Then I walked till I reached the home of my friend the tailor,
whom I found most anxiously expecting me. Indeed he was, as the saying

goes, on coals of fire for my account. And when he saw me he said:
"All night long my heart hath been heavy, fearing for thee from wild

beasts or other mischances. Now praise be to Allah for thy safety!"
I thanked him for his friendly solicitude and, retiring to my

corner, sat pondering and musing on what had befallen me, and I blamed
and chided myself for my meddlesome folly and my frowardness in

kicking the alcove. I was calling myself to account when behold, my
friend the tailor came to me and said: "O youth, in the shop there

is an old man, a Persian, who seeketh thee. He hath thy hatchet and
thy sandals, which he had taken to the woodcutters, saying, I was

going out at what time the muezzin began the call to dawn prayer, when
I chanced upon these things and know not whose they are, so direct

me to their owner. Tie woodcutters recognized thy hatchet and directed
him to thee. He is sitting in my shop, so fare forth to him and

thank him and take thine ax and sandals."
When I heard these words I turned yellow with fear and felt

stunned as by a blow, and before I could recover myself, lo! the floor
of my private room clove asunder, and out of it rose the Persian,

who was the Ifrit. He had tortured the lady with exceedingtortures,
natheless she would not confess to him aught, so he took the hatchet

and sandals and said to her, "As surely as I am Jirjis of the seed
of Iblis, I will bring thee back the owner of this and these!" Then he

went to the woodcutters with the pretense aforesaid and, being
directed to me, after waiting a while in the shop till the fact was

confirmed, he suddenly snatched me up as a hawk snatcheth a mouse
and flew high in air, but presently descended and plunged with me

under the earth (I being a-swoon the while), and lastly set me down in
the subterranean palace wherein I had passed that blissful night.

And there I saw the lady stripped to the skin, her limbs bound to
four stakes and blood welling from her sides. At the sight my eyes ran

over with tears, but the Ifrit covered her person and said, "O wanton,
is not this man thy lover?" She looked upon me and replied, "I wot him

not, nor have I ever seen him before this hour!" Quoth the Ifrit,
"What! This torture and yet no confessing?" And quoth she, "I never

saw this man in my born days, and it is not lawful in Allah's sight to
tell lies on him." "If thou know him not," said the Ifrit to her,

"take this sword and strike off his head." She hent the sword in
hand and came close up to me, and I signaled to her with my

eyebrows, my tears the while flowing a-down my cheeks. She
understood me and made answer, also by signs, "How couldest thou bring

all this evil upon me?" And I rejoined after the same fashion, "This
is the time for mercy and forgiveness." And the mute tongue of my case

spake aloud saying:
Mine eyes were dragomans for my tongue betied,

And told full clear the love I fain would hide.
When last we met and tears in torrents railed,

For tongue struck dumb my glances testified.
She signed with eye glance while her lips were mute,

I signed with fingers and she kenned th'implied.
Our eyebrows did all duty 'twixt us twain,

And we being speechless, Love spake loud and plain.
Then, O my mistress, the lady threw away the sword and said: "How

shall I strike the neck of one I wot not, and who hath done me no
evil? Such deed were not lawful in my law!" and she held her hand.

Said the Ifrit: "'Tis grievous to thee to slay thy lover, and, because
he hath lain with thee, thou endurest these torments and obstinately

refusest to confess. After this it is clear to me that only like
loveth and pitieth Eke." Then he turned to me and asked me, "O man,

haply thou also dost not know this woman," whereto I answered: "And
pray who may she be? Assuredly I never saw her till this instant."

"Then take the sword," said he, "and strike off her head and I will
believe that thou wettest her not and will leave thee free to go,

and will not deal hardly with thee." I replied, "That will I do," and,
taking the sword, went forward sharply and raised my hand to smite.

But she signed to me with her eyebrows, "Have I failed thee in aught
of love, and is it thus that thou requitest me?" I understood what her

looks implied and answered her with an eye glance, "I will sacrifice
my soul for thee." And the tongue of the case wrote in our hearts

these lines:
How many a lover with his eyebrows speaketh

To his beloved, as his passion pleadeth.
With flashing eyne his passion he inspireth

And well she seeth what his pleading needeth.
How sweet the look when each on other gazeth,

And with what swiftness and how sure it speedeth.
And this with eyebrows all his passion writeth,

And that with eyeballs all his passion readeth.
Then my eyes filled with tears to overflowing and I cast the sword

from my hand, saying: "O mighty Ifrit and hero, if a woman lacking
wits and faith deem it unlawful to strike off my head, how can it be

lawful for me, a man, to smite her neck whom I never saw in my whole
life? I cannot do such misdeed, though thou cause me drink the cup

of death and perdition." Then said the Ifrit, "Ye twain show the
good understanding between you, but I will let you see how such doings

end." He took the sword and struck off the lady's hands first, with
four strokes, and then her feet, whilst I looked on and made sure of

death and she farewelled me with her dying eyes. So the Ifrit cried at
her, "Thou whorest and makest me a wittol with thine eyes," and struck

her so that her head went flying. Then turned he to me and said: "O
mortal, we have it in our law that when the wife committeth

advowtry, it is lawful for us to slay her. As for this damsel, I
snatched her away on her bride night when she was a girl of twelve and

she knew no one but myself. I used to come to her once in every ten
days and lie with her the night, under the semblance of a man, a

Persian, and when I was well assured that she had cuckolded me, I slew
her. But as for thee, I am not well satisfied that thou hast wronged

me in her. Nevertheless I must not let thee go unharmed, so ask a boon
of me and I will grant it."

Then I rejoiced, O my lady, with exceeding joy and said, "What
boon shall I crave of thee?" He replied, "Ask me this boon- into what

shape I shall bewitch thee? Wilt thou be a dog, or an ass, or an ape?"
I rejoined (and indeed I had hoped that mercy might be shown me),

"By Allah, spare me, that Allah spare thee for sparing a Moslem and
a man who never wronged thee." And I humbled myself before him with

exceedinghumility, and remained standing in his presence, saying,
"I am sore oppressed by circumstance." Said the Ifrit: "Lengthen not

thy words! As to my slaying thee, fear it not, and as to my
pardoning thee, hope it not, but from my bewitching thee there is no

escape." Then he tore me from the ground, which closed under my
feet, and flew with me into the firmament till I saw the earth as a

large white cloud or a saucer in the midst of the waters. Presently he
set me down on a mountain, and taking a little dust, over which he

muttered some magical words, sprinkled me therewith, saying, "Quit
that shape and take thou the shape of an ape!" And on the instant I

became an ape, a tailless baboon, the son of a century.
Now when he had left me and I saw myself in this ugly and hateful

shape, I wept for myself, but resigned my soul to the tyranny of
Time and Circumstance, well weeting that Fortune is fair and

constant to no man. I descended the mountain and found at the foot a
desert plain, long and broad, over which I traveled for the space of a

month till my course brought me to the brink of the briny sea. After
standing there awhile, I was ware of a ship in the offing which ran

before a fair wind making for the shore. I hid myself behind a rock on
the beach and waited till the ship drew near, when I leaped on