Page:History of Sindbad the sailor.pdf/18

18 for us; for being cannibals, their design was to eat us as soon as we grew fat. They did accordingly eat my comrades who were not sensible of their condition; but my senses being entire, you may easily guess, that instead of growing fat as the rest did. I grew leaner every day. The fear of death, under which I laboured, turned all my food into poison, I fell into a languishing distemper, which proved my safety; for the blacks, having killed and eat up my companions. seeing me to be withered, lean and sick, deferred my death till another time.

Meanwhile, I had a great deal of liberty, so that there was scarce any notice taken of what I did, and this gave me an opportunity one day to get at a distance from the houses and to make my escape. An old man, who saw me, and suspected my design called to me as loud as he could to return; but instead of obeying him I redoubled my pace, and quickly got out of sight. At that time there was none but the old man about the houses, the being abroad and not to come home till night, which was pretty usual with them. Therefore, being sure that they could not come time enough to pursue me, I went on till night then I stopt to rest a little and to eat some of the provisions I had taken care for but I speedily set forward again and travelled seven days, avoiding those places which seemed to be inhabited. and lived for the most part upon cocoa nuts, which served me both for meat and drink. On the eighth day I came near the sea, and all of a sudden saw white people like myself. gathering of pepper, of which there was great plenty in that place; thus I took to be a good omen and went to them without any scruple.

The people who gathered pepper came to meet me as soon as they saw me, and asked me in Arabic who I was, and whence I came? I was