. "Perhaps they can even help me get rid of this cruel old man."

He immediately selected a few of the larger gourds and hollowed them out with a sharp stick. Then he gathered the ripest grapes, filled the gourds with them, and tightly sealed them with leaves. He placed the gourds in the sun and left the clearing, carrying the old man on his back. For three days, he did not return to the clearing. On the fourth day, Sindbad came back to his gourds (the old man, as before, was asleep on his shoulders) and removed the corks he had used to seal them. A strong smell hit his nose: the grapes had begun to ferment, and their juice had turned into wine. This was exactly what Sindbad needed. He carefully removed the grapes and squeezed their juice directly into the gourds, then sealed them again and placed them in the shade. Now he had to wait for the old man to wake up.
Never had Sinbad wished so much to wake up quickly. Finally, the old man began to fidget on Sinbad's shoulders and kicked him. Then Sinbad took the largest gourd, uncorked it, and took a sip.

The wine was strong and sweet. Sinbad clicked his tongue in delight and began to dance in place, shaking the old man. The old man saw that Sinbad had drunk something delicious and wanted to try it too. "Give me some," he gestured to Sinbad.

Sinbad handed him the gourd, and the old man drank all the juice in one gulp. He had never tasted wine before, and he liked it very much. Soon, he began to sing and laugh, clapping his hands and pounding his fist on Sinbad's neck.

But then the old man's singing grew quieter and quieter, and finally, he fell into a deep sleep, his head drooping onto his chest. His legs gradually loosened, and Sinbad easily shook him off his back. How pleasant it felt for Sinbad to finally stretch his shoulders and stand up straight!

Sinbad left the old man and wandered around the island all day. He lived on the island for many more days, walking along the seashore, looking for any sign of a sail. Finally, he saw a large ship in the distance approaching the island. Sinbad shouted with joy and began running back and forth, waving his arms. When the ship came closer, Sinbad rushed into the water and swam toward it. The ship's captain noticed Sinbad and ordered the vessel to stop. Sinbad, like a cat, climbed aboard and at first couldn't say a word, only hugging the captain and sailors and crying with joy. The sailors spoke loudly among themselves, but Sinbad didn't understand them. There wasn't a single Arab among them, and none of them spoke Arabic. They fed and clothed Sinbad and gave him a place in their cabin. Sinbad traveled with them for many days and nights until the ship docked at a city.

It was a large city with tall white houses and wide streets. Steep mountains covered in dense forest surrounded it on all sides.

Sinbad went ashore and began wandering through the city.

The streets and squares were full of people; everyone Sinbad encountered was black-skinned, with white teeth and red lips. In the main city square, there was a bustling marketplace. Many shops stood there, with merchants from all over—Persians, Indians, Franks, Turks, and Chinese—selling their goods and praising their wares.

Sinbad stood in the middle of the market and looked around. Suddenly, a man in a robe with a large white turban walked past him and stopped at a coppersmith's stall. Sinbad looked at him closely and thought:

"This man's robe looks just like my friend Hajji-Muhammad's from Red Street, and his turban is wrapped in our style. I'll go to him and ask if he's from Baghdad."

Meanwhile, the man in the turban picked out a large shiny basin and a jug with a long, narrow neck, paid the coppersmith two gold dinars, and turned to leave. When he passed Sinbad, Sinbad bowed low and said:

"Peace be upon you, honorable merchant! Tell me, where are you from—are you from Baghdad, the City of Peace?"

"Greetings, countryman!" the merchant replied joyfully. "From the way you speak, I knew right away that you're from Baghdad. I've lived in this city for ten years, and until today, I haven't heard a word of Arabic. Come with me, and let's talk about Baghdad, its gardens, and its squares."

The merchant hugged Sinbad tightly and led him home. He fed and watered Sinbad, and they talked about Baghdad and its wonders until evening. Sinbad was so happy to reminisce about his homeland that he didn't even ask the Baghdadi his name or the name of the city he was in. When it grew dark, the Baghdadi said to Sinbad:

"O countryman, I want to save your life and make you rich. Listen carefully and do everything I tell you. Know that this city is called the City of the Blacks, and all its inhabitants are Zinj (as Arabs called black-skinned Africans). They live in their houses only during the day, and in the evening, they board boats and go out to sea. As soon as night falls, monkeys come from the forest into the city, and if they encounter people on the streets, they kill them. In the morning, the monkeys leave, and the Zinj return. It will soon be completely dark, and the monkeys will come. Get in the boat with me, and let's go, or the monkeys will kill you."

