slaughtered three sheep and skinned them and fetching iron spits, spitted the flesh thereon and set them over the fire to roast.  When the meat was done, he placed it before my comrades who ate and he with them; after which he brought a leather-bag full of wine and drank thereof and lay down prone and snored.  Said I to myself, ‘He’s drowned in sleep:  how shall I slay him?’ Then I bethought me of the spits and thrusting two of them into the fire, waited till they were as red-hot coals:  whereupon I arose and girded myself and taking a spit in each hand went up to the accursed Ghul and thrust them into his eyes, pressing upon them with all my might.  He sprang to his feet for sweet life and would have laid hold of me; but he was blind.  So I fled from him into the inner cavern, whilst he ran after me; but I found no place of refuge from him nor whence I might escape into the open country, for the cave was stopped up with stones; wherefore I was bewildered and said to the blind men, ‘How shall I do with this accursed?’ Replied one of them, ’O Sa’id, with a run and a spring mount up to yonder niche[FN#442] and thou wilt find there a sharpened scymitar of copper:  bring it to me and I will tell thee what to do.’  So I clombed to the niche and taking the blade, returned to the blind man, who said to me, ’Smite him with the sword in his middle, and he will die forthright.’  So I rushed after the Ghul, who was weary with running after me and felt for the blind men that he might kill them and, coming up to him smote him with the sword a single stroke across his waist and he fell in twain. then he screamed and cried out to me, ’O man, an thou desire to slay me, strike me a second stroke.’  Accordingly, I was about to smite him another cut; but he who had directed me to the niche and the scymitar said, ’Smite him not a second time, for then he will not die, but will live and destroy us.’”—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

    When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-third Night,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sa’id continued, “Now when I struck the Ghul with the sword he cried out to me, ’O man, an thou desire to slay me, strike me a second stroke!” I was about so to do when he who had directed me to the scymitar said, ’Smite him not a second time, for then he will not die but will live and destroy us!’ So I held my hand as he bade me, and the Ghul died.  Then said the blind man to me, ’Open the mouth of the cave and let us fare forth; so haply Allah may help us and bring us to rest from this place.’  And I said, ’No harm can come to us now; let us rather abide here and repose and eat of these sheep and drink of this wine, for long is the land.’  Accordingly we tarried there two months, eating of the sheep and of the fruits of the island and drinking the generous grape-juice till it so chanced one day, as we sat upon the beach, we caught sight of a ship looming large in the distance; so we made signs for the crew