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The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 by Anonymous
page 72 of 428 (16%)
the shores were strewn. As for me I looked into the bed of the
stream aforesaid and saw therein great plenty of rubies, and
great royal pearls[FN#73] and all kinds of jewels and precious
stones which were as gravel in the bed of the rivulets that ran
through the fields, and the sands sparkled and glittered with
gems and precious ores. Moreover we found in the island abundance
of the finest lign-aloes, both Chinese and Comorin; and there
also is a spring of crude ambergris[FN#74] which floweth like wax
or gum over the stream-banks, for the great heat of the sun, and
runneth down to the sea-shore, where the monsters of the deep
come up and swallowing it, return into the sea. But it burneth in
their bellies; so they cast it up again and it congealeth on the
surface of the water, whereby its color and quantities are
changed; and at last, the waves cast it ashore, and the
travellers and merchants who know it, collect it and sell it. But
as to the raw ambergris which is not swallowed, it floweth over
the channel and congealeth on the banks and when the sun shineth
on it, it melteth and scenteth the whole valley with a musk-like
fragrance: then, when the sun ceaseth from it, it congealeth
again. But none can get to this place where is the crude
ambergris, because of the mountains which enclose the island on
all sides and which foot of man cannot ascend.[FN#75] We
continued thus to explore the island, marvelling at the wonderful
works of Allah and the riches we found there, but sore troubled
for our own case, and dismayed at our prospects. Now we had
picked up on the beach some small matter of victual from the
wreck and husbanded it carefully, eating but once every day or
two, in our fear lest it should fail us and we die miserably of
famine or affright. Moreover, we were weak for colic brought on
by sea-sickness and low diet, and my companions deceased, one
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