Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/142

120 and slaughtered her and cut off her legs and slit her belly, as the Jew ordered him; whereupon quoth the latter, ‘Enter her belly, till I sew it up on thee; and whatsoever thou seest therein, tell me of it, for this is the work the hire whereof thou hast taken.’ So Janshah entered the mare’s belly and the merchant sewed it up on him, then, withdrawing to a distance, hid himself.

Presently, a great bird swooped down on the carcase and flying up with it to the mountain-top, would have eaten it, which when Janshah felt, he took out his knife and slitting the mare’s belly, came forth. The bird was scared at his sight and flew away, and Janshah went up to the edge of the crest and looking down, espied the merchant standing at the foot of the mountain, as he were a sparrow. So he cried out to him, ‘What is thy will, O merchant?’ ‘Throw me down of the stones that lie about thee,’ replied the Jew, ‘that I may direct thee in the way down.’ Quoth Janshah, ‘I am he with whom thou didst thus and thus five years agone, and through thee I suffered hunger and thirst and sore toil and much hardship; and now thou hast brought me hither once more and thinkest to destroy me. By Allah, I will not throw thee aught!’ So saying, he turned his back on him and set out for the castle of the lord Solomon.

He fared on many days and nights, tearful-eyed and heavy at heart, eating, when he hungered, of the fruits of the earth and drinking, when he thirsted, of its streams, till he came in sight of the castle and saw Sheikh Nesr sitting at the gate. So he hastened up to him and kissed his hands; and the Sheikh bade him welcome and said to him, ‘O my son, what ails thee that thou returnest to this place, after I sent thee home with the Princess Shemseh, comforted and glad at heart?’ Janshah wept and told