We returned to the palace towards evening, and the giant arrived a little while after.  We were forced to submit to see a number of our comrades roasted; but at last revenged ourselves on the brutish giant thus.  After he had made an end of his cursed supper, he lay down on his back, and fell asleep.  As soon as we heard him snore[Footnote:  It would seem the Arabian author has taken this story from Homer’s Odyssey.] according to his custom, nine of the boldest among us, with myself, took each a spit, and putting the points of them into the fire till they were burning hot, we thrust them into his eye all at once, and blinded him.  The pain occasioned him to make a frightful cry, and to get up and stretch out his hands, in order to sacrifice some of us to his rage; but we ran to such places as he could not find us; and, after having sought for us in vain, he groped for the gate, and went out howling dreadfully.  We went out of the palace after the giant, and came to the shore, where we had left our floats, and put them immediately into the sea.  We waited till day, in order to get upon them, in case the giant came towards us with any guide of his own species; but we hoped, if he did not appear by sun-rise, and give over his howling which we still heard, that he would die; and if that happened to be the case, we resolved to stay in the island, and not to risk our lives upon the floats.  But day had scarcely appeared when we perceived our cruel enemy, accompanied with two others, almost of the same size, leading him; and a great number more coming before him with a very quick pace.  When we saw this, we made no delay, but got immediately upon our floats, and rowed off from the shore.  The giants, who perceived this, took up great stones, and running to the shore, entered the water up to the middle, and threw so exactly, that they sunk all the floats but that I was upon; and all my companions, except the two with me, were drowned.  We rowed with all our might, and got out of the reach of the giants.  When we got to sea, however, we were exposed to the mercy of the waves and the winds, tossed about sometimes on one side and sometimes on another, and spent that night and the following day under a cruel uncertainty as to our fate; but next morning we had the good luck to be thrown upon an island, where we landed with much joy.  We found excellent fruit there that gave us great relief, so that we pretty well recovered our strength.  In the evening we fell asleep on the bank of the sea, but were awaked by the noise of a serpent as long as a palmtree, whose scales made a rustling as he creeped along.  He swallowed up one of my comrades, notwithstanding his loud cries, and the efforts he made to rid himself of the serpent; which, shaking him several times against the ground, crushed him, and we could hear him gnaw and tear the poor wretch’s bones, when we had fled at a great distance from him.  Next day we saw the serpent again, to our great terror, when I cried out, O Heaven, to what dangers are we exposed!  We rejoiced yesterday at our having escaped from the cruelty of a giant, and the rage of the waves, and now are fallen into another danger equally as terrible.