Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/196

170 he summoned his grandees and told them what he had heard from the idol, whereat they marvelled and said, ‘What shall we do, O King?’ Quoth he, ‘When my son comes and ye see me embranceembrace [sic] him, do ye lay hold of him.’ And they said, ‘We hear and obey.’

After two days came Zelzal and Gherib, with the King’s idol of Kerej, but no sooner had they entered the palace-gate than the Jinn seized on them and carried them before Muzelzel, who looked at his son with angry eyes and said to him, ‘O dog of a genie, hast thou left thy faith and that of thy fathers and grandfathers?’ Quoth Zelzal, ‘I have embraced the true faith, and thou, do thou likewise and thou shalt be saved from the wrath of the Almighty King, Creator of Night and Day.’ Therewith his father waxed wroth and said, ‘O whoreson, dost thou affront me with these words?’ Then he bade clap him in prison and turning to Gherib, said to him, ‘O wretch of a mortal, how hast thou abused my son’s wit and seduced him from his faith?’ Quoth Gherib, ‘Indeed, I have brought him out of error into the way of righteousness, out of Hell into Paradise and out of idolatry to the true faith.’ Whereupon the King cried out to a Marid called Siyyar, saying, ‘Take this dog and cast him into the Valley of Fire, that he may perish.’

Now this valley was situate in the desert quarter of the world and was so named by reason of the excess of its heat and the flaming of its fire, which was so fierce that none who fell therein could live an hour, but was destroyed; and it was compassed about by high and slippery mountains, wherein was no opening. So Siyyar took up Gherib and flew with him towards the Valley of Fire, till he came within an hour’s journey thereof, when, being aweary, he alighted in a valley full of trees and streams and fruits, and setting down Gherib, chained as he was, fell asleep for weariness. When Gherib saw that he slept