Sagar’s Adventures
This story takes us back to the year 1815, when there lived in Surat a wealthy merchant named Kuber. From the west coast of Africa to the east as far as Malaya and Java, Kuber’s ships traded in spices, textiles, ivory—essentially everything that brought good profit.
Kuber had only one son, Sagar. A tall and good-looking youth, Sagar showed great promise in business. Kuber believed it was time for his son to travel and learn the finer arts of successful trading. One morning, Kuber called him.
“My son,” he said, “the time has come for you to understand the foreign markets we deal with. Take one of our ships, visit the ports along the African coast, and let us see if you have the judgment to trade profitably.”
Sagar, with a handpicked crew, set sail for Africa. The first few days of the journey were uneventful, but they soon encountered bad weather, which worsened as they neared the African coast. On the sixteenth day, land was sighted. With several sails badly torn, Sagar decided to anchor in a sheltered inlet for repairs.
With the idea of gathering fresh water and fruit, Sagar and some of the crew rowed ashore. The land appeared desolate, but as they ventured through the thick undergrowth, they heard shouting and screams in the distance. Without hesitation, Sagar and his crew pushed through the bushes to investigate.
They soon came upon a path and saw an Arab cavalcade led by a bearded man on a fine horse. Behind him were about fifty enslaved men and women, chained together, being driven forward with long whips.
Sagar stepped into the path and boldly called for the leader to halt.
“Why are you ill-treating these people?” he demanded.
The leader glared at him. “I am Ibrahim, the great slave-trader,” he replied with a sneer. “This lot will fetch me a good price. Get out of my way, or by Allah, you’ll join them.”
“Not so fast,” said Sagar firmly, refusing to be intimidated. “If these people are for sale, name your price.”
The Arab leader scoffed and demanded an exorbitant sum, which he described as fit for an emperor’s ransom. After much haggling, the Arab reluctantly lowered his price, though he boasted that one of the captives was an Arab princess worth her weight in gold.
“Stop your silly haggling,” Sagar said, unimpressed. “I’ll give you half of what you demand for all the slaves, including your so-called princess.”
To Sagar’s surprise, the Arab agreed. He handed over most of the money his father had given him for trading goods. The slaves were unshackled and quickly disappeared into the jungle, heading home.
As Sagar watched the slaves run to freedom, two Arab guards approached, escorting a young maiden accompanied by an elderly woman. The maiden, though her clothes were tattered, held herself with grace and dignity. She was undeniably beautiful, thought Sagar.
“Thank you, sire, for rescuing us from bondage,” she said in a melodious voice. “I am Princess Zaynab, daughter of King Al-Samandal of Japhet. My nurse and I were abducted two years ago, and my captors have made no attempt to ransom me.”
Sagar replied, “It would be best for me to take you back to India. From there, we can arrange to contact your people in Japhet.”
When they arrived in Surat, Sagar confessed to his father, Kuber, that he had spent almost all the money on freeing the slaves. Furious, Kuber called him a fool. But when Kuber met Princess Zaynab, he was captivated by her charm and beauty.
After a long discussion, it was decided that the Princess would stay in Surat while Sagar sailed to Japhet to find her family. Preparations for the voyage began, and during this time, Sagar and the Princess grew very close.
The port of Japhet was easy to find, and when Sagar’s ship arrived, he noticed that bystanders were pointing at the ship’s figurehead—an elegant carving of Princess Zaynab that Kuber had commissioned. Soon after, armed soldiers stormed aboard. They seized Sagar and marched him to the palace.
Sagar was brought before the King of Japhet, who glared at him. “Speak up,” the King demanded. “Where is Princess Zaynab? If you don’t tell me by nightfall, you’ll be thrown to the dogs.”
Sagar regained his composure and explained how he had rescued the Princess from slave traders in Africa and ensured her safety in Surat under his father’s protection. The King was overjoyed and declared, “If all you say is true, you’ve done a great deed. I will sail to Surat myself to see my daughter.”
The King’s flagship, accompanied by Sagar’s ship The Princess, sailed to Surat. Upon their arrival, Princess Zaynab joyfully reunited with her father after two long years of separation.
After hearing her story and witnessing her bond with Sagar, the King announced his blessing for their marriage. However, he insisted that the wedding must take place in Japhet. Two weeks later, Sagar, Kuber, and a jubilant wedding party set sail for Japhet.
Unbeknownst to anyone, the King’s chief minister, who had long harbored a desire for his son to marry the Princess, was filled with rage at the thought of her marrying the son of an Indian merchant. Late one night, as Sagar stood alone on the deck enjoying the breeze, the minister crept up behind him and pushed him overboard.
Fortunately, a seaman witnessed the act and raised the alarm. A boat was lowered, and in the moonlight, the crew spotted Sagar swimming back toward the ship. When Sagar was pulled aboard, the King, who had been informed of the minister’s treachery, ordered the man to be bound in irons and thrown into the sea.
The rest of the voyage went smoothly, and in Japhet, Sagar and Princess Zaynab were married in a grand ceremony. Their union marked the beginning of a prosperous alliance between Japhet and Surat, and they lived happily ever after.
