THE HISTORY OF SIMBAD THE MARINE

1. Long long time ago, a young man called Sinbad lived in the city of Baghdad. He was very
poor and to earn himself a living, he had to carry heavy bundles, so he was known as
Sinbad the Loader.
-Poor of mine!- he lamented- what a sad fate that of mine!
It was destined that his laments were heard by the owner of a beautiful house, who
ordered a servant to make the young man enter.
Through wonderful courtyards full of flowers, Sinbad the Loader was leaded to a room of
great dimensions. In the room there was a table full of the most exotic foods and the most
delicious wines.
There were several people sit around it outstanding among them an old man who talked in
the following way.
-My name is Sinbad the Sailor. Don’ t think that my life has been easy. I’ m going to tell
you my adventures so you’ ll understand…“ Even though my father left me a fortune when
he died, I squandered so much that, eventually, I found myself poor and miserable.
Then I sold the few things I had left and I went on board with some merchants. We sailed
for weeks until we arrived to an island. When we went land, the ground trembled suddenly
and all of us were catapulted; the island was actually a huge whale.
As I was not able to arrive to the ship, I was lead away by the currents held to a wooden
board until arriving to a beach full of palm trees. Once in solid ground, I took the first ship
back to Baghdad” .
Up to that point, Sinbad the Sailor interrupted his tale. He gave one hundred golden coins
to the guy and asked him to return the following day.
So did Sinbad and the old man continued with his adventures.
-“ I set sail again. One day that we had disembarked, I fell asleep and when I got up, the
ship had left without me. I arrived to a deep valley full of diamonds. I filled a bag with as
many I could take, I tied a piece of meat to my back and I waited until an eagle took me as
food to carry to its nest, taking me away from that place” .
When he finished his tale, Sinbad the Sailor gave again one hundred golden coins again to
the young man asking him to return the following day…
-“ I could have been able to stay in Baghdad enjoying the fortune I had got, but I was so
bored that I embarked again. Everything was all right until we were surprised by a big
storm and the ship was wrecked.
We were thrown to an island inhabited by terrible dwarfs which took us as prisoners. The
dwarfs leaded us to a giant which had only an eye and who ate human flesh. When the

2. night came, taking advantage of darkness, we stuck a burning stake in his eye and we fled
from that horrible place. Back to Baghdad, boredom returned to me. But I’ ll tell you this
tomorrow…”
And with these words, Sinbad the Sailor gave the young man 100 golden coins.
-“ I started a new trip, but because of destiny, my slip was wrecked again. This time we
arrived to an island full of cannibals. They offered me the king’ s daughter, to whom I
married, but few after she died.
There was a custom in the kingdom, the husband should be buried with the wife. Luckily, I
managed to scape in the last moment and I came back to Baghdad full of jewels.
And so day after day, Sinbad the Sailor related the fantastic adventures of his travels and
after that he always offered 100 golden coins to Sinbad the Loader.
This way, the guy knew how the eagerness of adventure of Sinbad the Sailor made him
rich to lose his fortune again. Old Sinbad told him that, in the last of his travels, he had
been sold as slave to an ivory dealer.
His mission was to hunt elephants. One day, fleeing from a furious elephant, Sinbad went
up to a tree. The elephant held the trunk with its powerful trunk and shook the tree in such
a way that Sinbad fell on the animal’ s back.
It leaded him to an elephant’ s graveyard, where there was ivory enough to not to have to
kill more elephants. Sinbad understood and explained his master where he could get a
great number of tusks.
To show gratitude, the merchant give him freedom and gave him lots of presents.
-“ I came back to Baghdad and I have never embarked again- the old man continued
talking.- As you will see, there have been a lot of misfortunes in my life. And if I know how
to enjoy all the pleasure is because I have known all the sufferings before” .
When he finished talking, the old man asked Sinbad the Loader to accept to live with him.
Young Sinbad accepted pleased and he never had to bear the weigh of any bundle.
END