Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/337

323 release thee, thou must abide with me in this island till some galleon set sail from the city to thy native land, when I will send thee thither therein.’

Abousir kissed his hand and thanked him for this; after which the captain fetched the lime and laid it in a sack, together with a great stone, the bigness of a man, saying, ‘I put my trust in God.’ Then he gave the barber a net, saying, ‘Cast this net into the sea, so haply thou mayst take somewhat of fish. For I am bounden to furnish the king’s kitchen with fish every day; but to-day I have been distracted from fishing by this calamity that hath befallen thee, and I fear lest the cook’s servants come to me in quest of fish and find none. So, if thou take aught, they will find it and thou wilt veil my face, whilst I go and play off my device in front of the palace and feign to cast thee into the sea.’ ‘Go,’ answered Abousir; ‘and God be thy helper. I will fish the while.’

So the captain laid the sack in the boat and rowed till he came under the palace, where he saw the king seated at the lattice and said to him, ‘O king of the age, shall I cast him in?’ ‘Cast,’ answered the king and signed to him with his hand, whereupon something flashed and fell into the sea. Now this that had fallen into the sea was the king’s seal-ring, which was enchanted on such wise that, when the king was wroth with any one and was minded to slay him, he had but to sign to him with his right hand, whereon was the ring, and there issued lightning therefrom, which smote the offender, and thereupon his head fell from his shoulders. It was this ring that gave him authority over the troops, nor did he overcome the mighty save by means thereof; so, when it dropped from his finger, he concealed the matter and kept silence, for that he dared not say, ‘My ring is fallen