Know, O my brother, that I was living a most comfortable and
enjoyable life, in all solace and delight, as I told you
yesterday,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-third Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Sindbad the Seaman's guests were all gathered together he thus
bespake them:--I was living a most enjoyable life until one day
my mind became possessed with the thought of travelling about the
world of men and seeing their cities and islands; and a longing
seized me to traffic and to make money by trade. Upon this
resolve I took a great store of cash and, buying goods and gear
fit for travel, bound them up in bales. Then I went down to the
river-bank, where I found a noble ship and brand-new about to
sail, equipped with sails of fine cloth and well manned and
provided; so I took passage in her, with a number of other
merchants, and after embarking our goods we weighed anchor the
same day. Right fair was our voyage and we sailed from place to
place and from isle to isle; and whenever we anchored we met a
crowd of merchants and notables and customers, and we took to
buying and selling and bartering. At last Destiny brought us to
an island, fair and verdant, in trees abundant, with yellow-ripe
fruits luxuriant, and flowers fragrant and birds warbling soft
descant; and streams crystalline and radiant; but no sign of man
showed to the descrier, no, not a blower of the fire.[FN#20] The
captain made fast with us to this island, and the merchants and
sailors landed and walked about, enjoying the shade of the trees