mere travellers' tales invented to give pleasure
to the hearers, but now I perceived that they were surely true. These
merchants came to the valley at the time when the eagles, which keep
their eyries in the rocks, had hatched their young. The merchants then
threw great lumps of meat into the valley. These, falling with so much
force upon the diamonds, were sure to take up some of the precious
stones with them, when the eagles pounced upon the meat and carried it
off to their nests to feed their hungry broods. Then the merchants,
scaring away the parent birds with shouts and outcries, would secure
their treasures. Until this moment I had looked upon the valley as my
grave, for I had seen no possibility of getting out of it alive, but now
I took courage and began to devise a means of escape. I began by picking
up all the largest diamonds I could find and storing them carefully in
the leathern wallet which had held my provisions; this I tied securely
to my belt. I then chose the piece of meat which seemed most suited to
my purpose, and with the aid of my turban bound it firmly to my back;
this done I laid down upon my face and awaited the coming of the eagles.
I soon heard the flapping of their mighty wings above me, and had the
satisfaction of feeling one of them seize upon my piece of meat, and me
with it, and rise slowly towards his nest, into which he presently
dropped me. Luckily for me the merchants were on the watch, and setting
up their usual outcries, they rushed to the nest, scaring away the
eagle. Their amazement was great when they discovered me, and also their
disappointment, and with one accord they fell to abusing me for having
robbed them of their usual profit. Addressing myself to the one who
seemed most aggrieved, I said:--

"I am sure, if you knew all that I have suffered, you would show more
kindness towards me, and as for diamonds, I have enough here of the very
best for you and me and all your company." So saying I showed them to
him. The others all crowded around me, wondering at my adventures and
admiring the device by which I had escaped from the valley, and when
they had led me to their camp and examined my diamonds, they assured me
that in all the years that they had carried on their trade they had seen
no stones to be compared with them for size and beauty.

I found that each merchant chose a particular nest, and took his chance
of what he might find in it. So I begged the one who owned the ne