Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 3.djvu/32

16 in his company, and they both abode in the cavern, doing fair service to their Lord and living upon the flesh and milk of their sheep, having put away from them wealth and children and other the goods of this world, till there came to them Death, the Certain, the Inevitable. And this is the end of their story.”

“O Shehrzad,” said King Shehriyar, “thou puttest me out of conceit with my kingdom and makest me repent of having slain so many women and maidens. Hast thou any stories of birds?” “Yes,” answered she, and began as follows: THE WATER-FOWL AND THE TORTOISE.

“A water-fowl flew high up into the air and alighted on rock in the midst of a running water. As it sat, behold, the water floated up a carcase, that was swollen and rose high out of the water, and lodged it against the rock. The bird drew near and examining it, found that it was the dead body of a man and saw in it spear and sword wounds. So he said in himself, ‘Belike, this was some evil-doer, and a company of men joined themselves together against him and slew him and were at peace from him and his mischief.’ Whilst he was marvelling at this, vultures and eagles came down upon the carcase from all sides; which when the water-fowl saw, he was sore affrighted and said, ‘I cannot endure to abide here longer.’ So he flew away in quest of a place where he might harbour, till the carcase should come to an end and the birds of prey leave it, and stayed not in his flight, till he came to a river with a tree in its midst. He alighted on the tree, troubled and distraught and grieved for his separation from his native place, and said to himself, ‘Verily grief and vexation cease not to follow