72 THE ARABIAN NIGHTS’ ENTERTAINMENTS.

 

They continued this strange employment during the whole of the
night. I wished a thousand times to break the silence which had been
imposed upon me, and to ask the reason of their strange proceedings.
The next day, soon after we had arisen, we went out to walk, and then
T said to them: ‘I cannot forbear asking why you bedaubed your faces
with black—how it has happened that each of you has but one eye. I
conjure you to satisfy my curiosity.’

One of the young men answered on behalf of the rest: ‘Once more
we advise you to restrain your curiosity; it will cost you the loss of
your right eye.’ ‘No matter,’ I replied; ‘be assured that if such a
misfortune befall me I will not impute it to you, but to myself.’

He further represented to me that when I had lost an eye I must
not hope to remain with them, if I were so disposed, because their
number was complete, and no addition could be made to it. I begged
them, let it cost what it would, to grant my request.

The ten young men, perceiving that I was so fixed in my resolution,
took a sheep, killed it, and, after they had taken off the skin, presented
me with a knife, telling me it would be useful to me on an occasion
which they would soon explain. ‘ We must sew you in this skin,’ said
they, ‘and then leave you; upon which a bird of a monstrous size,
called a roc, will appear in the air, and taking you for a sheep, will
pounce upon you, and soar with you to the sky. But let not that
alarm you; he will descend with you again, and lay you on the top of
a mountain. When you find yourself on the ground, cut the skin with
your knife and throw it off. As soon as the roc sees you, he will fly
away for fear and leave you at liberty. Do not stay, but walk on till
you come to a spacious palace covered with plates of gold, large
emeralds, and other precious stones. Go up to the gate, which always
stands open, and walk in. We have each of us been in that castle, but
will tell you nothing of what we saw or what befell us there; you will
learn by your own experience. All that we can inform you is that it
has cost each of us our right eye; and the penance which you have
been witness to is what we are obliged to observe in consequence of
having been there; but we cannot explain ourselves further.’

When the young man had thus spoken, I wrapt myself in the sheep’s
skin, held fast the knife which was given me; and after the young men
had been at the trouble to sew the skin about me, they retired into the
hall, and left me alone. The roc they spoke of soon arrived; he
pounced upon me, took me in his talons like a sheep, and carried me
up to the summit of the mountain.

When I found myself on the ground, I cut the skin with the knife,
and throwing it off, the roc at the sight of me flew away. This roc is
a white bird, of a monstrous size; his strength is such that he can lift
up elephants from the plains, and carry them to the tops of mountains,
where he feeds upon them.

Being impatient to reach the palace, I lost no time, but made so much
haste that I got thither in half a day’s journey; and I must say that