my master's house, and was received by him
with joyful surprise.

"Ah! poor Sindbad," he cried, "I was wondering what could have become of
you. When I went to the forest I 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 warehouses 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
s