As always, Sinbad set sail simply because he was bored with the quiet life of the city. One day, he landed on a strange island and was accidentally left behind. He climbed to the top of a tall tree and surveyed the land around him. He saw what looked like a large white rock and walked towards it. It was very smooth and slippery.

Suddenly, a large bird landed and sat on the rock. It was actually a gigantic egg. The bird was so large that its legs were thicker than tree trunks. Sinbad unraveled his turban and tied himself to the bird's leg. When the bird took off, Sinbad was carried high into the sky. He was pleased with himself and imagined that before long, he would be in the company of men again. Just as the bird landed, Sinbad untied his turban and was free.

Sinbad looked about and his spirits sunk. He was surrounded by mountains so high they touched the clouds and so steep they could not be climbed. Then he made another startling discovery. Strewn across the ground were thousands of brilliant diamonds, some as large as his head. He was sitting among fabulous wealth but he was trapped.

Suddenly, something fell to the ground nearby. It was a large chunk of meat, and as it landed , it became skewered on the diamonds. More chunks of meat fell around him. Immediately, a bird appeared, snatched up the meat riddled with diamonds and flew away.

Sinbad scooped some diamonds into his pouch and tied it around his waist. Then he wrapped a piece of meat against his back with his turban and lay face down on the ground. Soon another bird swept down and picked up the meat attached to Sinbad.

Breathlessly Sinbad rose high into the air. At last the bird came to rest on a cliff where it made its nest. As soon as the bird landed, there came a shouting and clamoring and, to Sinbad's amazement, a man appeared. He drove the bird into the air with a stick, and was himself startled to see Sinbad in the nest.

It was this man who had tossed down the chunks of meat and who would pluck out the diamonds from them when the birds returned to their nest. Sinbad was grateful for the man's cleverness and gave him the diamonds he had stashed in his pouch. The man guided Sinbad down the side of the mountain that led to the sea and got him on the next boat that came in to port. When Sinbad returned home, he became a man of great riches and fame.

Explore Space ... Not Drugs!
Hear what astronauts have to say about staying drug-free.
Last modified: Tue Jul 1 15:38:14 PDT 1997

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