When it drew near, the crew called out to
me, saying, "Who art thou, and how camest thou to be on this mountain,
whereon never saw we any in our born days?" I answered: "I am a
gentleman and a merchant who hath been wrecked and saved myself on one
of the planks of the ship, with some of my goods. And by the
blessing of the Almighty and the decrees of Destiny and my own
strength and skill, after much toil and moil I have landed with my
gear in this place, where I awaited some passing ship to take me off."
So they took me in their boat, together with the bundles I had made of
the jewels and valuables from the cavern, tied up in clothes and
shrouds, and rowed back with me to the ship, where the captain said to
me: "How camest thou, O man, to yonder place on yonder mountain behind
which lieth a great city? All my life I have sailed these seas and
passed to and fro hard by these heights, yet never saw I here any
living thing save wild beasts and birds." I repeated to him the
story I had told the sailors, but acquainted him with nothing of
that which had befallen me in the city and the cavern, lest there
should be any of the islandry in the ship.
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