nd, with my face downward,
the bag of diamonds being made fast to my girdle.

I had scarcely placed myself in this posture when one of the eagles,
having taken me up with the piece of meat to which I was fastened,
carried me to his nest on the top of the mountain. The merchants
immediately began their shouting to frighten the eagles; and when they
had obliged them to quit their prey, one of them came to the nest where
I was. He was much alarmed when he saw me; but recovering himself,
instead of inquiring how I came thither, began to quarrel with me, and
asked why I stole his goods? "You will treat me," replied I, "with more
civility, when you know me better. Do not be uneasy; I have diamonds
enough for you and myself, more than all the other merchants together.
Whatever they have they owe to chance; but I selected for myself, in the
bottom of the valley, those which you see in this bag," I had scarcely
done speaking, when the other merchants came crowding about us, much
astonished to see me; but they were much more surprised when I told them
my story.

They conducted me to their encampment; and there having opened my bag,
they were surprised at the largeness of my diamonds, and confessed that
they had never seen any of such size and perfection. I prayed the
merchant who owned the nest to which I had been carried (for every
merchant had his own) to take as many for his share as he pleased. He
contented himself with one, and that, too, the least of them; and when I
pressed him to take more, without fear of doing me any injury, "No,"
said he, "I am very well satisfied with this, which is valuable enough
to save me the trouble of making any more voyages, and will raise as
great a fortune as I desire."

I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I related my story a
second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it, I could
not moderate my joy when I found myself delivered from the danger I have
mentioned. I thought myself in a dream, and could scarcely believe
myself out of danger.

The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for
several days; and each of them being satisfied with the diamonds that
had fallen to his lot, we left the place the next morning, and travelled
near high mountains, where there were serpents of a prodigious length,
which we had the good fortune to escape. We took shipping at the first
port we reached, and touched at the isle of Roha, where the trees grow
that