Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/117

95 and left, saw nothing but the carcases of dead men, dried in the sun, and exclaimed, ‘There is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, the Supreme!’ Then he looked down and saw the merchant standing at the mountain-foot, looking for him. As soon as the Jew caught sight of him, he called out to him, saying, ‘Throw me down of the stones that are about thee, that I may direct thee to a way by which thou mayst descend.’ So Janshah threw him down nigh upon two hundred of the stones, with which the summit was strewn and which were all rubies and chrysolites and other precious stones; after which he called out to him, saying, ‘Show me the way down and I will throw thee some more.’ The Jew made him no answer, but gathered up the stones and binding them on the back of his mule, went his way, leaving Janshah alone on the mountain-top.

When the latter found himself deserted, he began to weep and implore help, and thus he abode three days, after which he rose and fared on over the mountain two months’ space, feeding upon herbs, till he came to its skirts and espied afar off a valley, full of trees and streams and birds singing the praises of God, the One, the Victorious. At this sight he rejoiced greatly and stayed not his steps till he came to a cleft in the rocks, through which [in the season of the rains] a torrent fell down into the valley. He made his way down [the dry bed of the water-course] into the valley and walked on therein, gazing right and left, until he came in sight of a great castle, rising high into the air. As he drew near, he saw an old man of comely aspect and face shining with light standing at the gate, with a staff of cornelian in his hand, and going up to him, saluted him. The old man returned his greeting and bade him welcome, saying, ‘Sit down, O my son.’ So he sat down at the door of the castle and the other said to him, ‘How camest thou to this land, that