Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/235

213 and he welcomed me and entreated me with kindness, bidding me be seated and admitting me to his table and converse. So I talked with him and called down blessings upon him and he took pleasure in my discourse and showed me satisfaction and said to me, ‘What is thy name?’ ‘O my lord,’ answered I, ‘my name is Sindbad the Sailor;’ and he said, ‘And what countryman art thou?’ Quoth I, ‘I am of Baghdad.’ ‘And how camest thou hither?’ asked he. So I told him my story and he marvelled mightily thereat and said, ‘By Allah, O Sindbad, this thy story is marvellous and it behoveth that it be written in characters of gold.’

Then they brought the raft before him and I said to him, ‘O my lord, I am in thy hands, I and all my good.’ He looked at the raft and seeing therein jacinths and emeralds and crude ambergris, the like whereof was not in his treasuries, marvelled and was amazed at this. Then said he, ‘O Sindbad, God forbid that we should covet that which God the Most High hath vouchsafed unto thee! Nay, it behoveth us rather to further thee on thy return to thine own country.’ So I called down blessings on him and thanked him. Then he signed to one of his