provision was like to give out; and yet I ate not save once every
day or second day; nor did I drink more than an occasional
draught, for fear my victual should fail me before my death; and
I said to myself, "Eat little and drink little; belike the Lord
shall vouchsafe deliverance to thee!" One day, as I sat thus,
pondering my case and bethinking me how I should do, when my
bread and water should be exhausted, behold, the stone that
covered the opening was suddenly rolled away and the light
streamed down upon me. Quoth I, "I wonder what is the matter:
haply they have brought another corpse." Then I espied folk
standing about the mouth of the pit, who presently let down a
dead man and a live woman, weeping and bemoaning herself, and
with her an ampler supply of bread and water than usual.[FN#50] I
saw her and she was a beautiful woman; but she saw me not; and
they closed up the opening and went away. Then I took the leg-
bone of a dead man and, going up to the woman, smote her on the
crown of the head; and she cried one cry and fell down in a
swoon. I smote her a second and a third time, till she was dead,
when I laid hands on her bread and water and found on her great
plenty of ornaments and rich apparel, necklaces, jewels and gold
trinkets;[FN#51] for it was their custom to bury women in all
their finery. I carried the vivers to my sleeping place in the
cavern-side and ate and drank of them sparingly, no more than
sufficed to keep the life in me, lest the provaunt come speedily
to an end and I perish of hunger and thirst. Yet did I never
wholly lose hope in Almighty Allah. I abode thus a great while,
killing all the live folk they let down into the cavern and
taking their provisions of meat and drink; till one day, as I
slept, I was awakened by something scratching and burrowing among
the bodies in a corner of the cave and said, "What can this be?"