Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 3.djvu/23

ſhould enter thoſe he gave me the Charge of; Enter them, ſays the Captain, in the Name of Sindbad the Sailor. I could not hear my ſelf named without ſome Emotion, and looking ſtedfaſtly on the Captain, I knew him to be the Perſon, who, in my ſecond Voyage, had left me in the Iſland where I fell aſleep by a Brook, and ſet Sail without me, or ſending to ſee for me. But I cou’d not remember him at firſt, he was ſo much alter’d ſince I ſaw him.

And as for him who believed me to be dead, I could not wonder at his not knowing me. But Captain, ſays I, was the Merchant’s Name, to whom thoſe Bales belong d Sindbad? Yes, replies he, that was his Name; he came from Bagdad, and embark’d on board my Ship at Balſora. One Day, when we landed at an Iſland to take in Water and other Refreſhments, I know not by what Miſtake, I ſet Sail without obſerving that he did not embark with us; neither I nor the Merchants perceiv’d it till ſour Hours after. We had the Wind on our Stern, and fo freſh a Gale, that it was not poſſible for us to tack about for him, You believe him then to be dead, ſays I? Certainly, anſwrers he. No, Captain, ſays I, look upon me, and you may know that I am Sindbad, whom you left in that deſart Iſland. I fell aſleep by a Brook, and when I awaked, I found all the Company gone. At theſe Words the Captain looked ſtedfaſtly upon me. Here Scheherazade, perceiving Day, broke oft her Story, and next Night reſumed it thus,

THE Captain, continued Sindbad, having conſidered me attentively, knew me at laſt, embrac’d me, and ſaid, God be praiſed that Fortune has ſupplied my Defect. There are your Goods, which I always took care to preſerve, and to make the beſt of them at every Port where I touched. I reſtore them to you with the Profit I have made of them. I took them from him, and at the ſame time acknowledged how much I owed to him.