Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/52

34 ‘O chief of the Afrits,’ said the fisherman, ‘thou meritest the withdrawal of God’s protection from thee for saying this! Why wilt thou kill me and what calls for my death? Did I not deliver thee from the abysses of the sea and bring thee to land and release thee from the vase?’ Quoth the Afrit, ‘Choose what manner of death thou wilt die and how thou wilt be killed.’ ‘What is my crime?’ asked the fisherman. ‘Is this my reward for setting thee free?’ The Afrit answered, ‘Hear my story, O fisherman!’ ‘Say on and be brief,’ quoth he, ‘for my heart is in my mouth.’ Then said the Afrit, ‘Know, O fisherman, that I was of the schismatic Jinn and rebelled against Solomon son of David (on whom be peace!), I and Sekhr the genie; and he sent his Vizier Asef ben Berkhiya, who took me by force and bound me and carried me, in despite of myself, before Solomon, who invoked God’s aid against me and exhorted me to embrace the Faith and submit to his authority: but I refused. Then he sent for this vessel and shut me up in it and stoppered it with lead and sealed it with the Most High Name and commanded the Jinn to take me and throw me into the midst of the sea. There I remained a hundred years, and I said in my heart, “Whoso releaseth me, I will make him rich for ever.” But the hundred years passed and no one came to release me, and I entered on another century and said, “Whoso releaseth me, I will open to him the treasures of the earth.” But none released me, and other four hundred years passed over me, and I said, “Whoso releaseth me, I will grant him three wishes.” But no one set me free. Then I was exceeding wroth and said to myself, “Henceforth, whoso releaseth me, I will kill him and let him choose what death he will die.” And now, thou hast released me, and I give