Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/103

81 who thou art and what brought thee hither, and after I will, in turn, relate to thee my history.” So Beloukiya sat down by him and related to him all that had befallen him from his father’s death, adding, “This is my whole history, and God [alone] knoweth what will betide me after this.” When the other heard his story, he sighed and said, “Alas, unhappy one! What things thou hast seen in thy life! [But my experiences are yet more surprising,] for know that I have looked upon lord Solomon, in his life, and have seen what is past count or reckoning. Indeed, my story is marvellous and my case extraordinary, and I would have thee tarry with me, till I tell thee my history and how I come to be sitting here.”’

Here Hasib interrupted the Queen of the Serpents and said to her, ‘I conjure thee by God, O Queen, release me and bid one of thy servants carry me forth to the surface of the earth, and I will swear an oath to thee that I will never enter the bath as long as I live.’ But she said, ‘This is a thing that may not be, nor will I credit thee upon thine oath.’ When he heard this, he wept and all the serpents wept on his account and fell to interceding for him with their Queen and saying, ‘We beseech thee, bid one of us carry him forth to the surface of the earth, and he will swear an oath to thee never to enter the bath his life long.’ Thereupon the Queen (whose name was Yumeleika) turned to Hasib and made him swear to her, after which she bade a serpent to carry him forth to the surface of the earth; but, as she was about to go away with him, he turned to Queen Yumeleika and said to her, ‘I would fain have thee tell me the history of the young man, whom Beloukiya found sitting between the two tombs.’ So she said, ‘Know, O Hasib, that the young man said to Beloukiya, “Know, O my brother, that

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