Sindbad and the Valley of Snakes
Sindbad, the sailor, used up all the money his father had given him. When he had none left he went off to sea in a ship that carried merchants to countries where they could sell their goods Sindbad found that he too could be a merchant and become a wealthy man.
Sindbad went on many voyages and had many adventures. He was a lucky man He faced danger many times, but always managed to save himself Each voyage made him richer Each time he thought he would not go to sea again Each time, he broke his promise and went off to sea to sell things to people in distant lands. This is the story of his second voyage.
After his first voyage. Sindbad enjoyed his wealth for some time and then became restless He decided to collect some merchandise and set off on another voyage. He joined some other merchants on a big ship that sailed from one continent. to another and all the merchants were able to sell their goods.
One bright morning, the ship landed at a beautiful green island The merchants and the crew decided to get off and enjoy the beauties of the island.
The island was covered with green grass and trees laden with fruit. A cool stream bubbled through the island. Its waters made a musical sound. The only surprising thing was that no people lived in this wonderful place.
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| Sindbad The Valley of Snakes - English Story |
The merchants had their lunch near the stream, in the shade of a tree laden with fruit. Having eaten well, Sindbad soon fell asleep When he awoke, he found that he was alone on the island. He got up and ran to the shore only to see the ship sailing far away He screamed out loud for them to return, but no one on the ship heard his cries.
He walked back to the island and spied a huge white dome He walked closer to it and wondered what it was It didn't seem to have any doors Suddenly the sky darkened and when Sindbad looked up he saw a gigantic bird. He realised that it was a 'roc' Sailors had talked about this strange bird, but he had never thought he would see one
The roc sat on the dome and Sindbad knew at once that the dome was not a building, but the egg of the roc. He knew that this was a way to get off the lonely island He took off his turban and opened it up. He used it to tie himself to the leg of the roc Soon the roc rose up high in the sky and flew off with Sindbad tied to its massive claws.
It flew for a long time and then came down to a deep valley Sindbad quickly untied himself and looked around. There were high mountain right around the valley. All of a sudden he saw the roc flying off "What did the roc have in its claw? thought Sindbad. He looked again. It was a long snake. Oh my God! thought Sindbad I have come out of the mouth of a monster and fallen into the mouth of a devil! What shall I do?
Sindbad looked around and saw an amazing sight. The ground was covered with all manner of precious stones. There were rubies and diamonds, emeralds and sapphires As the sun shone on them, they twinkled like a blanket of stars covering the valley. But, all too soon, it was evening and with the sunset, out came thousands of snakes One was fiercer than the other They must have been hiding from the roc during daylight.
Sindbad was afraid. He ran into a cave and rolled a big rock in front of the entrance. He spent the whole night hungry and sleepless and terribly fearful Once the sun rose, the snakes slithered into their holes and Sindbad came out He heard a sound and saw a strange sight.
A large piece of meat came flying down into the valley After it swooped an enormous eagle. The eagle picked up the meat and flew away What do you think Sindbad noticed? Many of the glittering precious stones were stuck to the meat. This kept happening over and over again.
Sindbad then remembered the story about the valley of precious stones and vicious serpents. He had heard that merchants threw down pieces of meat. When the eagles flew up to their nests with the meat, they and their young ones would eat the meat and leave the stones in their nests Taking a chance when the mother eagle was away the merchants came and collected the stones and sold them.
This gave Sindbad a good idea. He filled his pockets with precious stones. He tied himself with his turban to a large piece of meat. As he had thought, an eagle flew down and carried Sindbad and the meat out of the dreadful valley of snakes.
The merchants were surprised to see Sindbad. They were even more surprised when he told them his story. Sindbad gave them a few of the stones he had collected. The merchants loot Sindbad with them as their guest: After some days, Sindbad got into a large ship and sailed home a richer and wiser man.
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