aspires mustn't sleep o' night:
Who seeketh pearl in the deep must dive, * Winning weal and
wealth by his main and might:
And who seeketh Fame without toil and strife * Th' impossible
seeketh and wasteth life."

So taking heart I bought me goods, merchandise and all needed for
a voyage and, impatient to be at sea, I embarked, with a company
of merchants, on board a ship bound for Bassorah. There we again
embarked and sailed many days and nights, and we passed from isle
to isle and sea to sea and shore to shore, buying and selling and
bartering everywhere the ship touched, and continued our course
till we came to an island as it were a garth of the gardens of
Paradise. Here the captain cast anchor and making fast to the
shore, put out the landing planks. So all on board landed and
made furnaces[FN#7] and lighting fires therein, busied themselves
in various ways, some cooking and some washing, whilst other some
walked about the island for solace, and the crew fell to eating
and drinking and playing and sporting. I was one of the walkers
but, as we were thus engaged, behold the master who was standing
on the gunwale cried out to us at the top of his voice, saying,
"Ho there! passengers, run for your lives and hasten back to the
ship and leave your gear and save yourselves from destruction,
Allah preserve you! For this island whereon ye stand is no true
island, but a great fish stationary a-middlemost of the sea,
whereon the sand hath settled and trees have sprung up of old
time, so that it is become like unto an island;[FN#8] but, when
ye lighted fires on it, it felt the heat and moved; and in a
moment it will sink with you into the sea and ye will all be
drowned. So leave your gear and seek your safety ere ye die!"--