Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/220

208 beseemeth that this one be king over us;” whilst others objected to him and would none of him; and thus there arose division and dissension among them and the strife waxed hot between them.

At last they agreed to sleep the night upon it and that none should go forth at peep of dawn next morning to seek his living, [as of wont], but that all should wait till daybreak, when they should meet all in one place. “Then,” said they, “we will all take flight at once and whichsoever soars above the rest in his flying, we will make king over us.” So they did as they had agreed and took flight all, but each of them deemed himself higher than his fellow; wherefore quoth this one, “I am highest,” and that, “Nay; that am I.” Then said the lowest of them, “Look up, all of you, and whomsoever ye find the highest of you, let him be your chief.” So they raised their eyes and seeing the hawk soaring over them, said to each other, “We agreed that which bird soever should be the highest of us should be king over us, and behold, the hawk is the highest of us: what say ye to him?” And they all cried out, saying, “We accept of him.”

So they called the hawk and said to him, “O father of good, we have chosen thee governor over us, that thou mayst look into our affair.” The hawk consented, saying, “God willing, ye shall have of me great good.” But, after awhile, he fell to taking a company of them and betaking himself with them afar off to one of the caves, where he struck them down and eating their eyes and brains, threw their bodies into the river. Thus he did every day, it being his intent to destroy them all, [one after another], till, seeing that their number diminished daily, the crows flocked to him and said, “O our king, we complain to thee for that, since the day we made thee king and ruler over us, we are in the sorriest case and every day a company of us is missing and we know not