wide, whereupon quoth Mubarek to Zein ul Asnam, "Know, O my lord,
that there will presently come to us a little boat, bearing a
blue flag and builded all with planks of sandal and Comorin
aloes-wood of price; and [thereanent] I have a charge to give
thee, which it behoveth thee observe." "What is this charge?"
asked the prince and Mubarek said to him, "In this boat thou wilt
see a boatman, [FN#76] but his make is monstrous; [FN#77] wherefore
be thou ware and again, I say, beware lest thou speak aught, for
that he will incontinent drown us; and know that this place
appertaineth to the King of the Jinn and that all thou seest is
their handiwork." Then [FN#78] they came to the lake and behold, a
little boat with planks of sandal and Comorin aloes-wood and in
it a boatman, whose head was [as] the head of an elephant and the
rest of his body [as that of] a wild beast. [FN#79] When he drew
near them, he wrapped his trunk about them both and taking them
with him into the boat, rowed out with them to the midst of the
lake, then fared on with them [FN#80] till he brought them to the
other shore, where they landed and walking on, saw there trees of
ambergris [FN#81] and aloes and sandal-wood and cloves and
jessamine, [FN#82] full-grown and laden with ripe fruits and
flowers [FN#83] whose fragrance dilated the breast and cheered the
spright; and there [they heard] the voices of the birds
twittering their various notes and ravishing the wit with their
warblings. So Mubarek turned to Zein ul Asnam and said to him,
"How deemest thou of this place, O my lord?" And the prince
answered him, saying, "Methinketh, O Mubarek, this is the
paradise which the Prophet (whom God bless and keep) promised us
withal."

Then they fared on till they came to a magnificent palace,