Arabian Nights

by abc

  with a rider on his back. This rider wears a breastplate of lead,

  on which strange signs and figures are engraved, and it is said

  that as long as this statue remains on the dome, vessels will

  never cease to perish at the foot of the mountain.

  So saying, the pilot began to weep afresh, and the crew, fearing their

  last hour had come, made their wills, each one in favour of his fellow.

  At noon next day, as the pilot had foretold, we were so near to the

  Black Mountain that we saw all the nails and iron fly out of the ships

  and dash themselves against the mountain with a horrible noise.

  A moment after the vessels fell asunder and sank, the crews with them.

  I alone managed to grasp a floating plank, and was driven ashore

  by the wind, without even a scratch. What was my joy on finding

  myself at the bottom of some steps which led straight up the mountain,

  for there was not another inch to the right or the left where a man

  could set his foot. And, indeed, even the steps themselves were

  so narrow and so steep that, if the lightest breeze had arisen,

  I should certainly have been blown into the sea.

  When I reached the top I found the brass dome and the statue exactly

  as the pilot had described, but was too wearied with all I had

  gone through to do more than glance at them, and, flinging myself

  under the dome, was asleep in an instant. In my dreams an old man

  appeared to me and said, "Hearken, Agib! As soon as thou art awake

  dig up the ground underfoot, and thou shalt find a bow of brass and

  three arrows of lead. Shoot the arrows at the statue, and the rider

  shall tumble into the sea, but the horse will fall down by thy side,

  and thou shalt bury him in the place from which thou tookest the bow

  and arrows. This being done the sea will rise and cover the mountain,

  and on it thou wilt perceive the figure of a metal man seated

  in a boat, having an oar in each hand. Step on board and let

  him conduct thee; but if thou wouldest behold thy kingdom again,

  see that thou takest not the name of Allah into thy mouth."

  Having uttered these words the vision left me, and I woke,

  much comforted. I sprang up and drew the bow and arrows out of

  the ground, and with the third shot the horseman fell with a great

  crash into the sea, which instantly began to rise, so rapidly, that I

  had hardly time to bury the horse before the boat approached me.

  I stepped silently in and sat down, and the metal man pushed off,

  and rowed without stopping for nine days, after which land appeared

  on the horizon. I was so overcome with joy at this sight that I

  forgot all the old man had told me, and cried out, "Allah be praised!

  Allah be praised!"

  The words were scarcely out of my mouth when the boat and man

  sank from beneath me, and left me floating on the surface.

  All that day and the next night I swam and floated alternately,

  making as well as I could for the land which was nearest to me.

  At last my strength began to fail, and I gave myself up for lost,

  when the wind suddenly rose, and a huge wave cast me on a flat shore.

  Then, placing myself in safety, I hastily spread my clothes out to dry

  in the sun, and flung myself on the warm ground to rest.

  Next morning I dressed myself and began to look about me.

  There seemed to be no one but myself on the island, which was covered

  with fruit trees and watered with streams, but seemed a long distance

  from the mainland which I hoped to reach. Before, however, I had

  time to feel cast down, I saw a ship making directly for the island,

  and not knowing whether it would contain friends or foes, I hid

  myself in the thick branches of a tree.

  The sailors ran the ship into a creek, where ten slaves landed,

  carrying spades and pickaxes. In the middle of the island they stopped,

  and after digging some time, lifted up what seemed to be a trapdoor.

  They then returned to the vessel two or three times for furniture

  and provisions, and finally were accompanied by an old man,

  leading a handsome boy of fourteen or fifteen years of age.

  They all disappeared down the trapdoor, and after remaining below

  for a few minutes came up again, but without the boy, and let

  down the trapdoor, covering it with earth as before. This done,

  they entered the ship and set sail.

  As soon as they were out of sight, I came down from my tree,

  and went to the place where the boy had been buried. I dug up

  the earth till I reached a large stone with a ring in the centre.

  This, when removed, disclosed a flight of stone steps which led

  to a large room richly furnished and lighted by tapers. On a pile

  of cushions, covered with tapestry, sat the boy. He looked up,

  startled and frightened at the sight of a stranger in such a place,

  and to soothe his fears, I at once spoke: "Be not alarmed, sir,

  whoever you may be. I am a king, and the son of a king, and will

  do you no hurt. On the contrary, perhaps I have been sent here

  to deliver you out of this tomb, where you have been buried alive."

  Hearing my words, the young man recovered himself, and when I had ended,

  he said, "The reasons, Prince, that have caused me to be buried

  in this place are so strange that they cannot but surprise you.

