lace [of their destination];
whereupon they lighted down from their steeds and Mubarek bade the
slaves and servants abide there, saying to them, "Keep watch over the
beasts of burden and the horses till we return to you."

Then the twain set out together afoot and Mubarek said to Zein ul Asnam,
"O my lord, now behoveth fortitude, for that thou art in the land of the
image whereof thou comest in quest." And they gave not over walking till
they drew near a great lake and a wide, whereupon quoth Mubarek to
Zein ul Asnam, "Know, O my lord, that there will presently come to us a
little boat, bearing a blue flag and builded all with planks of sandal
and Comorin aloes-wood of price; and [thereanent] I have a charge to
give thee, which it behoveth thee observe." "What is this charge?"
asked the prince and Mubarek said to him, "In this boat thou wilt see a
boatman, [76] but his make is monstrous; [77] wherefore be thou ware and
again, I say, beware lest thou speak aught, for that he will incontinent
drown us; and know that this place appertaineth to the King of the Jinn
and that all thou seest is their handiwork." Then [78] they came to
the lake and behold, a little boat with planks of sandal and Comorin
aloes-wood and in it a boatman, whose head was [as] the head of an
elephant and the rest of his body [as that of] a wild beast. [79] When
he drew near them, he wrapped his trunk about them both and taking them
with him into the boat, rowed out with them to the midst of the lake,
then fared on with them [80] till he brought them to the other shore,
where they landed and walking on, saw there trees of ambergris [81]
and aloes and sandal-wood and cloves and jessamine, [82] full-grown
and laden with ripe fruits and flowers [83] whose fragrance dilated the
breast and cheered the spright; and there [they heard] the voices of the
birds twittering their various notes and ravishing the wit with their
warblings. So Mubarek turned to Zein ul Asnam and said to him, "How
deemest thou of this place, O my lord?" And the prince answered him,
saying, "Methinketh, O Mubarek, this is the paradise which the Prophet
(whom God bless and keep) promised us withal."

Then they fared on till they came to a magnificent palace, builded all
with stones of emerald and rubies, and its doors were of sheer gold.
Before it was a bridge, the length whereof was an hundred and fifty
cubits and its breadth fifty cubits, and it was [wroughten] of the rib
of a fish;