106 THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF

covered the mouth of the pit with the great
stone that was upon it, and went their ways.
I beheld in that cavern many dead bodies, and
their smell was putrid and abominable; and I.
blamed myself for that which I had done,
saying, ‘‘By Allah, I deserve all that happeneth
to me and befalleth me!” I knew not night
from day; and I sustained myself with little
food, not eating until hunger almost killed me,
nor drinking until my thirst became violent,
fearing the exhaustion of the food and water
that I had with me. I said, “‘There is no
strength nor power but in God, the High, the
Great! What tempted me to marry in this
city? And every time that I say, I have
escaped from a calamity, I fall into a calamity
that is more mighty than the preceding one!
By Allah, my dying this death is unfor-
tunate! Would that I had been drowned
in the sea, or had died upon the mountains!
It had been better for me than this evil
death!” And I continued in this manner,
blaming myself. I laid myself-down upon the
bones of the dead, begging aid of God (whose
name be exalted!), and wished for death, but
I found it not, by reason of the severity of
my sufferings. Thus I remained until hunger