Pagina 419 van 1116

Enter it and thou shalt win to thy wish for we have all entered

that palace; and such is the cause of our losing our eyes and of

our blackening our faces. Were we now to tell thee our stories it

would take too long a time; for each and every of us lost his

left eye by an adventure of his own." I rejoiced at their words

and they did with me as they said; and the bird Rukh bore me off

end set me down on the mountain. Then I came out of the skin and

walked on till I reached the palace.