Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/84

64 before he was bound and shackled. When his son saw this, he turned and fled; but Gherib drove after him and smiting him with his mace between the shoulders, unhorsed him. So they bound him with his father and brothers and haltering them with ropes, haled them all six along like camels, till they reached the Ghoul’s castle, which they found full of goods and treasures and things of price; and there they found also twelve hundred Persians, bound and shackled.

Gherib sat down on Saadan’s chair, which had aforetime belonged to Sasa ben Shith ben Sheddad ben Aad, with Sehim on his right and his companions standing on his either hand, and sending for the Ghoul of the Mountain, said to him, ‘How findest thou thyself, O accursed one?’ ‘O my lord,’ answered Saadan, ‘in the sorriest of plights for abasement and mortification; my sons and I, we are bound with ropes like camels.’ Quoth Gherib, ‘It is my will that you enter my faith, that is, the faith of Islam, and acknowledge the Unity of the All-knowing King, Creator of light and darkness and of all things,—there is no God but He, the Requiting King,—and confess the prophethood of Abraham the Friend, on whom be peace!’ So the Ghoul and his sons made profession of Islam after the goodliest fashion, and Gherib bade loose their bonds, whereupon Saadan wept and would have kissed his feet, he and his sons: but Gherib forbade them and they stood with the rest.

Then said Gherib, ‘Harkye, Saadan!’ ‘At thy service, O my lord!’ answered he. Quoth Gherib, ‘What are these captives?’ ‘O my lord,’ replied the Ghoul, ‘these are my booty from the land of the Persians and are not the only ones.’ ‘And who is with them?’ asked Gherib. ‘O my lord,’ answered Saadan, ‘there is with them the princess Fekhr Taj, daughter of King Sabour of Persia, and a hundred damsels like moons.’ When Gherib heard this, he