Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/98

80 one of the dwellers therein hath mounted on my shoulders, and the rest seek you, that they may ride you likewise.’

When they heard this, they all fled down to the boat and pushed off to sea; whilst the islanders followed them into the water, saying, ‘Whither go ye? Come, bide with us and we will ride on your backs and give you meat and drink, and you shall be our asses.’ With this, they redoubled their efforts, till they left them in the distance and fared on, trusting in God the Most High; nor did they leave going a whole month, till they came to another island and landed. Here they found fruits of various kinds and busied themselves with eating of them. Presently, they saw, afar off, somewhat lying in the road, as it were a column of silver. So they went up to it and one of the men gave it a push with his foot, when, lo, it was a creature of hideous aspect, long-eyed, cleft-headed and hidden under one of his ears, for he was used, whenas he lay down to sleep, to spread one ear under his head and cover himself with the other. He snatched up the man who had kicked him and carried him off into the inward of the island, and behold, it was all full of ghouls who eat men. So the man cried out to his fellows, saying, ‘Flee and save yourselves, for this is the island of the man-eating ghouls, and they mean to tear me in pieces and eat me.’

When they heard this, they fled back to the boat, without gathering any store of the fruits, and putting out to sea, fared on some days till they came to another island, where they found a high mountain. So they climbed to the top and found there a thick wood. Now they were anhungred; so they fell to eating of the fruits; but, before they aware, there came upon them from among the trees black men of terrible aspect, each fifty cubits high, with teeth like elephants’ tusks protruding from their mouths, and laying hands on Seif el Mulouk and his