t of his third voyage.

THIRD VOYAGE

After a very short time the pleasant easy life I led made me quite
forget the perils of my two voyages. Moreover, as I was still in the
prime of life, it pleased me better to be up and doing. So once more
providing myself with the rarest and choicest merchandise of Bagdad, I
conveyed it to Balsora, and set sail with other merchants of my
acquaintance for distant lands. We had touched at many ports and made
much profit, when one day upon the open sea we were caught by a terrible
wind which blew us completely out of our reckoning, and lasting for
several days finally drove us into harbor on a strange island.

"I would rather have come to anchor anywhere than here," quoth our
captain. "This island and all adjoining it are inhabited by hairy
savages, who are certain to attack us, and whatever these dwarfs may do
we dare not resist, since they swarm like locusts, and if one of them is
killed the rest will fall upon us, and speedily make an end of us."

These words caused great consternation among all the ship's company, and
only too soon we were to find out that the captain spoke truly. There
appeared a vast multitude of hideous savages, not more than two feet
high and covered with reddish fur. Throwing themselves into the waves
they surrounded our vessel. Chattering meanwhile in a language we could
not understand, and clutching at ropes and gangways, they swarmed up the
ship's side with such speed and agility that they almost seemed to fly.

You may imagine the rage and terror that seized us as we watched them,
neither daring to hinder them nor able to speak a word to deter them
from their purpose, whatever it might be. Of this we were not left long
in doubt. Hoisting the sails, and cutting the cable of the anchor, they
sailed our vessel to an island which lay a little further off, where
they drove us ashore; then taking possession of her, they made off to
the place from which they had come, leaving us helpless upon a shore
avoided with horror by all mariners for a reason which you will soon
learn.

Turning away from the sea we wandered miserably inland, finding as we
went various herbs and fruits which we ate, feeling that we might as
well live as long as possible though we had no hope of escape. Presently
we saw in the far distance what seemed to us to be a splendid palace,
towards which we turned our weary steps, but when we reached it we saw
that it was a castle, lofty,