o the top of a lofty tree, from whence I
looked about on all sides, to see if I could discover anything that
could give me hopes. When I gazed toward the sea I could see nothing but
sky and water; but looking over the land, I beheld something white; and
coming down, I took what provision I had left and went toward it, the
distance being so great, that I could not distinguish what it was.

As I approached, I thought it to be a white dome, of a prodigious height
and extent; and when I came up to it, I touched it, and found it to be
very smooth. I went round to see if it was open on any side, but saw it
was not, and that there was no climbing up to the top, as it was so
smooth. It was at least fifty paces round.

By this time the sun was about to set, and all of a sudden the sky
became as dark as if it had been covered with a thick cloud. I was much
astonished at this sudden darkness, but much more when I found it
occasioned by a bird of a monstrous size, that came flying toward me. I
remembered that I had often heard mariners speak of a miraculous bird
called the Roc, and conceived that the great dome which I so much
admired must be its egg. In short, the bird alighted, and sat over the
egg. As I perceived her coming, I crept close to the egg, so that I had
before me one of the legs of the bird, which was as big as the trunk of
a tree. I tied myself strongly to it with my turban, in hopes that the
roc next morning would carry me with her out of this desert island.
After having passed the night in this condition, the bird flew away as
soon as it was daylight, and carried me so high, that I could not
discern the earth; she afterward descended with so much rapidity that I
lost my senses. But when I found myself on the ground, I speedily untied
the knot, and had scarcely done so, when the roc, having taken up a
serpent of a monstrous length in her bill, flew away.

The spot where it left me was encompassed on all sides by mountains,
that seemed to reach above the clouds, and so steep that there was no
possibility of getting out of the valley. This was a new perplexity; so
that when I compared this place with the desert island from which the
roc had brought me, I found that I had gained nothing by the change.

As I walked through this valley, I perceived it was strewed with
diamonds, some of which were of surprising bigness. I took pleasure in
looking upon them; but shortly saw at a distance such objects as greatly
diminish