Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/159

135 twenty thousand fierce Marids and Satans; and he bade them make ready to set out in three days’ time.

Meanwhile, when Muraash discovered Bercan’s escape, it was grievous to him and he said, ‘Had we set a hundred Marids to guard him, he had not fled; but whither shall he go from us?’ Then said he to Gherib, ‘Know, O my brother, that Bercan is perfidious and will never rest from avenging himself on us, but will assuredly assemble his clans and return upon us; wherefore I am minded to forestall him and fall on him, on the heels of his defeat, whilst he is yet weak by reason thereof.’ ‘This is well seen,’ replied Gherib; and Muraash said, ‘O my brother, let the Marids bear thee back to thine own country and leave me to fight the battles of the Faith against the infidels, that I may be lightened of the burden of my sins.’ ‘By the virtue of the Clement, the Bountiful, the Protector,’ answered Gherib, ‘I will not go hence till I do to death all the misbelieving Jinn and God hasten their souls to the fire and evil shall be the abiding-place [to which they go;] and none shall be saved but those who worship God the One, the Victorious! But do thou send Sehim back to the city of Oman, so haply he may be healed of his sickness.’ For Sehim was sick. So Muraash bade the Marids take up Sehim and the treasures and bear them to the city of Oman; and they took them and made for the land of men.

Then Muraash wrote letters to all his governors and captains of fortresses and they came to him with eight-score thousand men. So they made them ready and departed for the City of Cornelian. In one day, they marched a year’s journey and halted in a valley, where they encamped and passed the night. Next morning, as they were about to set forth, the vanguard of Bercan’s army appeared, whereupon the Jinn cried out and the two hosts met and fell upon each other in that valley, that the earth trembled with the shock. Then there befell a sore