  My father is a rich merchant, owning much land and many ships,

  and has great dealings in precious stones, but he never ceased

  mourning that he had no child to inherit his wealth.

  "At length one day he dreamed that the following year a son would

  be born to him, and when this actually happened, he consulted

  all the wise men in the kingdom as to the future of the infant.

  One and all they said the same thing. I was to live happily

  till I was fifteen, when a terrible danger awaited me, which I

  should hardly escape. If, however, I should succeed in doing so,

  I should live to a great old age. And, they added, when the statue

  of the brass horse on the top of the mountain of adamant is thrown

  into the sea by Agib, the son of Cassib, then beware, for fifty days

  later your son shall fall by his hand!

  "This prophecy struck the heart of my father with such woe, that he

  never got over it, but that did not prevent him from attending

  carefully to my education till I attained, a short time ago,

  my fifteenth birthday. It was only yesterday that the news

  reached him that ten days previously the statue of brass had been

  thrown into the sea, and he at once set about hiding me in this

  underground chamber, which was built for the purpose, promising to

  fetch me out when the forty days have passed. For myself, I have

  no fears, as Prince Agib is not likely to come here to look for me."

  I listened to his story with an inward laugh as to the absurdity of my

  ever wishing to cause the death of this harmless boy, whom I hastened

  to assure of my friendship and even of my protection; begging him,

  in return, to convey me in his father's ship to my own country.

  I need hardly say that I took special care not to inform him that I

  was the Agib whom he dreaded.

  The day passed in conversation on various subjects, and I
found him

  a youth of ready wit and of some learning. I took on myself the

  duties of a servant, held the basin and water for him when he washed,

  prepared the dinner and set it on the table. He soon grew to love me,

  and for thirty-nine days we spent as pleasant an existence as could

  be expected underground.

  The morning of the fortieth dawned, and the young man when he woke

  gave thanks in an outburst of joy that the danger was passed.

  "My father may be here at any moment," said he, "so make me, I pray you,

  a bath of hot water, that I may bathe, and change my clothes,

  and be ready to receive him."

  So I fetched the water as he asked, and washed and rubbed him,

  after which he lay down again and slept a little. When he opened

  his eyes for the second time, he begged me to bring him a melon

  and some sugar, that he might eat and refresh himself.

  I soon chose a fine melon out of those which remained, but could

  find no knife to cut it with. "Look in the cornice over my head,"

  said he, "and I think you will see one." It was so high above me,

  that I had some difficulty in reaching it, and catching my foot in the

  covering of the bed, I slipped, and fell right upon the young man,

  the knife going straight into his heart.

  At this awful sight I shrieked aloud in my grief and pain.

  I threw myself on the ground and rent my clothes and tore my hair

  with sorrow. Then, fearing to be punished as his murderer by the

  unhappy father, I raised the great stone which blocked the staircase,

  and quitting the underground chamber, made everything fast as before.

  Scarcely had I finished when, looking out to sea, I saw the vessel

  heading for the island, and, feeling that it would be useless

  for me to protest my innocence, I again concealed myself among

  the branches of a tree that grew near by.

  The old man and his slaves pushed off in a boat directly the ship

  touched land, and walked quickly towards the entrance to the

  underground chamber; but when they were near enough to see that

  the earth had been disturbed, they paused and changed colour.

  In silence they all went down and called to the youth by name;

  then for a moment I heard no more. Suddenly a fearful scream

  rent the air, and the next instant the slaves came up the steps,

  carrying with them the body of the old man, who had fainted from sorrow!

  Laying him down at the foot of the tree in which I had taken shelter,

  they did their best to recover him, but it took a long while.

  When at last he revived, they left him to dig a grave, and then laying

  the young man's body in it, they threw in the earth.

  This ended, the slaves brought up all the furniture that remained below,

  and put it on the vessel, and breaking some boughs to weave

  a litter, they laid the old man on it, and carried him to the ship,

  which spread its sails and stood out to sea.

  So once more I was quite alone, and for a whole month I walked daily

  over the island, seeking for some chance of escape. At length

  one day it struck me that my prison had grown much larger, and that

  the mainland seemed to be nearer. My heart beat at this thought,

  which was almost too good to be true. I watched a little longer:

  there was no doubt about it, and soon there was only a tiny stream

  for me to cross.

