Whereupon they fied from it and descended with curses
upon me and, casting me down on a high mountain, went away exceeding
wroth with me, and left me there alone. As I found myself in this
plight, I repented of what I had done and reproached myself for having
undertaken that for which I was unable, saying: "There is no Majesty
and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! No
sooner am I delivered from one affliction than I fall into a worse."
And I continued in this case, knowing not whither I should go, when
lo! there came up two young men, as they were moons, each using as a
staff a rod of red gold. So I approached them and saluted them; and
when they returned my salaam, I said to them: Allah upon you twain.
Who are ye, and what are ye?" Quoth they, "We are of the servants of
the Most High Allah, abiding in this mountain," and giving me a rod of
red gold they had with them, went their ways and left me.
I walked on along the mountain ridge, staying my steps with the
staff and pondering the case of the two youths, when behold, a serpent
came forth from under the mountain, with a man in her jaws whom she
had swallowed even to below his navel, and he was crying out and
saying, "Whoso delivereth me, Allah will deliver him from all
adversity!" So I went up to the the serpent and smote her on the
head with the golden staff, whereupon she cast the man forth of her
mouth.
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