when behold, a gang of forty pirate[FN#23] men, ever ready to cut
the highway and their friends to betray, boarded them, crying in
high glee, "Let us slay all in her and carry off whatso we find."
When they appeared before the damsel they would have effected
their intent; but she welcomed them and said, "Do ye return
ashore: we be forty maids and ye forty men and to each of you
shall befal one and I will belong to your Shaykh, for that I am
the Captainess." Now when they heard this they rejoiced with
excessive joy and they said, "Wallahi, our night shall be a
blessed one by virtue of your coming to us;" whereto she asked,
"Have you with you aught of sheep?" They answered, "We have," and
quoth she, "Do ye slay of them somewhat for supper and fetch the
meat that we may cook it for you." So a troop of pirates went off
and brought back ten lambs which they slaughtered and flayed and
brittled. Then the damsel and those with her tucked up their
sleeves ad hung up their chauldrons[FN#24] and cooked the meat
after the delicatest fashion, and when it was thoroughly done and
prepared, they spread the trays and the pirates came forward one
and all, and ate and washed their hands and they were in high
spirits each and every, saying, "This night I will take to me a
girl." Lastly she brought to them coffee which they drank, but
hardly had it settled in their maws when the Forty Thieves fell
to the ground, for she had mixed up with it flying Bhang[FN#25]
and those who had drunk thereof became like unto dead men.
Hereupon the damsel arose without loss of time and taking in her
hand a sharp-grided sword fell to cutting off their heads and
casting them into the sea until she came to the Shaykh of the
Pirates and in his case she was satisfied with shaving his beard
and tearing out his eye-teeth and bidding the crew to cast him
ashore. They did as she commanded, after which she conveyed the