found the tree newly uprooted, and
the arrows lying beside it, and I feared I should never see you again.
Pray tell me how you escaped death."

I soon satisfied his curiosity, and the next day we went together to
the Ivory Hill, and he was overjoyed to find that I had told him
nothing but the truth. When we had loaded our elephant with as many
tusks as it could carry and were on our way back to the city, he said:

"My brother--since I can no longer treat as a slave one who has
enriched me thus--take your liberty and may Heaven prosper you. I will
no longer conceal from you that these wild elephants have killed
numbers of our slaves every year. No matter what good advice we gave
them, they were caught sooner or later. You alone have escaped the
wiles of these animals, therefore you must be under the special
protection of Heaven. Now through you the whole town will be enriched
without further loss of life, therefore you shall not only receive your
liberty, but I will also bestow a fortune upon you."

To which I replied, "Master, I thank you, and wish you all prosperity.
For myself I only ask liberty to return to my own country."

"It is well," he answered, "the monsoon will soon bring the ivory ships
hither, then I will send you on your way with somewhat to pay your
passage."

So I stayed with him till the time of the monsoon, and every day we
added to our store of ivory till all his ware-houses were overflowing
with it. By this time the other merchants knew the secret, but there
was enough and to spare for all. When the ships at last arrived my
master himself chose the one in which I was to sail, and put on board
for me a great store of choice provisions, also ivory in abundance, and
all the costliest curiosities of the country, for which I could not
thank him enough, and so we parted. I left the ship at the first port
we came to, not feeling at ease upon the sea after all that had
happened to me by reason of it, and having disposed of my ivory for
much gold, and bought many rare and costly presents, I loaded my pack
animals, and joined a caravan of merchants. Our journey was long and
tedious, but I bore it patiently, reflecting that at least I had not to
fear tempests, nor pirates, nor serpents, nor any of the other perils
from which I had suffered before, and at length we reached Bagdad. My
first care was to present myself before the Caliph, and give him an
account of my embassy. He assured me that my