This is the first voyage story from the adventures of Sinbad. Once upon a time in Bagad lived a poor porter. This porter’s name was Sinbad the Hammal. Every day, he used to work hard.
Then one day, as Sinbad was on hard at his work, he came to rich merchant’s house. There he sees a beautiful bench in the garden. He couldn’t resist sitting down. He took a break. When he hears a lute playing, he sings some beautiful lines. And he feels that life is unfair and unjust. The rich people live their lives in peace whereas the poor have to work hard. Also, read Sinbad Story.
Image Source@ gajabkhabar.com. Suddenly a guard comes to call Sinbad. He tells Sinbad that the merchant has called for him. When Sinbad hears this, he tries to make excuses. He did not want to go in. But eventually, the guard and Sinbad enter the house. They go past a richly laid table and people enjoying their meals. Soon, they come to the merchant’s room.
After Sinbad greeted the master of the house, the food was laid out for him. When Sinbad had eaten his fill, he thanked the master of the house for his generosity. “May your day be blessed,” the master replied. “But do tell me your name.”
“I am Sinbad, the Hammal.I am a porter,” Sinbad told the master. “Well, you and I have one thing in common, a very important thing. My name is Sinbad the Sailor,” the master of the house told him. And asked him to recite the lines Sinbad had been singing in the garden. Then after blushing and trying to evade singing, Sinbad was finally persuaded into singing.
After listening to the song Sinbad the Sailor agreed that the rich lived an easy life. But his life hadn’t been easy. Then he told the porter his story. You may also like to read, The Ebony Horse.
Sinbad the sailor began, “I was a son of a wealthy merchant. When my father passed away, I had all the money and comfort. And as most rich people are, I lived lavishly. Then one day, when I woke up I found that my money had almost run out. Then I remembered my father’s wise words, he had said that a grave is better than poverty.
Finally coming to senses, I sold all my things and collected money for a voyage.I got together a crew and told them that it was impossible to find glory without hard work. So, we set out on our first voyage. We left for Basara, the land where all things come together. Eventually, we came to a beautiful island.
After the captain threw the anchor, all the other sailors and passengers left to feel the golden sand on the beach. We set up tents and cooked our meals there. Suddenly the captain rang the bell. And asked us to run for our lives. The ground below us began to shake. And when I looked, I found that the waves of the ocean were crashing. I saw something rise. ‘It’s a whale,” I screamed.
I saw many sailors sucked in by the whirlpool. I tried to rescue them, but I couldn’t. With great difficulty, I swam away. Then I found a barrel, I held onto it tightly. I had become tired from all the swimming so, I rested my head against the barrel and fell asleep. Most of the sailors had either drowned or had been lost.
The next morning, when I woke up, I found myself in a strange land. There I was welcomed by the people and the land’s king. The king gave me a post and asked me to be in charge of their port. I happily agreed. Now, I was known as the man of the sea. I worked hard and received many gifts and gold from the king, but I missed my home. Also, read The Hunt For The Camel.
Then one day, a ship from Baghdad sailed into the port. I decided to go back. I finally bid my farewells and boarded the ship with gold and many gifts. Soon, the ship came back to Baghdad. And since then, I have been known as Sinbad the Sailor. After that, I made many other voyages,” finished Sinbad the Sailor.
Sinbad the Hammal, sat mesmerised, hungry to know more about Sinbad the Sailor’s voyages. Sinbad the sailor gives Sinbad the porter a hundred gold pieces and asks him to come again the next day, if he wants to hear more.