Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 2.djvu/48

Inchantments; with that he laid violent Hands on me, and carried me croſs the Vault of the ſubterrannean Palace, which opened to give him Paſſage, he flew up with me ſo high, that the Earth ſeemed to be only a little white Cloud; from thence he came down again like Lightning, and alighted upon the Ridge of a Mountain.

There he took up an Handful of Earth, and pronounced or rather mutter’d ſome Words which I did not underſtand, and threw it upon me, Leave the Shape of a Man, ſays he to me, and take on thee that of an Ape. He vaniſh’d immediately, and left me alone transform’d into an Ape overwhelm’d with Sorrow in a ſtrange Country, not knowing if I was near unto, or far from my Father’s Dominions.

I went down from the height of the Mountain, and came into a plain Country, which took me a Month’s time to travel through, and then I came to a Coaſt of the Sea, It happened to be then a great Calm, and I eſpied a Veſſel about half a League from the Shore: I would not loſe this good Opportunity, but broke off a large Branch from a Tree, which I carried with me to the Sea-ſide, and ſet my ſelf aſtride upon it, with a Stick in each Hand to ſerve me for Oars.

I launched out in this Poſture, and advanced near the Ship: When I was nigh enough to be known, the Seamen and Paſſengers that were upon the Deck thought it an extraordinary Spectacle, and all of ’em look’d upon me with great Aſtoniſhment. In the meantime I got aboard, and laying hold of a Rope, I jump’d upon the deck and having loſt my Speech, I found my ſelf in very great Perplexity; and indeed the Riſque I run then, was nothing leſs than when I was at the Mercy of the Genie.

The Merchants being both ſuperſtitious and ſcrupulous, believ’d I ſhould occaſion ſome Miſchief to their Voyage if they receiv’d me; therefore, ſays one, I will knock him down with an Hand-ſpike; ſays another, I will ſhoot an Arrow through his Guts; ſays a third, Let us throw him into the Sea. Some of them would not have fail’d to have executed their Deſign, if I had not got to that ſide where the Captain was, when I threw my ſelf at his Feet, and took him by the Coat in a begging Poſture. This