had, no, nor a half of it in all my life. However, after a while
Allah sent me a thought and I said to myself, "By God, needs must
this stream have an end as well as a beginning; ergo an issue
somewhere, and belike its course may lead to some inhabited
place; so my best plan is to make me a little boat[FN#77] big
enough to sit in, and carry it and launching it on the river,
embark therein and drop down the stream. If I escape, I escape,
by God's leave; and if I perish, better die in the river than
here." Then, sighing for myself, I set to work collecting a
number of pieces of Chinese and Comorin aloes-wood and I bound
them together with ropes from the wreckage; then I chose out from
the broken-up ships straight planks of even size and fixed them
firmly upon the aloes-wood, making me a boat-raft a little
narrower than the channel of the stream; and I tied it tightly
and firmly as though it were nailed. Then I loaded it with the
goods, precious ores and jewels: and the union pearls which were
like gravel and the best of the ambergris crude and pure,
together with what I had collected on the island and what was
left me of victual and wild herbs. Lastly I lashed a piece of
wood on either side, to serve me as oars; and launched it, and
embarking, did according to the saying of the poet,

"Fly, fly with life whenas evils threat; * Leave the house to
tell of its builder's fate!
Land after land shalt thou seek and find * But no other life on
thy wish shall wait:
Fret not thy soul in thy thoughts o' night; * All woes shall end
or sooner or late.
Whoso is born in one land to die, * There and only there shall
gang his gait: