Page:Fairy tales from the Arabian nights.djvu/413

 They were to return next day, and the pleasure of seeing them again ought to have restrained my curiosity: but through my weakness, which I shall ever repent, I yielded to the temptations of the Evil Spirit, who gave me no rest till I had involved myself in the misfortunes that I have since suffered.

I opened that fatal door, which I had promised not to meddle with, and had not moved my foot to go in when a smell that was pleasant enough, but contrary to my constitution, made me faint away. Nevertheless I came to myself again, and instead of taking notice of this warning to shut the door, and forbear to satisfy my curiosity, I went in after I had stood some time in the air, to carry off the scent, which did not upset me any more. I found a large place, well vaulted; the pavement was strewed over with saffron; several candlesticks of massy gold, with lighted tapers that smelled of aloes and ambergris, lighted the place; and this light was augmented by lamps of gold and silver, that burnt with oil made of sweet-scented materials.

Among a great many objects that arrested my attention was a black horse, of the handsomest and best form that ever was seen. I went nearer, the better to observe him, and found that he had a saddle and bridle of massive gold, curiously wrought. One side of his trough was filled with clean barley and sesame, and the other with rose-water: I took him by the bridle, and led him forth to look at him by a better light. I got on his back, and tried to make him move; but as he did not stir I whipped him with a switch I had taken up in his magnificent stable, and he had no sooner felt the stroke than he began to neigh with a horrible noise, and extending his wings, which I had not seen before, he flew up with me into the air, quite out of sight. I thought of nothing then but how to sit fast; and considering the fear that had seized upon me, I sat very well. He afterwards flew down again towards the earth, and lighting upon the terrace of a castle, without giving me any time to dismount, he shook me out of the saddle with such force that he threw me backwards, and with the end of his tail knocked out my eye.

Then I began to remember the predictions of the ten young gentlemen. The horse flew out of sight. I got up very much