the King’s Son - ome 199

 

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expectation of death. ‘Strike’ cried I, ‘for I am ready to receive
the mortal blow, and expect it as the greatest favour you can show
me.’ But instead of agreeing to that, ‘Look you, said he, ‘how
genies treat their wives whom they suspect : she has. received you
here, and were I certain that she had put any further affront upon
me, I would put you to death this minute: but I will be content to
transform you into a dog, ape, lion, or bird. Take your choice of
any of these; I will leave it to yourself,’ , 2

These words gave me some hope to mollify him. ‘Oh genie,
said I, ‘moderate your passion, and since you will not take away
my life, give it me generously ; I shall always remember you, if you
pardon me, as one of the best men in the world.’

‘ All that I can do for you,’ said he, ‘is, not.to take your life: do
not flatter yourself that I will send you back safe and sound ; I must
let you feel what I am able to do by my enchantments.’ So saying,
he laid violent hands on me, and carried me across the vault of the
subterranean palace,.which opened to give him passage. Then he
flew up with meso high that the earth seemed to be only a little
white cloud ; from thence he came down like lightning, and alighted
upon the ridge of a mountain. ;

There he took up a handful of earth, and pronounced, or rather
muttered, some words which I did not understand, and threw it upon
me. ‘Quit the shape of a man, said he to me, ‘and take on you
that of an ape. He vanished immediately, and left me alone,
transformed into an ape, overwhelmed with sorrow in a strange
country, and not knowing whether I was near or far from my
father’s dominions. oe

I went down: from the top of the mountain and came into a plain’ |
which took me a month’s time to travel through, and then I came to
the seaside. It happened to be then a great calm, and I espied
a vessel about half a league from the shore. ‘Unwilling to lose this
good opportunity, I broke off a large branch from a tree, which