Page 138 - Musings 2022

The sailors started wandering here and there and started quenching their hunger by eating the

fruits on the trees. Suddenly they saw a palace and they went towards it. After reaching there
they came to know that it is a big fort.

The sailors went inside through the gates of the fort. There was a strange silence there. There
was a pile of human bones around him. A man was being roasted in the fire. Seeing this, the

sailors lost their lives.

The man’s screams echoed throughout the fort, but there was no one to save him. Perhaps he
too was a sailor like him, who had come to that side astray.

All the sailors were lying there. He was dying of hunger, thirst and fear.
The day was about to fall and the sailors could not even move. Then he heard the sound of

someone’s feet. Somebody was doing ‘dham-dham’. He trembled seeing the black demon

coming towards him.
He had an eye on his forehead. His teeth and nails were long and sharp. His lower lip was

hanging down to the chin and his ears were as big as the ears of an elephant.
Seeing the sailors lying there, the demon started wondering who was the fattest among them.

Sindbad was holding his breath.
Seeing Sindbad, the demon said, “Chhi:! There are only bones in it. I want to eat fat stuff.”

Then the monster caught the fattest sailor. He ate it after roasting it in the sink. After this the

black demon fell asleep and started snoring.
The rest of the sailors were in bad condition because of fear. They understood that one day

everyone has to die like this forever. For many days food was arranged for the demon. He was
jumping with joy. He had a taste for eating human flesh.

In the morning the demon got up and went somewhere, but the sailors knew that they could not

escape from his clutches. First the dwarves plundered and now the demon wanted to eat them.
Every night the black demon would come back and roast one of his companions and eat it.

The sailors started making plans to escape from there. When the demon was not there during
the day, they made boats from tree twigs and reeds to swim in the water. That alone could have

saved his life. In the end Sindbad and his eight companions were left. Everyone else had

finished his hunger by eating the black monster.
Sindbad gathered the remaining companions and gave them courage. He said that if they

wanted, they could still save their lives. As long as a person’s breath is running, he should not
lose his courage. They agreed with him.

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