Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/345

329 me what thou wilt and it shall be given thee.’ And he answered, saying, ‘I ask of thee to send me back to my own country, for I care no longer to abide here.’ Then the king offered to make him his vizier; but he consented not; so he gave him great store of gifts, over and above that which he had bestowed on him aforetime; and amongst the rest a galleon laden with goods; and the crew of this galleon were slaves; so he gave him these also. Then he took leave of the king and set sail; nor did he cast anchor till he reached Alexandria and made fast to the shore there. Then they landed and one of his servants, seeing a sack on the beach, said to Abousir, ‘O my lord, there is a great heavy sack on the sea-shore, with the mouth tied up and I know not what therein.’ So Abousir came up and opening the sack, found therein the dead body of Aboukir, which the sea had borne thither. He took it forth and burying it near Alexandria, built over the grave a place of visitation and endowed it for pious uses, writing over the door the following verses:

After this Abousir abode awhile, till God took him to