ES-SINDIBAD OF THE SEA 65

_ the fire, put him before him, and separated his
joints as a man separates the joints of a chicken,
and proceeded to tear in pieces his flesh with his
nails, and to eat of it. Thus he continued to do
until he had eaten his flesh and gnawed his
bones, and there remained of him nothing but
some bones, which he threw by the side of the
pavilion. He then sat a little, and threw him-
self down, and slept upon that mastabah, making
a noise with his throat like that which is made
by a lamb or other beast when slaughtered ; and
he slept uninterruptedly until the morning, when
he went his way.

As soon, therefore, as we were sure that he
was far from us, we conversed together, and
wept for ourselves, saying, ‘““ Would that we had
been drowned in the sea, or that the apes had
eaten us; for it were better than the roasting of
aman upon burning coals! By Allah, this death
is a vile one! But what God willeth cometh to
pass, and there is no strength nor power but in
_ God, the High, the Great! We die in sorrow,
and no one knoweth of us; and there is no escape
for us from this place!” We then arose and went
forth upon the island, to see for us a place in
which to hide ourselves, or to flee; and it had

become a light matter to us to die, rather than
D