the slaughtering of sheep, for at this moment ’tis their design on reaching their own land to offer you up as corbans in their Greater Synagogue.  So be you on your guard and, if ye fall in this affair,[FN#538] ’tis fairer for you than to die with split weasands.”  So each of them snatched up whatso of war-gear suited him and one equipped other and they heartened their hearts and all waxed eager for the fray.  Then sallied they forth, one and twenty in number, at a single word, with the Takb¡r and the Tahl¡l,[FN#539] whilst the Jews who formed the ship’s crew were some one hundred and five.  But these were all drunken with wine and giddy of head, nor did they recover until the weapons began to play upon their necks and their backs, whereat they shook off their crapulence and learned that the Moslems had gotten about them with their war-gear.  So they cried out to one another and became ware and the liquor-fumes left their brains.  Then they rushed for the armoury but found that most of the weapons were with the Moslems, whom the Prince was urging to derring-do of cut and thrust.  Thus were they departed into two portions and hardly had passed an hour, an hour which would grey the hair of a little child, in fight and fray and onset and retreat—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day, and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Eight Hundred and Fifth night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Prince urged on his party and fortified their hearts to fight, nor had an hour passed in battle and slaughter (and he smiting rightwards and leftwards) when behold, he was encountered by the Captain who sprang at him with his scymitar and designed to cut him down.  But he forestalled him with sway of sabre and smote him a swashing stroke and an all-sufficient which share through his joints and tare through his limbs; and when the ship’s crew saw their Chief fall dead they gave in their submission[FN#540] and throwing down their weapons would have saved their lives.  The Prince, however, went forward to them and fell to pinioning them, one after other, until he had bound them all after which he counted them and found them to number about forty head while the slain were three score and five.  These he threw into the sea,[FN#541] but the captives he placed in prison after chaining them with iron chains