means of escape, we are all dead men; wherefore pray ye to the
Most High, that He deliver us from this strait. Haply amongst you
is one righteous whose prayers the Lord will accept." Then he
arose and clomb the mast to see an there were any escape from
that strait; and he would have loosed the sails; but the wind
redoubled upon the ship and whirled her round thrice and drave
her backwards; whereupon her rudder brake and she fell off
towards a high mountain. With this the captain came down from the
mast, saying, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great; nor can man prevent that which is
fore-ordained of fate! By Allah, we are fallen on a place of sure
destruction, and there is no way of escape for us, nor can any of
us be saved!" Then we all fell a-weeping over ourselves and
bidding one another farewell for that our days were come to an
end, and we had lost all hopes of life. Presently the ship struck
the mountain and broke up, and all and everything on board of her
were plunged into the sea. Some of the merchants were drowned and
others made shift to reach the shore and save themselves upon the
mountain; I amongst the number, and when we got ashore, we found
a great island, or rather peninsula[FN#72] whose base was strewn
with wreckage of crafts and goods and gear cast up by the sea
from broken ships whose passengers had been drowned; and the
quantity confounded compt and calculation. So I climbed the
cliffs into the inward of the isle and walked on inland, till I
came to a stream of sweet water, that welled up at the nearest
foot of the mountains and disappeared in the earth under the
range of hills on the opposite side. But all the other passengers
went over the mountains to the inner tracts; and, dispersing
hither and thither, were confounded at what they saw and became
like madmen at the sight of the wealth and treasures wherewith