  Even when I was safe on the other side I had a long distance to go

  on the mud and sand before I reached dry ground, and very tired I was,

  when far in front of me I caught sight of a castle of red copper,

  which, at first sight, I took to be a fire. I made all the haste

  I could, and after some miles of hard walking stood before it,

  and gazed at it in astonishment, for it seemed to me the most wonderful

  building I had ever beheld. While I was still staring at it,

  there came towards me a tall old man, accompanied by ten young men,

  all handsome, and all blind of the right eye.

  Now in its way, the spectacle of ten men walking together, all blind

  of the right eye, is as uncommon as that of a copper castle, and I was

  turning over in my mind what could be the meaning of this strange fact,

  when they greeted me warmly, and inquired what had brought me there.

  I replied that my story was somewhat long, but that if they would

  take the trouble to sit down, I should be happy to tell it them.

  When I had finished, the young men begged that I would go

  with them to the castle, and I joyfully accepted their offer.

  We passed through what seemed to me an endless number of rooms,

  and came at length into a large hall, furnished with ten small

  blue sofas for the ten young men, which served as beds as well

  as chairs, and with another sofa in the middle for the old man.

  As none of the sofas could hold more than one person, they bade me

  place myself on the carpet, and to ask no questions about anything I

  should see.

  After a little while the old man rose and brought in supper, which I

  ate heartily, for I was very hungry. Then one of the young men begged

  me to repeat my story, which had struck them all with astonishment,

  and when I had ended, the old man was bidden to "do his duty,"

  as it was late, and they wished to go to bed. At these words

  he rose, and went to a closet, from which he brought out ten basins,

  all covered with blue stuff. He set one before each of the young men,

  together with a lighted taper.

  When the covers were taken off the basins, I saw they were filled

  with ashes, coal-dust, and lamp-black. The young men mixed these

  all together, and smeared the whole over their heads and faces.

  They then wept and beat their breasts, crying, "This is the fruit

  of idleness, and of our wicked lives."

  This ceremony lasted nearly the whole night, and when it stopped

  they washed themselves carefully, and put on fresh clothes,

  and lay down to sleep.

  All this while I had refrained from questions, though my curiosity

  almost seemed to burn a hole in me, but the following day, when we went

  out to walk, I said to them, "Gentlemen, I must disobey your wishes,

  for I can keep silence no more. You do not appear to lack wit,

  yet you do such actions as none but madmen could be capable of.

  Whatever befalls me I cannot forbear asking, `Why you daub your

  faces with black, and how it is you are all blind of one eye?'"

  But they only answered that such questions were none of my business,

  and that I should do well to hold my peace.

  During that day we spoke of other things, but when night came,

  and the same ceremony was repeated, I implored them most earnestly

  to let me know the meaning of it all.

  "It is for your own sake," replied one of the young men, "that we have

  not granted your request, and to preserve you from our unfortunate fate.

  If, however, you wish to share our destiny we will delay no longer."

  I answered that whatever might be the consequence I wished to have

  my curiosity satisfied, and that I would take the result on my

  own head. He then assured me that, even when I had lost my eye,

  I should be unable to remain with them, as their number was
complete,

  and could not be added to. But to this I replied that, though I

  should be grieved to part company with such honest gentlemen,

  I would not be turned from my resolution on that account.

  On hearing my determination my ten hosts then took a sheep and

  killed it, and handed me a knife, which they said I should by-and-by

  find useful. "We must sew you into this sheep-skin," said they,

  "and then leave you. A fowl of monstrous size, called a roc,

  will appear in the air, taking you to be a sheep. He will snatch

  you up and carry you into the sky, but be not alarmed, for he

  will bring you safely down and lay you on the top of a mountain.

  When you are on the ground cut the skin with the knife and throw

  it off. As soon as the roc sees you he will fly away from fear,

  but you must walk on till you come to a castle covered with

  plates of gold, studded with jewels. Enter boldly at the gate,

  which always stands open, but do not ask us to tell you what we

  saw or what befel us there, for that you will learn for yourself.

  This only we may say, that it cost us each our right eye, and has

  imposed upon us our nightly penance."

  After the young gentlemen had been at the trouble of sewing

  the sheep-skin on me they left me, and retired to the hall.

  In a few minutes the roc appeared, and bore me off to the

  top of the mountain in his huge claws as lightly as if I

  had been a feather, for this great white bird is so strong

  that he has been known to carry even an elephant to his nest in the hills.

  The moment my feet touched the ground I took out my knife and cut

  the threads that bound me, and the sight of me in my proper clothes

  so alarmed the roc that he spread his wings and flew away.

  Then I set out to seek the castle.

  I found it after wandering about for half a day, and never could I

  have imagined anything so glorious. The gate led into a square court,