Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/249

217 am I delivered from one affliction than I fall into a worse.” Presently, as I sat, knowing not whither I should go, there came up two young men, as they were moons, each staying his steps with a rod of red gold. So I went up to them and saluted them. They returned my greeting and I conjured them by Allah to tell me who and what they were. Quoth they, “We are devout servants of the Most High God, abiding in this mountain,” and giving me a rod of gold after the likeness of those they had with them, went their ways and left me.

I walked on along the mountain-top, leaning on the staff and pondering the case of the two youths, till I saw a serpent come forth from under the mountain, with a man in her jaws, whom she had swallowed even to the navel, and he was crying out and saying, “Whoso delivereth me from this serpent, God will deliver him from every strait!” So I went up to the serpent and smote her on the head with the staff, whereupon she cast the man forth of her mouth. Then I smote her a second time, and she turned and fled; whereupon he came up to me and said, “Since my deliverance from yonder serpent hath been at thy hands, I will never leave thee, and thou shalt be my comrade on this mountain.” “With all my heart,” answered I, and we fared on along the mountain, till we fell in with a company of folk, and I looked and saw amongst them the very man who had cast me down there. So I went up to him and spoke him fair, excusing myself to him and saying, “O my friend, it is not thus that brethren should deal with brethren.” Quoth he, “It was thou who [well-nigh] destroyed us by glorifying God on my back.” “Excuse me,” answered I; “for I had no knowledge of this; but if thou wilt take me with thee, I swear not to say a word.” So he relented and consented to carry me with him, on condition that, so long I abode on his back, I should abstain from pronouncing