The Third Voyage of Sindbad the
Sailor
I soon again grew weary of living a life of idleness, and, hardening myself against the thought of any danger, I embarked with some merchants on another long voyage. We touched at several ports, where we traded. One day we were overtaken by a dreadful tempest, which drove us from our course. The storm continued for several days, and brought us before the port of an island, which the captain was unwilling to enter but was obliged to in order to cast anchor. When we had furled our sails, the captain told us that this and some other neighboring islands were inhabited by hairy savages, who would speedily attack us; and though they were but dwarfs, yet that we must make no resistance, for they were more in number than the locusts; and if we happened to kill one, they would all fall upon us and destroy us.
We soon found that what the captain had told us was but too true. An innumerable multitude of frightful savages, about two feet high, covered all over with red hair, came swimming toward our ship. They chattered as they came near, but we understood not their language. They climbed up the sides of the ship with an agility that surprised us. They took down our sails, cut the cable, and hauling our ship to the shore, made us all get out, and took the ship to another island, from which they had come.
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