Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/280

248 but they are with this old man? Doubtless he was the seneschal of the city, and these others were under his hand.’ So he went up to him and lifting his gown, saw the keys hanging to his girdle, whereat he rejoiced with an exceeding joy and was like to fly for gladness. Then he took them and going up to the gate, undid the locks and drew back the bolts and bars, whereupon the great gate swung open with a noise like the pealing thunder. At this he cried out, saying, ‘God is most great!’ And the folk without answered him with the same words, rejoicing and thanking him for his deed.

The Amir Mousa also rejoiced with an exceeding joy in the Sheikh’s safety and the opening of the city-gate, and they all pressed forward to enter; but Mousa cried out to them, saying, ‘O folk, it is not safe that we all enter at once, lest some ill chance betide us. Let half enter and other half tarry without.’ So he entered with half his men, bearing their weapons of war, and saw the doorkeepers and guards and chamberlains and officers lying dead on couches of silk. Then they passed through the inner gate and coming upon their comrades lying dead, buried them; after which they fared on till they came to a great market-place, full of lofty buildings, none of which overpassed other, and saw all the shops open, with the scales hung out and the brazen vessels ranged in order and the magazines full of all manner goods and the merchants sitting in their places, dead, with shrivelled skin and rotted bones, a warning to those who can take warning; and here they saw four separate markets.

Then they went on till they came to the silk-market, where they found silks and brocades, woven with red gold and white silver upon all manner of colours, and the owners lying dead upon mats of scented goats’ leather, as if they would speak; after which they traversed the market of pearls and rubies and other jewels and came to