The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman according to the version of the Calcutta Edition which differs in essential form from the preceding tale

Know, O my brothers and friends and companions all, that when I left voyaging and commercing, I said in myself, "Suffics me that has befallen me;" and I spent my time in solace and pleasure. One day as I sat at home there came a knock at the door and when the porter opened a page entered and said, "The Caliph bids you to him." I went with him to the King's majesty and kissed ground and saluted him; whereupon he welcomed me and entreated me with honour and said, "O Sindbad, I have an occasion for you: will you do it?" So I kissed his hand and asked him, saying, "O my lord, what occasion has the master for the slave?"; whereto he answered me, "I am minded that you travel to the King of Sarandib and carry to him our writ and our gift, for that he has sent to us a present and a letter.

I trembled at these words and rejoined, "By God the Omnipotent, O my lord, I have taken a loathing to journey, and when I hear the words 'Voyage' or 'Travel,' my limbs tremble for what has befallen me of hardships and horrors. Indeed I have no desire whatever for this; more by token as I have bound myself by oath not to quit Baghdad." Then I informed the Caliph of all I had passed through from beginning to end, and he marvelled with exceeding marvel and said, "By the Almighty, O Sindbad, from ages of old such mishaps as happened to you were never known to happen to any, and you do only right never even to talk of travel. For our sake, however, you will go this time and carry our present and our letter to him of Sarandib; and God willing by God's leave! You will return quickly; and in this way we shall be under no obligation to the said King." I replied that I heard and obeyed, being unable to oppose his command, so he gave me the gifts and the missive with money to pay my way and I kissed hands and left the presence.

Then I dropped down from Baghdad to the Gulf, and with other merchants embarked, and our ship sailed before a fair wind many days and nights till, By God's aid, we reached the island of Sarandib. As soon as we had made fast we landed and I took the present and the letter; and, going in with them to the King, kissed ground before him. When he saw me, he said, "Well come, O Sindbad! By God Omnipotent we were longing to see you, and glory be to God who has again shown us your face!" Then taking me by the hand he made me sit by his side, rejoicing, and he welcomed me with familiar kindness again and entreated me as a friend. After this he began to converse with me and courteously addressed me and asked, "What was the cause of your coming to us, O Sindbad?" So after kissing his hand and thanking him I answered, "O my lord, I have brought you a present from my master, the Caliph Harun al-Rashid;" and offered him the present and the letter which he read and at which he rejoiced with passing joy. The present consisted of a mare worth ten thousand ducats, bearing a golden saddle set with jewels; a book; a sumptuous suit of clothes and an hundred different kinds of white Cairene cloths and silks of Suez, Cufa and Alexandria; Greek carpets and an hundred maunds weight of linen and raw silk. Moreover there was a wondrous rarety, a marvellous cup of crystal middlemost of which was the figure of a lion faced by a kneeling man grasping a bow with arrow drawn to the very head, together with the food tray of Sulayman the son of David (on whom be peace!). The missive ran as follows, "Peace from King al-Rashid, the aided of Allah (who has vouchsafed to him and his forefathers noble rank and wide spread glory), be on the fortunate Sultan. But after. Your letter came to our hands and we rejoiced at that; and we have sent the book entitled 'Delight of the Intelligent and for Friends the Rare Present,' together with sundry curiosities suitable for Kings so; do you favour us by accepting them: and peace be with you!"

Then the King lavished upon me much wealth and entreated me with all honour; so I prayed for him and thanked him for his munificence. Some days after I craved his leave to depart, but could not obtain it except by great pressing, whereupon I farewelled him and fared forth from his city, with merchants and other companions, homewards bound without any desire for travel or trade. We continued voyaging and coasting along many islands; but, when we were half way, we were surrounded by a number of canoes, in which were men like devils armed with bows and arrows, swords and daggers; habited in mail coats and other armoury They fell upon us and wounded and slew all who opposed them; then, having captured the ship and her contents, carried us to an island, where they sold us at the meanest price. Now I was bought by a wealthy man who, taking me to his house, gave me meat and drink and clothing and treated me in the friendliest manner; so I was heartened and I rested a little. One day he asked me, "Do you know any art or craft?" and I answered him, "O my lord, I am a merchant and know nothing but trade and traffic."

