Page:Fairy tales from the Arabian nights.djvu/366

 his courage, and said to him, 'Proud spirit, what is it that you say? It is above eighteen hundred years since the prophet Solomon died, and we are now at the end of time. Tell me your history, and how you came to be shut up in this vessel.'

The genie, turning to the fisherman with a fierce look, said, 'You must speak to me with more civility; you are very bold to call me a proud spirit.'

'Very well,' replied the fisherman, 'shall I speak to you with more civility, and call you the owl of good luck?'

'I say,' answered the genie, 'speak to me more civilly, before I kill thee.'

'Ah!' replied the fisherman, 'why would you kill me? Did I not just now set you at liberty, and have you already forgotten it?'

'Yes, I remember it,' said the genie, 'but that shall not hinder me from killing thee: I have only one favour to grant thee.'

'And what is that?' said the fisherman.

'It is,' answered the genie, 'to give thee thy choice, in what manner thou wouldst have me take thy life.'

'But wherein have I offended you?' replied the fisherman. 'Is that your reward for the good service I have done you?'

'I cannot treat you otherwise,' said the genie; 'and that you may be convinced of it, hearken to my story.

'I am one of those rebellious spirits that opposed the will of Heaven: all the other genii owned Solomon, the great prophet, and submitted to him. Sacar and I were the only genii that would never be guilty of a mean thing: and, to avenge himself, that great monarch sent Asaph, the son of Barakhia, his chief minister, to apprehend me. That was accordingly done. Asaph seized my person, and brought me by force before his master's throne.

'Solomon, the son of David, commanded me to quit my way of living, to acknowledge his power, and to submit myself to his commands; I bravely refused to obey, and told him I would rather expose myself to his resentment than swear fealty, and submit to him, as he required. To punish me, he shut me up in this copper vessel; and to make sure that I should not break