limb, as one jointeth a chicken and, rending the flesh with his
nails, fell to eating of it and gnawing the bones, till there was
nothing left but some of these, which he threw on one side of the
wall. This done, he sat for a while; then he lay down on the
stone-bench and fell asleep, snarking and snoring like the
gurgling of a lamb or a cow with its throat cut; nor did he awake
till morning, when he rose and fared forth and went his ways. As
soon as we were certified that he was gone, we began to talk with
one another, weeping and bemoaning ourselves for the risk we ran,
and saying, "Would Heaven we had been drowned in the sea or that
the apes had eaten us! That were better than to be roasted over
the coals; by Allah, this is a vile, foul death! But whatso the
Lord willeth must come to pass and there is no Majesty and there
is no Might, save in Him, the Glorious, the Great! We shall
assuredly perish miserably and none will know of us; as there is
no escape for us from this place." Then we arose and roamed about
the island, hoping that haply we might find a place to hide us in
or a means of flight, for indeed death was a light matter to us,
provided we were not roasted over the fire[FN#29] and eaten.
However, we could find no hiding-place and the evening overtook
us; so, of the excess of our terror, we returned to the castle
and sat down awhile. Presently, the earth trembled under our feet
and the black ogre came up to us and turning us over, felt one
after other, till he found a man to his liking, whom he took and
served as he had done the captain, killing and roasting and
eating him: after which he lay down on the bench[FN#30] and slept
all night, snarking and snoring like a beast with its throat cut,
till daybreak, when he arose and went out as before. Then we drew
together and conversed and said one to other, "By Allah, we had
better throw ourselves into the sea and be drowned than die