"Do you know," he said, "how to use bow and arrow?" "Yes," I replied, "I know that much." Thereupon he brought me a bow and arrows and mounted me behind him upon an elephant: then he set out as night was well near over and, passing through a forest of huge growths, came to a tall and sturdy tree up which he made me climb. Then he gave me the bow and arrows, saying, "Sit here now, and when the elephants troop here in early morning, shoot at them; Perhaps you will hit one; and, if he fall, come and tell me." With this he left me. I hid myself in the tree being in sore terror and trembled till the sun arose; and, when the elephants appeared and wandered about among the trees, I shot my arrows at them and continued till I had shot down one of them. In the evening I reported my success to my master who was delighted in me and entreated me with high honour; and next morning he removed the slain elephant. In this wise I continued, every morning shooting an elephant which my master would remove till, one day, as I was perched in hiding on the tree there came on suddenly and unexpectedly an innumerable host of elephants whose screaming and trumpeting were such that I imagined the earth trembled under them. All surrounded my tree, whose circumference was some fifty cubits, and one enormous monster came up to it and winding his trunk round the bole haled it up by the roots, and dashed it to the ground. I fell down fainting amongst the beasts when the monster elephant wound his trunk about me and, setting me on his back, went off with me, the others accompanying us. He carried me still unconscious till he reached the place for which he was making, when he rolled me off his back and presently went his ways followed by the others.

So I rested a little; and, when my terror had subsided, I looked about me and I found myself among the bones of elephants, by which I concluded that this was their burial place, and that the monster elephant had led me there on account of the tusks. So I arose and walked a whole day and night till I arrived at the house of my master, who saw my colour changed by stress of affright and famine. He rejoiced in my return and said to me, "By God, you have made my heart sore! I went when you were missing and found the tree torn up, and thought that the elephants had slain you. Tell me how it was with you." I acquainted him with all that had happened me; at which he wondered greatly, and rejoiced and at last asked me, "Do you know the place?"; whereto I answered, "Yes, O my master!" So we mounted an elephant and fared until we came to the spot; and, when my master beheld the heaps of tusks, he rejoiced greatly; then carrying away as many as he wanted he returned with me home. After this, he entreated me with increased favour and said, "O my son, you have shown us the way to great gain, Why Allah requite you! You are freed for the Almighty's sake and before His face! The elephants used to destroy many of us on account of our hunting them for their ivories and sorivellos; but Allah has preserved you from them, and you have profited us by the heaps to which you have led us." "O my master," replied I, "God free your neck from the fire! And do you grant me, O my master, your gracious leave to return to my own country." "Yes," he said, "you will have that permission. But we have a yearly fair, when merchants come to us from various quarters to buy up these ivories. The time is drawing near and, when they shall have done their business, I will send you under their charge and will give you wherewithal to reach your home."

So I blessed and thanked him and remained with him, treated with respect and honour, for some days, when the merchants came as he had foretold, and bought and sold and bartered; and when they had made their preparations to return, my master came to me and said, "Rise and get you ready to travel with the traders en route to your country." They had bought a number of tusks which they had bound together in loads and were embarking them when my master sent me with them, paying for my passage and settling all my debts; besides which he gave me a large present in goods. We set out and voyaged from island to island till we had crossed the sea and landed on the shores of the Persian Gulf, when the merchants brought out and sold their stores: I also sold what I had at a high profit; and I bought some of the prettiest things in the place for presents and beautiful rareties and everything else I wanted. I likewise bought for myself a beast and we fared forth and crossed the deserts from country to country till I reached Baghdad. Here I went in to the Caliph and, after saluting him and kissing hands, informed him of all that had befallen me; whereupon he rejoiced in my safety and thanked Almighty Allah; and he bade my story be written in letters of gold. I then entered my house and met my family and brethren: and such is the end of the history that happened to me during my seven voyages. Praise be to Allah, the One, the Creator, the Maker of all things in Heaven and Earth! Now when Shahrazad had ended her story of the two Sindbads Dinarzad exclaimed, "O my sister, how pleasant is your tale and how tasteful! How sweet and how grateful!" She replied, "And what is this compared with that I could tell you to morrow night?" The King said, "What may it be?" And she said: It is a tale touching