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I was Rich and was very Happy after my third voyage, I
could not think to stay within home
altogether. My love of trading, and the pleasure
I took in anything that was new and strange,
made me set my dealings in order, and begin my
journey through some of the Persian
territory,
having first sent off stores of goods to await
my coming in the different places I
planned to
visit.
I sailed the ship at a distance seaport, and
for some time each and everything went
very well, but at
last, being caught in a violent
hurricane, our ship became a total
ruin in spite of all our worthy captain
could do to save it, and many of our
companions vanished in the waves. |
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I with a few left with us, had the good
opportunity to be washed onto the land hang to pieces
of the wreck, for the storm had driven us near
an island, and mess up away from the reach of
the waves we threw ourselves down quite worn out, to wait for morning.
At daylight we wandered inland, and soon saw
some huts, to which we moved towards it. As we
went near, there the black inhabitants
appeared in front of us in
a great number and surrounded us, and we were led
to their houses, and as it were divided among
our captors. I with five others was taken into a
hut, where we were made to sit upon the ground,
and certain herbs were given to us, which they
made signs to us roe eating it.
I harshly observed that they themselves did not touch
those herbs, I was careful only to make up to taste my
portion; but my companions, being very hungry,
hurriedly ate up all that was set before them, and
very soon I had the horror of seeing them become
perfectly mad. Though they chattered incessantly
I could not understand a word they said, nor did
they notice when I spoke to them.
The inhabitants now appeared a large bowls in
front of us which was full of
rice prepared with cocoanut oil, of which my
crazy companion ate eagerly, but I only tasted a
few grains, understanding clearly that the
aim of the blacks was to make us fat speedily
for their own meal, and this was exactly what
happened. My unlucky companions having lost
their reason, felt neither worry nor fear, and
ate greedily all that was offered to them.
So they were soon fat and they were now ended, but I grew
slim day by day, for I ate but little, and
even that little did me no good by reason of
my fear of what lay before me. However, as I
was so far from being a attractive piece, I was allowed to wander about freely,
and one day, when all the blacks had gone off
upon some mission leaving only an old man to
guard me, I managed to escape from him and
entered into the forest, running faster the more
he cried to me to come back, until I had
completely distanced away from him.
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