Page:History of Sindbad the sailor.pdf/9

9 I always looked upon it to be a fable, when I heard mariners and others discourse of the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagem made use of by some merchants to get jewels from thence, but then I found it to be true. For, in reality, those merchants came to the neighbourhood of this valley, when the eagles have young ones, and throwing great joints of meat into this valley. the diamonds upon whose points they fall. stick to them; the eagles, which are amazingly strong in this country. fall down with great force upon those pieces of meat, and carry them to their nests upon the top of the rocks, to feed their young eagles with; at which time the merchants, running to their nests, frighten the eagles by their noise, and take away the diamonds which stick to the meat.

I believed ever till then, that it was not possible for me to get out of this abyss, which I looked upon as my grave; but then I changed my mind; for the falling in of those pieces of meat, put me in hopes of a way of saving my life.

I began to gather together the greatest diamonds that I could see, and put them into the leather bag where I used to carry my provisions. I afterwards took the largest peace of meat I could find, tied it close round me with the cloth of my turban, and then laid myself upon the ground, with my face downward, the bag of diamonds being tied fast to my girdle, that it could not possibly drop off.

I had scarce laid me down, till the eagles came, each of them seized a piece of meat, and one of the strongest having taken me up, with the piece of meat on my back, carried me to his nest on the top of the mountain. The merchants fell straightway a shouting to frighten the eagles; and when they had obliged them to quit their prey, one of them came up to the nest where I was: he was