Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/218

196 On each estrade stood a chair, whereon sat an elder, with great store of books before him and censers of gold, containing fire and perfumes, and before each elder were students, who read the books to him.

When the two entered, the elders rose and did them honour; whereupon Abourruweish signed to them to dismiss their scholars and they did so. Then the four arose and seating themselves before Abourruweish, asked him of Hassan’s case, and he said to the latter, ‘Tell the company thy story and all that hath betided thee, first and last.’ So Hassan wept sore and related to them his adventures [up to the time when Behram sewed him in the camel’s skin and caused the rocs carry him up to the mountain-top]; whereupon all the sheikhs cried out and said, ‘Is this indeed he whom the Magian caused ascend the Mountain of Clouds by means of the rocs, sewn up in the skin of a camel?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ So they turned to the Sheikh Abourruweish and said to him, ‘O our sheikh, Behram contrived his ascent to the top of the mountain; but how did he descend thence and what wonders saw he there?’ And Abourruweish said, ‘O Hassan, tell them how thou camest down and what thou sawest of marvels.’

So he told them all that had befallen him, first and last, and how he had gotten the Magian into his power and slain him and delivered the youth from him and sent him back to his own country and how he had taken the king’s daughter of the Jinn and married her and she had borne him two children, yet had played him false and taken them and flown away, and related to them all the perils and hardships he had undergone; whereat they all marvelled and said to Abourruweish, ‘O elder of elders, by Allah, this youth is to be pitied! But belike thou wilt aid him to regain his wife and children.’ ‘O my brothers,’ answered he, ‘this is a grave and perilous matter; and never saw I any