The Seven Voyages of Sinbad - The Sixth Voyage

THE SIXTH VOYAGE

Once again, Sinbad continued to make the same mistake. He went out to the port of Basra and traveled on a ship with other merchants in pursuit of amassing a greater fortune.

Towards the end of their voyage, there were several storms that made the captain lose his way.

“We are in the worst spot of the sea,” cried the captain, “and I have no idea how we’re going to get back home!”

Soon enough, the ship was driven into rocks by the storms, which destroyed it and left behind a crew that had to grab their most prized possessions and hurry to the shore.

That’s when Sinbad and his fellow sailors noticed that the shoreline was strewn with many shipwrecks, alongside human skeletons.

“Beyond this point, we might as well dig the graves that we shall lay in,” said the captain discouragingly.

Sinbad noticed a river on the island that emerged from a mountain, but instead of flowing right into the sea it went into a cave. Within this cave, the walls were covered in various jewels.

On a whim, Sinbad decided to build himself a raft that he would use to travel down this mysterious stream. Sinbad also collected many of the jewels that adorned the walls of the cave.

After sleeping on the raft, Sinbad awoke to find himself in a gorgeous place. Sinbad noticed a group of men walking by the stream he was in. He asked them if they could provide him with a meal, as he was very hungry.

After eating, he told them of his many adventures, and all they could do was listen with amazement. They decided it was best for them to take Sinbad to their king.

The king told Sinbad that the land he was in was Sri Lanka. After telling the king of Sri Lanka his stories of adventure, the king asked his servants to inscribe them in gold and keep them in their written archives.

Sinbad had offered him the jewels he had collected from the inside of the cave as a thank you, but the king rejected.

Instead, he provided Sinbad with many expensive gifts. Sinbad was then sent to return to his home of Baghdad, with the jewels and other gifts.

On the boat that took Sinbad home, the king of Sri Lanka left him with gifts such as snakeskins, jewels, and pearls, that were meant to be sent as an offering of friendship to the caliph that ruled Baghdad.

Once Sinbad arrived home and brought these gifts to the caliph, he responded with suspicion.

“Are you sure this king of this foreign land is as bountiful and wealthy as he claims?” The caliph asked Sinbad.

Sinbad described to his caliph the greatness of the place he found himself in, its excessiveness, the walls of jewels and the excess that the people of this place lived in.

The caliph believed him and let him go back to his home.

Sinbad was now left with his jewels, a sixth fortune to add to his ever-growing wealth.