raft to the course
of the river, and resigning myself to the will of God.

As soon as I entered the cavern, I lost all light, and the stream
carried me I knew not whither. Thus I floated on, eating only enough
to keep myself alive. But the food was soon spent, and I lost my
senses. When I revived, I found myself on the brink of a river, where
my raft was tied, amidst a great number of negroes. When I saluted
them, they spoke to me, but I did not understand their tongue. In my
joy I recited aloud the following words in Arabic,--

"Call upon the Almighty. He will help thee; shut thine eyes, and while
thou art asleep, God will change thy bad fortune into good."

One of the negroes, who understood Arabic, came forward and told me
that they had seen my raft, and fastened it until I should awake.
Through him I told the others, at their request, of all that had
befallen me. The story was so strange that they said I must tell it to
their king myself. Then they mounted me on a horse, and some led the
way, and some followed with my raft and cargo.

The king received me kindly, and bade me sit by his side while I told
him what I have told you. When my bales were opened in his presence,
he marveled at what they contained, above all at the rubies and
emeralds, which surpassed any in his treasury.

When I saw with what pleasure he viewed them, I fell at his feet and
said,--

"Sire, not only is my person at your majesty's service, but the cargo
of the raft, and I beg of you to dispose of it as your own."

But he would take none of my goods, and promised that I should leave
his realm richer than I came. His officers were charged to serve me at
his expense, and every day I paid the king my court, and saw what was
most worthy of notice in the city. By way of devotion I made a
pilgrimage to the place where Adam was confined after his banishment
from Paradise.

Then I prayed the king to allow me to return to my own country, and
his permission was most kindly given. He would force a rich present
upon me; and at the same time charged me with a letter for the
Commander of the Faithful, our sovereign, saying to me, "I pray you
give this present for me, and this letter, to the Caliph Haroun
Al-Raschid, and assure him of my friendship."

The letter from the king of Serendib was written on the skin of a
certain animal of great value, very scarce, and of a yellowish color.
The characters of the letter were of azure, and the contents as