ed my satisfaction, and which I could not view without terror,
namely, a great number of serpents, so monstrous that the least of them
was capable of swallowing an elephant. They retired in the day-time to
their dens, where they hid themselves from the roc, their enemy, and
came out only in the night.

I spent the day in walking about in the valley, resting myself at times
in such places as I thought most convenient. When night came on I went
into I cave, where I thought I might repose in safety. I secured the
entrance, which was low and narrow, with a great stone, to preserve me
from the serpents; but not so far as to exclude the light. I supped on
part of my provisions, but the serpents, which began hissing round me,
put me into such extreme fear that I did not sleep. When day appeared
the serpents retired, and I came out of the cave trembling. I can justly
say that I walked upon diamonds without feeling any inclination to touch
them. At last I sat down, and notwithstanding my apprehensions, not
having closed my eyes during the night, fell asleep, after having eaten
a little more of my provisions. But I had scarcely shut my eyes when
something that fell by me with a great noise awaked me. This was a large
piece of raw meat; and at the same time I saw several others fall down
from the rocks in different places.

I had always regarded as fabulous what I had heard sailors and others
relate of the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagems employed by
merchants to obtain jewels from thence; but now I found that they had
stated nothing but the truth. For the fact is, that the merchants come
to the neighbourhood of this valley, when the eagles have young ones,
and throwing great joints of meat into the valley, the diamonds, upon
whose points they fall, stick to them; the eagles, which are stronger in
this country than anywhere else, pounce with great force upon those
pieces of meat, and carry them to their nests on the precipices of the
rocks to feed their young: the merchants at this time run to their
nests, disturb and drive off the eagles by their shouts, and take away
the diamonds that stick to the meat.

I perceived in this device the means of my deliverance.

Having collected together the largest diamonds I could find, I put them
into the leather bag in which I used to carry my provisions, I took the
largest of the pieces of meat, tied it close round me with the cloth of
my turban, and then laid myself upon the grou