the earth; she afterwards descended with so much rapidity
that I lost my senses. But when I found myself on the ground I
speedily untied the knot, and had scarcely done so when the roc,
having taken up a serpent of a monstrous length in her bill, flew
away.

The spot where it left me was encompassed on all sides by mountains
that seemed to reach above the clouds, and so steep that there was no
possibility of getting out of the valley. This was a new perplexity;
so that when I compared this place with the desert island from which
the roc had brought me, I found that I had gained nothing by the
change.

As I walked through this valley I perceived it was strewed with
diamonds, some of which were of a surprising bigness. I took pleasure
in looking upon them; but shortly saw at a distance such objects as
greatly diminished my satisfaction, and which I could not view without
terror--namely, a great number of serpents, so monstrous that the
least of them was capable of swallowing an elephant. They retired in
the daytime to their dens, where they hid themselves from the roc,
their enemy, and came out only in the night.

I spent the day in walking about in the valley, resting myself at
times in such places as I thought most convenient. When night came on
I went into a cave, where I thought I might repose in safety. I
secured the entrance, which was low and narrow, with a great stone, to
preserve me from the serpents, but not so far as to exclude the light.
I supped on part of my provisions, but the serpents, which began
hissing round me, put me into such extreme fear that I did 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 inclination to touch them. At last I sat down, and
notwithstanding my apprehensions, not having closed my eyes during the
night, fell asleep, after having eaten a little more of my provisions.
But I had scarcely shut my eyes when something that fell by me with a
great noise awaked 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 always regarded as fabulous what I had heard sailors and others
relate of the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagems employed by
merchants to obtain jewels from thence; but now I found that they had
stated nothing but the truth. For the fact is that the merchants come
to the neighborhoo