Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 3.djvu/18

which was as deep as that of a Horſe. His upper Lip hung down upon his Breaſt. His Ears reſembled thoſe of an Elephant, and cover’d his Shoulder; and his Nails were as long and as crooked as the Tallons of the greateſt Birds. At the ſight of ſo frightful a Giant, we loſt all Senſe, and lay like Men dead.

At laſt we came to our ſelves, and aw him ſitting in the Porch looking at us; when he had conſider’d us well, he adyanc’d towards us, and, laying his Hand upon me, he took me up by the Nape of my Neck, and turn’d me round as a Butcher would do a Sheep’s-head; after having view’d me we!l, and perceiving me to be ſo lean that I had nothing but Skin and Bone, he let me go. He took up all the reſt one by one, view’d them in the ſame manner, and the Captain being the fatteſt, he held him with one Hand, as I would do a Sparrovw, and, thruſting a Spit thro’ him, kindled a great Fire, roaſted, and eat him in his Apartment, for his Supper, which being done, he returned to his Porch, where he lay and fell aſlzep, ſnoaring louder than Thunder: He ſlept thus til! the Morning; for our parts, it was not poſſible for us to enjoy any reſt, ſo that we paſſed the Night in the moſt cruel Fear that can be imagin’d, Day being come, the Giant awak’d, got up, went out, and letf us in the Palace.

When wethought him at a diſtance, then we broke the melancholy Silence we had kept all Night, and every one grieving more than another, we made the Palace to reſound with our Complaints and Groans. Though there was a great many of us, and that we had but one Enemy, we had not at firſt the preſence of mind to think of delivering our felves from him by his Death, This Enterprize however, tho’ hard to put in Execution, was the only Deſign we ought naturally to haye form’d.

We thought upon ſeveral other things, but determin’d nothing, ſo that ſubmitting to what it ſhould pleaſe God to order concerning us, we ſpent the Day in running about the Iſland, for Fruit and Herbs to ſuſtain our Lives. When Evening came, we ſought for a Place to lye in, but found none, ſo that we were forc’d, whether we would or not, to return to the Palace.