Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/220

198 gates and flew away. As soon as it was day, the gate was thrown open and the folk came out, and seeing a handsome young man, clad in nothing but a shirt and skull-cap, lying on the ground, drowned in sleep by reason of his much swink of the night before, said, “Happy she with whom this youth lay the night! Would he had waited to put on his clothes!” Quoth another, “A sorry race are young men of family! Belike, this fellow but now came forth of the tavern on some occasion or other, but being overcome with drunkenness, missed the place he was making for and strayed till he came to the city gate, and finding it shut, lay down and fell asleep.” As they were bandying words about him, the breeze blew on him and raising his shirt, showed a stomach and navel and legs and thighs, firm and clear as crystal and softer than cream; whereupon the bystanders exclaimed, “By Allah, it is good!” And made such a noise, that Bedreddin awoke and finding himself lying at the gate of a city, in the midst of a crowd of people, was astonished and said to them, “O good people, where am I, and why do you crowd round me thus?” “We found thee lying here asleep, at the time of the call to morning-prayer,” replied they, “and this is all we know of the matter. Where didst thou lie last night?” “By Allah, good people,” answered he, “I lay last night in Cairo!” Quoth one, “Thou hast eaten hashish.” And another, “Thou art mad; how couldst thou lie yesternight in Cairo and awake this morning in Damascus?” “By Allah, good people,” rejoined he, “I do not lie to you; indeed I lay last night in the city of Cairo and yesterday I was in Bassora.” “Good,” said one; and another, “This youth is mad.” And they clapped their hands at him and said to each other, “Alack, the pity of his youth! By Allah, there is no doubt of his madness.” Then said they to him, “Collect thyself and return to thy senses. How couldst