Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/83

63 entering the cage, [drank up the milk. Then I] went to the bowl of wine and drank of it, whereupon my head became giddy and I slept. When Uffan saw this, he ran up and locking the cage upon me, set it on his head and made for the ship, he and Beloukiya. After awhile I awoke and finding myself in a cage of iron on a man’s head and seeing Beloukiya walking beside the bearer, said to him, “This is the reward of those who do no hurt to men.” “O Queen,” answered he, “have no fear of us, for we will do thee no hurt. We would but have thee guide us to the herb whose juice, rubbed upon the soles of the feet, confers the power of walking dryshod upon what sea soever God the Most High hath created; which when we have found, we will return thee to thy place and let thee go thy way.”

Then they fared on till they came to the hills where grew the herbs, and as they went, each herb they passed began to speak and avouch its virtues by permission of God the Most High. As they were going along and the herbs speaking right and left, one of the latter spoke out and said, “I am the herb, which if one gather and press and anoint his feet with my juice, he shall fare dryshod over what sea soever God the Most High hath created.” When Uffan heard this, he set down the cage and gathering what might suffice them of the herb, bruised it and filled two vials with the juice; and with what was left they anointed their feet. Then they took up the cage and journeyed days and nights, till they reached the island, where they opened the cage and let me out. When I found myself at liberty, I asked them what use they thought to make of the juice of the herb; and they answered, saying, “We purpose to traverse the Seven Seas to the burial-place of our lord Solomon and take the ring from his finger.” Quoth I, “Far is it from your power to possess yourselves of the ring!” “Wherefore?” asked they, and I replied. “Because God the Most High vouchsafed unto our lord