Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/142

120 shall not be ware of you; and when you hear me magnify God, do ye the like and cry out, saying, “God is Most Great!” and hold back and make for the gate of the city; and we seek aid from God the Most High.’ So the folk armed themselves cap-a-pie and waited till midnight, when they dispersed about the enemy’s camp and waited till Jemrcan smote his target with his sword and shouted, ‘God is Most Great!’ Whereupon they all cried out the like, till valley and mountain and hill and sands and ruins rang again with the noise. The infidels awoke in dismay and fell upon one another, and the sword went round amongst them; but the Muslims held aloof and made for the gate of the city, where they slew the warders and entering, made themselves masters of the town, with all that was therein of treasure and women and children.

Meanwhile, Gherib, hearing the noise and clamour of ‘God is Most Great!’ mounted with all his troops and sent Sehim on in advance. When the latter came near the field of battle, he saw that Jemrcan had fallen upon the infidels with the Benou Aamir by night and made them drink the cup of death. So he returned and told his brother, who called down blessings on Jemrcan. And the infidels ceased not to smite each other mightily with the sharp sword, till the day rose and lighted up the land, when Gherib cried out to his men, saying, ‘Charge, O ye noble, and win the favour of the All-knowing King!’ So the true believers fell upon the idolaters and plied them with the keen sword and the quivering spear, till they sought to take refuge in the city; but Jemrcan came forth upon them with his tribesmen. So they hemmed them in, as between two mountain-ranges, and slew an innumerable host of them, and the rest fled into the deserts; nor did the Muslims give over pursuing them with the sword, till they had scattered them abroad in the plains and stony wastes. Then they returned to the city of Oman and