swallow an elephant. In the daytime they hid in their dens from their
enemy, the roc, and came out only in the night.

I spent the day in walking about in the valley. When night came I went
into a cave where I thought I might rest in safety. I closed the low
and narrow entrance with a great stone, to preserve me from the
serpents, but did not shut out all the light. Soon the serpents began
hissing around me and put me in such extreme fear that I could not
sleep. When day appeared the serpents retired, and I came out of the
cave trembling. I can justly say that I walked upon diamonds without
feeling any desire to touch them. At last I sat down, and ate some of
my food, and, in spite of my fears, fell asleep, for I had not closed
my eyes during the night. Scarcely were they shut when something that
fell by me with a great noise awoke me. This was a large piece of raw
meat; and at the same time, I saw several others fall down from the
rocks in different places.

I had never believed what I had heard sailors and others tell of the
valley of diamonds, and of the means employed by merchants to obtain
jewels from it. But now I found that I had heard the truth. For the
fact is, that merchants come to this valley when the eagles have young
ones, and throw great joints of meat into it; the diamonds, upon whose
points they fall, stick to them; the eagles, which are stronger in
this country than anywhere else, pounce with great force upon these
pieces of meat, and carry them to their nests on the edge of the rocks
to feed their young; then the merchants run to their nests, drive off
the eagles by their shouts, and take away the diamonds that stick to
the meat.

In this device I saw the means of my escape.

I gathered the largest diamonds I could find, and put them into a
leather bag fastened at my waist. Then I took the largest of the
pieces of meat, tied it close around me with the cloth of my turban,
and laid myself upon the ground, with my face downwards. I had
scarcely placed myself thus when one of the eagles bore me, with the
piece of meat to which I was fastened, to his nest on the top of the
mountain. The merchants at once began their shouting to frighten the
eagles, and when they had driven the birds away, one of them came to
the nest where I was. He was much alarmed when he first saw me, but
soon began to quarrel, and asked me why I stole his goods.

"Do not be uneasy," said I; "here are diamonds enough for you and