I was asleep or awake; but being persuaded
that I was not asleep, I recited aloud the following words in Arabic:
'Call upon the Almighty, He will help thee; thou needest not perplex
thyself about anything else: shut thy eyes, and while thou art asleep,
God will change thy bad fortune into good.'

"One of the blacks, who understood Arabic, hearing me speak thus, came
toward me and said: 'Brother, be not surprised to see us; we are
inhabitants of this country, and came hither to-day to water our fields.
We observed something floating upon the water, and, perceiving your
raft, one of us swam into the river and brought it hither, where we
fastened it, as you see, until you should awake. Pray tell us your
history, for it must be extraordinary; how did you venture yourself into
this river, and whence did you come?' I begged of them first to give me
something to eat, and then I would satisfy their curiosity. They gave me
several sorts of food, and when I had satisfied my hunger, I related all
that had befallen me, which they listened to with attentive surprise. As
soon as I had finished, they told me, by the person who spoke Arabic
and interpreted to them what I said, that it was one of the most
wonderful stories they had ever heard, and that I must go along with
them, and tell it to their king myself; it being too extraordinary to be
related by any other than the person to whom the events had happened.

"They immediately sent for a horse, which was brought in a little time;
and having helped me to mount, some of them walked before to shew the
way, while the rest took my raft and cargo and followed.

"We marched till we came to the capital of Serendib, for it was in that
island I had landed. The blacks presented me to their king; I approached
his throne, and saluted him as I used to do the Kings of the Indies;
that is to say, I prostrated myself at his feet. The prince ordered me
to rise, received me with an obliging air, and made me sit down near
him.

"I related to the king all that I have told you, and his majesty was so
surprised and pleased, that he commanded my adventures to be written in
letters of gold, and laid up in the archives of his kingdom. At last my
raft was brought in, and the bales opened in his presence: he admired
the quantity of wood of aloes and ambergris; but, above all, the rubies
and emeralds, for he had none in his treasury that equalled them.

"Observing that he looked on my jewels with pleasure