Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/63

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The ship was wrecked, but the man and his wife and children saved themselves, each on a plank. The waves separated them and the wife was cast up in one country and the elder son in another. The second son was picked up by a ship, and the waves threw the father on a desert island, where he landed and made the ablution. Then he pronounced the call to prayer and fell to his devotions, when, behold, there came up out of the sea creatures of various colours and prayed with him. When he had finished, he went up to a tree and stayed his hunger with its fruits; after which he found a spring of water and drank thereof and praised God, to whom belong might and majesty. He abode thus three days and whenever he stood up to pray, the sea-creatures came out and prayed like as he prayed.

On the fourth day, he heard one crying aloud and saying, ‘O just man, that didst so piously honour thy father and so reverest the decrees of thy Lord, grieve not, for God requiteth thee that which thou hast lost. In this island are treasures and things of price, which God willeth thou shalt inherit, and they are in such a place; so bring thou them to light. Moreover, we will send ships unto thee; and do thou bestow largesse on the folk and bid them to thee, and we will incline their hearts unto thee.’ So he sought out the appointed place, and God (to whom belong might and majesty) discovered to him the treasures in question. Then ships resorted to him, and he gave abundant largesse to the crews, saying to them, ‘Direct the folk unto me and I will give them such and such things