' The bales he spoke of lay on the deck, and showing them to
me, he said, 'There are the goods; I hope you will take care to
sell them, and you shall have a commission.' I thanked him that he
gave me an opportunity to employ myself, because I hated to be
idle.
The clerk of the ship took an account of all the bales, with the
names of the merchants to whom they belonged; and when he asked the
captain in whose name he should enter those he gave me the charge
of, 'Enter them,' said the captain, 'in the name of Sinbad the
sailor.' I could not hear myself named without some emotion, and
looking steadfastly on the captain, I knew him to be the person
who, in my second voyage, had left me in the island where I fell
asleep by a brook, and set sail without me, and without sending to
look for me. But I could not remember him at first, he was so much
altered since I saw him.
And as for him, who believed me to be dead, I could not wonder at
his not knowing me. 'But, captain,' said I, 'was the merchant's
name to whom those goods belonged Sinbad?'
'Yes,' replied he, 'that was his name; he came from Bagdad, and
embarked on board my ship at Balsora. One day, when we landed at an
island to take in water and other refreshments, I know not by what
mistake I set sail without observing that he did not re-embark with
us; neither I nor the merchants perceived it till four hours after.
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