" Then he carried me to
the beach, where I filled my bag with pebbles large and small, and
presently we saw a company of folk issue from the town, each bearing a
bag like mine, filled with pebbles. To these he committed me,
commending me to their care, and saying: "This man is a stranger, so
take him with you and teach him how to gather, that he may get his
daily bread, and you will earn your reward and recompense in
Heaven." "On our head and eyes be it!" answered they, and bidding me
welcome, fared on with me till we came to a spacious wady, full of
lofty trees with trunks so smooth that none might climb them.
Now sleeping under these trees were many apes, which when they saw
us rose and fled from us and swarmed up among the branches,
whereupon my companions began to pelt them with what they had in their
bags, and the apes fell to plucking of the fruit of the trees and
casting them at the folk. I looked at the fruits they cast at us and
found them to be Indian or coconuts, so I chose out a great tree
full of apes, and going up to it, began to pelt them with stones,
and they in return pelted me with nuts, which I collected, as did
the rest.
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