tagems employed by
merchants to obtain jewels from thence; but now I found that they had
stated nothing but truth. For the fact is, that the merchants come to
the neighbourhood of this valley when the eagles have young ones; and,
throwing great joints of meat into the valley, 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 those pieces of
meat, and carry them to their nests on the rocks to feed their young;
the merchants at this time run to the nests, drive off the eagles by
their shouts, and take away the diamonds that stick to the meat.

"Until I perceived the device I had concluded it to be impossible for me
to leave this abyss, which I regarded as my grave; but now I changed my
opinion, and began to think upon the means of my deliverance. I began to
collect the largest diamonds I could find, and put them into the leather
bag in which I used to carry my provisions. I afterward took the
largest of the pieces of meat, 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 made fast to my girdle.

"I had scarcely placed myself in this posture when 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 to which I was fastened, carried me to his
nest on the top of the mountain. The merchants immediately began their
shouting to frighten the eagles; and when they had obliged them to quit
their prey, one of them came to the nest where I was. He was much
alarmed when he saw me; but recovering himself, instead of inquiring how
I came thither, began to quarrel with me, and asked, why I stole his
goods. 'You will treat me,' replied I, 'with more civility when you know
me better. Do not be uneasy, I have diamonds enough for you and myself,
more than all the other merchants together. What ever they have, they
owe to chance, but I selected for myself in the bottom of the valley
those which you see in this bag.' I had scarcely done speaking, when the
other merchants came crowding about us, much astonished to see me; but
they were much more surprised when I told them my story.

"They conducted me to their encampment, and there having opened my bag,
they were surprised at the largeness of my diamonds, and confessed that
in all the courts which they had visited they had never seen any