His
jolting about made him sick, and he loosened his legs from about me
by degrees; so finding that he did not press me as before, I threw
him upon the ground, where he lay without motion, and then I took
up a great stone, with which I crushed his head to pieces.
I was extremely rejoiced to be freed thus for ever from this cursed
old fellow, and walked along the shore of the sea, where I met the
crew of a ship that had cast anchor to take in water to refresh
themselves. They were extremely surprised to see me, and to hear
the particulars of my adventures. 'You fell,' said they, 'into the
hands of the old man of the sea, and are the first that has ever
escaped strangling by him. He never left those he had once made
himself master of till he destroyed them, and he has made this
island famous for the number of men he has slain; so that the
merchants and mariners who landed upon it dared not advance into
the island but in numbers together.'
After having informed me of these things they carried me with them
to the ship; the captain received me with great satisfaction when
they told him what had befallen me. He put out again to sea, and
after some days' sail we arrived at the harbour of a great city,
where the houses were built of good stone.
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