Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/269

237 whilst the air was filled with flames and smoke and hearts were like to cleave in sunder. The birds and the flying Jinn fought in the air and the beasts and men and the Jinn of the earth in the dust, and the battle raged and I fought with Ed Dimiryat, till I was aweary. At last, I grew weak and turned to flee from him, whereupon my companions and tribesmen likewise took to flight and my hosts were put to the rout, and Solomon cried out, saying, “Take yonder proud tyrant, accursed and infamous!” Then man fell upon man and genie upon genie upon genie and the armies of the prophet charged down upon us, with the beasts on their right hand and on their left, rending our horses and devouring our men, whilst the birds hovered above them in the air, pecking out our eyes with their claws and beaks and buffeting our faces with their wings, till the most of us lay prone upon the face of the earth, like palm tree trunks, and defeat befell our king and we became a spoil unto Solomon.

As for me, I fled from before Ed Dimiryat; but he followed me three months’ journey, till I fell down for weariness and he overtook me and pouncing upon me, made me prisoner. Quoth I, “By the virtue of Him who hath advanced thee and abased me, spare me and bring me before Solomon, on whom be peace!” So he carried me before Solomon, who received me after the foulest fashion and let bring this pillar and hollow it out. Then he set me therein and chained me and sealed me with his signet, and Ed Dimiryat bore me to this place. Moreover, he charged a great angel to guard me, and this pillar is my prison until the Day of Judgment.’

The folk marvelled at his story and at the frightfulness of his favour, and the Amir Mousa said, ‘There is no god but God! Of a truth Solomon was gifted with a mighty dominion.’ Then said the Sheikh Abdussemed to the genie, ‘Harkye, I would fain ask thee of a thing,