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selling and buying by day and lay the night in my house; nor would I suffer them to spend aught of their own monies. But, whenever I sat talking with them, they would praise travel and vaunt its charms and set out the gains they had made therein; and they ceased not to urge and tempt me and importune me thus till, to please them, I agreed to travel with them.’ Then he said to the dogs, ‘Was this so, O my brothers?’ And they confirmed his speech by bowing their heads and lowering their eyes. ‘Then, O Vicar of God,’ continued Abdallah, ‘I entered into a contract of partnership with them and we chartered a ship and packing up all manner of precious stuffs and merchandise of all kinds, freighted it therewith; after which we embarked therein all that we needed [of victual and what not else for the voyage] and setting sail from Bassora, launched out into the surging sea, swollen with clashing billows, into which whoso entereth is lost and from which whoso cometh forth is as a new-born child.
We sailed on till we came to a city of the cities, where we sold and bought and made great profit. Thence we went on to another city, and we ceased not to pass from land to land and city to city, selling and buying and profiting, till we had gotten us great wealth and much gain. Presently, we came to a mountain,[1] where the captain cast anchor and said to us, “O passengers, go ye ashore; ye shall be saved from this day,[2] and make search; it may be ye shall find water.” So we all landed and dispersed about the island in search of water.
As for me, I climbed to the top of the mountain, and as I went along, I saw a white snake fleeing and a black dragon, foul of favour and frightful to look upon, pursuing her. Presently he overtook her and pressing straitly upon
