By keeping my promise to never leave my homeland again in search of strange adventures that could endanger my life, I felt content and happy with my life. One day, as I sat thinking to myself, I said to myself, “I am here in the Abode of Peace, and thank Allah! I will never leave it again for the places of danger and trouble.” Suddenly, a messenger arrived, summoning me before the Khalifeh. I got up and followed him, and soon I was before his majesty, saluting him and kissing the ground. “Welcome, O Sindbad!” he said. “ I want you to carry out an important task.” “My lord,” I answered, “You’re your slave.”

Then the Khalifeh told me his wish: I should go to the King of Sarandib with a letter and a gift. “By Allah!” I cried when I heard this. “My lord, please don’t be offended, but I have sworn never to sail again, fearing I might face even worse troubles than before. Just hearing about a voyage makes my knees shake.” I repeated to him the terrible sufferings and dangers I had encountered in my travels. The Khalifeh raised his hands and said no man had gone through worse things. “Still,” he added with a smile, “you will go out once more, for my sake, and you will deliver my letter and gift to the King of Sarandib.”

I could not disobey the command of the Prince of the Faithful, so I bowed my head in agreement. I received from him the list of the items composing the gift, together with a letter and a sum of money for my expenses. After saying goodbye, I left, thinking to myself that fate was against me.

The Khalifeh’s gift to the King of Sarandib was extremely magnificent. First, there was a splendid white horse, the equal of which was not to be found anywhere in all of Arabia. Its saddle and decorations were covered with gold and set with brilliant jewels. Then, in addition to this, there was a priceless robe, worthy of the king of all the earth; a great quantity of rich fabrics from Egypt and Greece; and a wonderful crystal goblet that would take a lifetime to make. And the Khalifeh’s letter said:—“Peace be upon you from the King Er-Rashid, highest in any land except yours—under God (whose name be praised!). We were very pleased to receive your letter, and we have sent you some royal gifts. It would bring us great joy if you kindly accepted them. Peace be with you!”

With all these things, I boarded a large ship and set sail from El-Basrah with a group of merchants. We journeyed for many days and nights until we finally reached the island of Sarandib. there, I visited the King in his palace, and he welcomed me joyfully.

“By Allah!” he said, “We have often thought of you, O Sindbad, and now we are happy to see your face again.” Then he invited me to sit beside him and politely asked the reason for my visit. I informed him and gave him the Khalifeh’s gift, handing him the letter. After reading the letter, he was overjoyed. When he finally saw the gift and its richness, he was amazed and bestowed upon me all the honours suitable for the ambassador of the Prince of the Faithful.

After enjoying several days of happiness in his land, I expressed my wish to return quickly to my own country, but it took some effort to obtain his permission. Eventually, he permitted me to leave, sending friendly messages to the Khalifeh. I set sail for home, glad that I was now free to return to the life I had promised myself.

But, O Sindbad the Landsman! You do not know the dangers and uncertainties of long sea voyages. We had only been sailing for a few days when, as we were passing near an island, a group of boats came from the shore and surrounded us. The boats were filled with a group of men wearing suits of armour. They looked more like demons than men and were armed with swords and daggers. They closed in and attacked us, killing those who offered resistance, and taking the rest of us as prisoners. They pulled the ship to the island and took all the goods in the hold. Then they took us away to be sold as slaves.

I was bought by a rich man who had a kind and gentle appearance. He took me to his house, gave me food and drink, dressed me well, and treated me kindly. Feeling a bit more at ease, I rested and helped him with light tasks around his house. After a few days, he called me over and said, “Do you have skill in any art or trade?” I answered him that I was a merchant and was skilled only in the art of buying and selling. “Can’t you use a bow?” he asked. I was indeed skilled in archery, and I offered to prove it to him. He handed me a bow and arrow, and I hit a mark at fifty paces. “Good,” he said. “You are skilled.”

The next day, he had me sit behind him on an elephant, and, at nightfall, we journeyed to a place with some tall trees. On one of these, he told me to climb one of the trees and sit there with an arrow on the bowstring. When the elephants came at dawn, I was to shoot. If I were so fortunate as to kill one, I had to run to him quickly and tell him. Then he went away on his elephant, leaving me alone in the tree, filled with fear.

When the sun finally rose, many elephants wandered among the trees. When one came beneath mine, I sent my arrows at him. Late in the morning, a well-aimed arrow pierced the brain of a huge elephant. With a loud roar, he fell and died. In the evening, when the other elephants had left the spot, I climbed down from the tree and ran quickly to my master. He was thrilled by my news and sent his slaves to bring the beast in.

Day after day, I continued doing this, managing to hunt at least one elephant each time. But one day,   trouble came to the tree where I was sitting. It appeared in the form of countless elephants of large size with ferocious appearances. One who seemed to be king among them led the others to my tree. After he had circled round it many times until the whole world trembled, he suddenly charged, wrapping his trunk round it, tore it up by the roots, and threw it down. Half-stunned, I found my way out from among the broken branches. The great elephant came towards me roaring loudly. He grabbed me with his trunk and lifted me into the air. Holding me in this manner, he led the whole herd of elephants in a wild stampede that shook the earth. They didn’t stop until we reached a valley filled with elephants’ bones, teeth, and tusks. The king-elephant gently set me down on top of a pile of bones and tusks. Then, he and the others turned and walked away, leaving me there.

I looked around the valley and saw ivory tusks shining everywhere. I said to myself, “The elephants didn’t like the death of one of their number every day, and they have done this to show how I could collect plenty of tusks without killing any more of them.”

Then I found my way back, travelling a long distance, to my master’s home. He welcomed me as one returned from the dead, because when he saw the tree torn out by the roots, he thought the elephants had killed me. I told him everything that happened and explained the location of the valley full of tusks. When he heard this, he was very excited and lost no time in having me sit behind him on an elephant and going to find the spot where so much wealth was stored. We reached the valley safely, and when I showed my master the ivory, he was overjoyed. We loaded the elephant with as much ivory as he could carry and returned with it to the house.

This adventure of mine placed me in a most favourable light in my master’s eyes, and since I had shown him a way to great wealth, he set me free and permitted me to return to my own country. He was even more generous than he promised. A few days later, he put me on board a ship headed for El-Basrah and presented me with a large sum of money for my journey and expenses, along with many bundles of goods. My journey back home was full of good fortune. The trading I did at the different cities on the way brought me great profit, and I bought many rare things suitable for gifts.

On my arrival at Baghdad, I went to the Khalifeh and told him all that had happened to me. He was so astonished hearing my tale and very delighted at my return that he ordered his scribes to write my story in letters of gold. And he said to me, “O Sindbad, my son, you have done well. Now you shall have the wish of your heart and keep your vow, for unless you so desire otherwise, you will never have to sail again.

This, O Sindbad the Landsman, is the end of the story of my voyages. And now, as I have grown fond of you, you shall live with me and be my good companion. We will spend our lives together in great joy and happiness, with the blessing of God (whose name be praised!), the Great! The All-Powerful Creator of sea and land!