A number of merchants also brought their outfits and
paid me freight and passage money. Then, after reciting the fatihah,
we set sail over Allah's pool in all joy and cheer, promising
ourselves a prosperous voyage and much profit.
We sailed from city to city and from island to island and from sea
to sea viewing the cities and countries by which we passed, and
selling and buying in not a few, till one day we came to a great
uninhabited island, deserted and desolate, whereon was a white dome of
biggest bulk half buried in the sands. The merchants landed to examine
this dome, leaving me in the ship, and when they drew near, behold, it
was a huge roc's egg. They fell a-beating it with stones, knowing
not what it was, and presently broke it open, whereupon much water ran
out of it and the young roc appeared within. So they pulled it forth
of the shell and cut its throat and took of it great store of meat.
Now I was in the ship and knew not what they did, but presently one of
the passengers came up to me and said, "O my lord, come and look at
the egg that we thought to be a dome." So I looked, and seeing the
merchants beating it with stones, called out to them: "Stop, stop!
Do not meddle with that egg, or the bird roc will come out and break
our ship and destroy us.
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