of such
size and perfection. I prayed the merchant who owned the nest to which I
had been carried (for every merchant had his own), to take as many for
his share as he pleased. He contented himself with one, and that the
least of them; and when I pressed him to take more, 'No,' said he, 'I am
very well satisfied with this, which is valuable enough to save me the
trouble of making any more voyages, and will raise as great a fortune as
I desire.'

"I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I related my story a
second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it. I could
not moderate my joy when I found myself delivered from the danger I have
mentioned. I thought myself in a dream, and could scarcely believe
myself out of danger.

"The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for
several days, and each of them being satisfied with the diamonds that
had fallen to his lot, we left the place the next morning and travelled
near high mountains, where there were serpents of a prodigious length,
which we had the good fortune to escape. We took shipping at the first
port we reached, and touched at the isle of Roha, where the trees grow
that yield camphire. This tree is so large, and its branches so thick,
that one hundred men may easily sit under its shade. The juice of which
the camphire is made exudes from a hole bored in the upper part of the
tree, is received in a vessel, where it thickens to a consistency, and
becomes what we call camphire; after the juice is thus drawn out, the
tree withers and dies.

"In this island is also found the rhinoceros, an animal less than the
elephant, but larger than the buffalo. It has a horn upon its nose,
about a cubit in length; this horn is solid, and cleft through the
middle. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, runs his horn into his
belly, and carries him off upon his head; but the blood and the fat of
the elephant running into his eyes, and making him blind, he falls to
the ground; and then, strange to relate! the roc comes and carries them
both away in her claws, for food for her young ones.

"In this island I exchanged some of my diamonds for merchandise. From
hence we went to other ports, and at last, having touched at several
trading towns of the continent, we landed at Bussorah, from whence I
proceeded to Bagdad. There I immediately gave large presents to the
poor, and lived honourably upon the vast riches I had gained with so
much fatigue."