hy kingdom again, see that thou takest not the name of
Allah into thy mouth."

Having uttered these words the vision left me, and I woke, much
comforted. I sprang up and drew the bow and arrows out of the ground,
and with the third shot the horseman fell with a great crash into the
sea, which instantly began to rise, so rapidly, that I had hardly time
to bury the horse before the boat approached me. I stepped silently in
and sat down, and the metal man pushed off, and rowed without stopping
for nine days, after which land appeared on the horizon. I was so
overcome with joy at this sight that I forgot all the old man had told
me, and cried out, "Allah be praised! Allah be praised!"

The words were scarcely out of my mouth when the boat and man sank from
beneath me, and left me floating on the surface. All that day and the
next night I swam and floated alternately, making as well as I could
for the land which was nearest to me. At last my strength began to
fail, and I gave myself up for lost, when the wind suddenly rose, and a
huge wave cast me on a flat shore. Then, placing myself in safety, I
hastily spread my clothes out to dry in the sun, and flung myself on
the warm ground to rest.

Next morning I dressed myself and began to look about me. There seemed
to be no one but myself on the island, which was covered with fruit
trees and watered with streams, but seemed a long distance from the
mainland which I hoped to reach. Before, however, I had time to feel
cast down, I saw a ship making directly for the island, and not knowing
whether it would contain friends or foes, I hid myself in the thick
branches of a tree.

The sailors ran the ship into a creek, where ten slaves landed,
carrying spades and pickaxes. In the middle of the island they
stopped, and after digging some time, lifted up what seemed to be a
trapdoor. They then returned to the vessel two or three times for
furniture and provisions, and finally were accompanied by an old man,
leading a handsome boy of fourteen or fifteen years of age. They all
disappeared down the trapdoor, and after remaining below for a few
minutes came up again, but without the boy, and let down the trapdoor,
covering it with earth as before. This done, they entered the ship and
set sail.

As soon as they were out of sight, I came down from my tree, and went
to the place where the boy had been buried. I dug up the earth till I
reached a large stone with a ring in the