, then
labored lightly upon them, when, lo! a voice exclaimed, "Mazin,
thou hast gained thy desires.

"Thou wilt not, however," continued the voice, "arrive at thy
object till after much trouble, but take care of the ball in this
spot, for thou art at present in the land of the evil genii."
Upon this, Mazin took up the ball and concealed it in his
clothes; but he was overcome with astonishment at hearing words
without seeing the speaker, and exclaimed, "Who art thou, my
lord?" "I am," replied the voice, "one of the slaves of the
characters which thou seest engraved upon the drum, and
unremittingly in attendance; but the other servants will not
appear except the drum be beaten loudly, when three hundred and
sixty chiefs will attend thy commands, each of whom has under his
authority ten thousand genii, and every individual of them
numerous followers."

Mazin now inquired the distance of the islands of Waak al Waak;
to which the voice replied, "Three years' journey:" upon which he
struck the ball before him, and followed it. He next arrived in a
region infested by serpents, dragons, and ravenous beasts, in the
mountains of which were mines of copper. He now again tabored
gently upon the drum, when the voice exclaimed, "I am ready to
obey thy commands."

"Inform me," said Mazin, "what is the name of this country?" "It
is called," answered the voice, "the Land of Dragons and Ravenous
Animals. Be careful then of thyself, and make no delay, nor
regard fatigue, for these mountains are not to be passed without
a chance of trouble from the inhabitants, who are genii, and in
their caves are furious wild beasts." Upon this he struck the
ball afresh, and followed it unceasingly, till at length he
reached the sea shore, and perceived the islands of Waak al Waak
at a distance, whose mountains appeared of a fiery red, like the
sky gilded by the beams of the setting sun. When he beheld them
he was struck with awe and dread; but recovering, he said to
himself, "Why should I be afraid? since God has conducted me
hither, he will protect me; or, if I die, I shall be relieved
from my troubles, and be received into the mercy of God." He then
gathered some fruits, which he ate, drank some water, and having
performed his devotions, laid himself down to sleep, nor did he
awake till the morning.

In the morning Mazin had recourse to his drum, which he rubbed
gently, when the voice inquired his commands. "How am I," said
he, "to pass this