"Thank you, countryman!" Sinbad exclaimed. "Tell me your name so I know who has shown me this kindness."

"My name is Mansur Flat-Nose," the Baghdadi replied. "Come quickly if you don't want to fall into the monkeys' hands."

Sinbad and Mansur left the house and headed for the sea. All the streets were full of people. Men, women, and children ran to the harbor, hurrying, stumbling, and falling.

When they reached the harbor, Mansur untied his boat and jumped in with Sinbad. They rowed a short distance from the shore, and Mansur said:

- The monkeys are about to enter the city. Look!

And suddenly, the mountains surrounding the City of the Blacks were covered with moving lights. The lights rolled down from above, growing larger and larger. Finally, they approached the city, and on the large square appeared monkeys carrying torches in their front paws, lighting the way.

The monkeys scattered across the market, sat in the shops, and began trading. Some sold, others bought. In the taverns, monkey-cooks roasted lambs, cooked rice, and baked bread. The buyers, also monkeys, tried on clothes, selected dishes, fabrics, argued, and fought among themselves. This continued until dawn; when the sky in the east began to lighten, the monkeys lined up in rows and left the city, and the residents returned to their homes.

Mansur Flatnose took Sinbad to his home and said to him:

- I have lived in the City of the Blacks for a long time, and I miss my homeland. Soon, we will set off for Baghdad, but first, you need to earn as much money as possible so that you won’t be ashamed to return home. Listen to what I tell you. The mountains around the City of the Blacks are covered with forest. In this forest, there are many palm trees with beautiful coconuts. The Zinj people love these coconuts and are willing to give a lot of gold and precious stones for each one. But the palm trees in the forest are so tall that no human can reach the coconuts, and no one knows how to get them. But I will teach you. Tomorrow we will go to the forest, and you will return from there a rich man.

The next morning, as soon as the monkeys left the city, Mansur brought out two large heavy sacks from the storeroom, slung one over his shoulder, and told Sinbad to carry the other, saying:

- Follow me and watch what I do. Do the same, and you will have more coconuts than anyone else in this city.

Sinbad and Mansur went into the forest and walked for a long time, an hour or two. Finally, they stopped in front of a large palm grove. There were many monkeys there. Seeing the people, they climbed to the tops of the trees, bared their teeth fiercely, and growled loudly. Sinbad was frightened at first and wanted to run, but Mansur stopped him and said:

- Untie your sack and see what’s inside. Sinbad untied the sack and saw that it was full of round, smooth pebbles. Mansur also untied his sack, took out a handful of pebbles, and threw them at the monkeys. The monkeys screamed even louder, began jumping from one palm tree to another, trying to hide from the stones. But wherever they ran, Mansur’s stones reached them. Then the monkeys began to pluck coconuts from the palms and throw them at Sinbad and Mansur. Mansur and Sinbad ran between the palm trees, lay down, crouched, hid behind the trunks, and only one or two coconuts thrown by the monkeys hit their mark.

Soon, the ground around them was covered with large, choice coconuts. When there were no more stones left in the sacks, Mansur and Sinbad filled them with coconuts and returned to the city. They sold the coconuts at the market and received so much gold and jewels for them that they could barely carry them home.

The next day, they went back to the forest and collected just as many coconuts. They went to the forest for ten days.

Finally, when all the storerooms in Mansur’s house were full, and there was no place left to put the gold, Mansur said to Sinbad:

- Now we can hire a ship and set off for Baghdad.

They went to the sea, chose the largest ship, filled its hold with gold and jewels, and set sail. This time, the wind was favorable, and no misfortune delayed them.

They arrived in Basra, hired a caravan of camels, loaded them with treasures, and set off for Baghdad.

Sinbad’s wife and relatives joyfully welcomed him. Sinbad distributed much gold and precious stones to his friends and acquaintances and settled down peacefully in his home. Once again, as before, merchants came to him to listen to stories of what he had seen and experienced during his travels.

Thus ended Sinbad’s fifth voyage.

More fairy tales

• The Magic Box
• The Tale of Abu-Kir and Abu-Sir
• Bread and Gold
• The Insight of the Bedouin
• The Tale of Ja'far and His Brothers