Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/24

6 laid his head on her knees and fell asleep. Presently the lady raised her eyes to the tree and saw the two kings among the branches; so she lifted the genie’s head from her lap and laid it on the ground, then rose and stood beneath the tree and signed to them to descend, without heeding the Afrit. They answered her, in the same manner, “God on thee excuse us from this.” But she rejoined by signs, as who should say, “If you do not come down, I will wake the Afrit on you, and he will kill you without mercy.” So they were afraid and came down to her, whereupon she came up to them and offered them her favours, saying, “To it, both of you, and lustily; or I will set the Afrit on you.” So for fear of him, King Shehriyar said to his brother Shahzeman, “O brother, do as she bids thee.” But he replied, “Not I; do thou have at her first.” And they made signs to each other to pass first, till she said, “Why do I see you make signs to each other? An you come not forward and fall to, I will rouse the Afrit on you.” So for fear of the genie, they lay with her one after the other, and when they had done, she bade them arise, and took out of her bosom a purse containing a necklace made of five hundred and seventy rings, and said to them, “Know ye what these are?” They answered, “No.” And she said, “Every one of the owners of these rings has had to do with me in despite of this Afrit. And now give me your rings, both of you.” So each of them took off a ring and gave it to her. And she said to them, “Know that this genie carried me off on my wedding night and laid me in a box and shut the box up in a glass chest, on which he clapped seven strong locks and sank it to the bottom of the roaring stormy sea,