第51章

When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night； She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that the Jann said to Hasan，'We cannot promise thee safety，O our lord，from this Islandry，nor from the mischief of the Supreme King and his enchanters and warlocks.It may be they will overcome us and take you from us and we fall into affliction with them，and all to whom the tidings shall come after this will say to us：'Ye are wrong-doers！ How could ye go against the Supreme King and carry a mortal out of his dominions，and eke the King's daughter with him？'adding，'Wert thou alone with us the thing were light；but He who conveyed thee hither is capable to carry thee back to thy country and reunite thee with thine own people forthright and in readiest plight.So take heart and put thy trust in Allah and fear not；for we are at thy service，to convey thee to thy country.'Hasan thanked them therefor and said，'Allah requite you with good！ but now make haste with the horses；'they replied；'We hear and we obey，'and struck the ground with their feet；whereupon it opened and they disappeared within it and were absent awhile，after which they suddenly reappeared with three horses，saddled and bridled，and on each saddle-bow a pair of saddle-bags，with a leathern bottle of water in one pocket and the other full of provaunt.So Hasan mounted one steed and took a child before him，whilst his wife mounted a second and took the other child before her.Then the old woman alighted from the jar and bestrode the third horse and they rode on，without ceasing；all night.At break of day，they turned aside from the road and made for the mountain，whilst their tongues ceased not to name Allah.Then they fared on under the highland all that day，till Hasan caught sight of a black object afar as it were a tall column of smoke a-twisting skywards；so he recited somewhat of the Koran and Holy Writ，and sought refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned.The black thing grew plainer as they drew near，and when hard by it，they saw that it was an Ifrit，with a head like a huge dome and tusks like grapnels and jaws like a lane and nostrils like ewers and ears like leathern targes and mouth like a cave and teeth like pillars of stone and hands like winnowing forks and legs like masts： his head was in the cloud and his feet in the bowels of the earth had plowed.Whenas Hasan gazed upon him he bowed himself and kissed the ground before him，saying，'O Hasan，have no fear of me；for I am the chief of the dwellers in this land，which is the first of the Isles of Wak，and I am a Moslem and an adorer of the One God.I have heard of you and your coming and when I knew of your case，I desired to depart from the land of the magicians to another land，void of inhabitants and far from men and Jinn，that I might dwell there alone and worship Allah till my fated end came upon me.So I

wish to accompany you and be your guide，till ye fare forth of the Wak Islands；and I will not appear save at night；and do ye hearten your hearts on my account；for I am a Moslem，even as ye are Moslems.'When Hasan heard the Ifrit's words，he rejoiced with exceeding joy and made sure of deliverance；and he said to him，'Allah requite thee weal！ Go with us relying upon the blessing of Allah！'So the Ifrit forewent them and they followed；talking and making merry，for their hearts were pleased and their breasts were eased and Hasan fell to telling his wife all that had befallen him and all the hardships he had undergone，whilst she excused herself to him and told him，in turn，all she had seen and suffered.They ceased not faring all that night.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night； She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that they ceased not faring all that night and the horses bore them like the blinding leven，and when the day rose all put their hands to the saddle-bags and took forth provaunt which they ate and water which they drank.Then they sped diligently on their way；preceded by the Ifrit，who turned aside with them from the beaten track into another road，till then untrodden，along the seashores and they ceased not faring on，without stopping，across Wadys and wolds a whole month，till on the thirty-first day there arose before them a dust-cloud，that walled the world and darkened the day；and when Hasan saw this，he was confused and turned pale；

and more so when a frightful crying and clamour struck their ears.There，upon the old woman said to him，'O my son，this is the army of the Wak Islands，that hath overtaken us；and presently they will lay violent hands on us.'Hasan asked，'What shall I do，O my mother？'；and she answered，'Strike the earth with the rod.'He did so whereupon the Seven Kings presented themselves and saluted him with the salam，kissing ground before him and saying，'Fear not neither grieve.'Hasan rejoiced at these words and answered them，saying，'Well said，O Princes of the Jinn and the Ifrits！ This is your time！'Quoth they，'Get ye up to the mountain-top，thou and thy wife and children and she who is with thee and leave us to deal with them，for we know that you all are in the right and they in the wrong and Allah will aid us against them.'So Hasan and his wife and children and the old woman dismounted and dismissing the horses，ascended the flank of the mountain.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.