Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/157

137 the funeral-prayer and cast himself down into the sea; but, by God’s grace, the winds bore him up, so that he reached the water unhurt, and the angel to whose charge the sea is committed watched over him, so that, by the decree of the Most High, the waves carried him safe to land. So he rejoiced and praised God the Most High and thanked Him; after which he walked on in quest of somewhat to eat, for stress of hunger, and came presently to the place where he had halted with the Magian.

Then he fared on awhile, till he caught sight of a great palace, rising high into the air, and knew it for that of which he had questioned Behram and he had replied, ‘An enemy of mine dwelleth there.’ ‘By Allah,’ said Hassan in himself, ‘needs must I enter yonder palace; peradventure relief awaits me there.’ So he went up to it and finding the gate open, entered the vestibule, where he saw two girls, like moons, seated on a bench, with a table before them, playing at chess. One of them raised her eyes and seeing him, cried out for joy and said, ‘By Allah, here is a mortal, and methinks it is he whom Behram the Magian brought hither this year!’ Whereupon Hassan cast himself at their feet and wept sore, saying, ‘Yes, by Allah, O my ladies, I am indeed that unhappy wretch!’

Then said the younger to the elder damsel, ‘Bear witness against me, O my sister, that this is my brother before God and that I will die for his death and live for his life and rejoice for his joy and mourn for his mourning.’ So saying, she embraced him and kissed him and taking him by the hand, led him, and her sister with her, into the palace, where she did off his ragged clothes and brought him a suit of kings’ raiment, in which she clothed him. Moreover, she made ready all manner viands and set them before him, and sat and ate with him, she and her sister. Then said they to him, ‘Tell us thine adventure with yonder wicked dog of a sorcerer, from the time of