Tie woodcutters recognized thy hatchet and directed
him to thee. He is sitting in my shop, so fare forth to him and
thank him and take thine ax and sandals."
When I heard these words I turned yellow with fear and felt
stunned as by a blow, and before I could recover myself, lo! the floor
of my private room clove asunder, and out of it rose the Persian,
who was the Ifrit. He had tortured the lady with exceeding tortures,
natheless she would not confess to him aught, so he took the hatchet
and sandals and said to her, "As surely as I am Jirjis of the seed
of Iblis, I will bring thee back the owner of this and these!" Then he
went to the woodcutters with the pretense aforesaid and, being
directed to me, after waiting a while in the shop till the fact was
confirmed, he suddenly snatched me up as a hawk snatcheth a mouse
and flew high in air, but presently descended and plunged with me
under the earth (I being a-swoon the while), and lastly set me down in
the subterranean palace wherein I had passed that blissful night.
And there I saw the lady stripped to the skin, her limbs bound to
four stakes and blood welling from her sides.
Pages:
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150