Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/129

111 I found a wide plain. I fared on for the space of a month till my course brought me to the shore of the salt sea: where I stood awhile and presently caught sight of a ship in the midst of the sea, making for the land with a fair wind. I hid myself behind a rock on the beach and waited till the ship drew near, when I sprang on board. Quoth one of the passengers, “Turn this unlucky brute out from amongst us!” And the captain said, “Let us kill him.” And a third, “I will kill him with this sword.” But I laid hold of the captain’s skirts and wept, and the tears ran down my face. The captain took pity on me and said, “O merchants, this ape appeals to me for protection, and I will protect him: henceforth he is under my safeguard, and none shall molest or annoy him.” Then he entreated me kindly and whatever he said I understood and ministered to all his wants and waited on him, so that he loved me. The ship sailed on with a fair wind for the space of fifty days, at the end of which time we cast anchor over against a great city, wherein were much people, none could tell their number save God. No sooner had we come to an anchor, than we were boarded by officers from the King of the city; who said to the merchants, “Our King gives you joy of your safety and sends you this scroll of paper, on which each one of you is to write a line. For know that the King’s Vizier, who was an excellent penman, is dead and the King has sworn a solemn oath that he will make none Vizier in his stead who cannot write like him.” Then they gave them a scroll, ten cubits long by one wide, and each of the merchants, who could write, wrote a line therein: after which I rose and snatched the scroll from their hands, and they cried out at me and rated me, fearing that I would tear it or throw it into the sea. But I made signs that I would write; whereat they marvelled, saying, “We never saw an ape write!” And the captain said to them, “Let him alone; if he scrabble, we