Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/83

63 he may roast some of you and boil other, for it is long since he hath tasted human flesh.’ When Gherib heard this, he drove at Felhoun, shaking his mace, so that the rings resounded like the pealing thunder and the giant was confounded. Then he smote him a light blow with the mace between the shoulders, and he fell to the ground like a great palm-tree; whereupon Sehim and some of his men fell upon him and bound him; then, putting a rope about his neck, they haled him along like a cow.

When his brothers saw him a prisoner, they rushed upon Gherib, who took three of them captive and the fifth fled back to his father, who said to him, ‘What is behind thee and where are thy brothers?’ Quoth he, ‘A beardless youth, forty cubits high, hath taken them prisoner.’ ‘May the sun pour no blessing on you!’ replied Saadan and going down from his hold, tore up a huge tree, with which he went in quest of Gherib and his folk on foot, for that no horse might carry him, because of the bigness of his body. His son followed him and they went on till they came up with Gherib and his company, when the Ghoul fell upon them, without word said, and killed five men with his club. Then he made at Sehim and struck at him with his club, but Sehim avoided the blow and it fell harmless; whereat Saadan was wroth and throwing down the weapon, sprang upon Sehim and caught him up as the merlin catches up the sparrow.

When Gherib saw his brother in the Ghoul’s clutches, he cried out, saying, ‘God is most Great! By the favour of Abraham the Friend, whom God bless and preserve!’ And spurred his charger at Saadan, shaking his mace, till the rings resounded. Then he cried out again, ‘God is most Great!’ and smote the Ghoul full on the ribs with his mace, whereupon he fell to the ground, insensible, and loosed his hold of Sehim; nor did he come to