One of the gentlemen answered in behalf of the rest, Do not wonder at our conduct in regard to yourself; and that hitherto we have not granted your request; it is out of mere kindness, and to prevent the sorrow of your being reduced to the same condition with us.  If you have a mind to try our unfortunate destiny, you need but speak, and we will give you the satisfaction you desire.  I told them I was resolved on it, let come what will.  Once more, said the same gentleman, we advise you to restrain your curiosity; it will cost you the loss of your right eye.  No matter, said I; I declare to you, that if such a misfortune befal me, I will not impute it to you, but to myself.  He further represented to me, that when I had lost an eye, I must not hope to stay with them, if I were so minded, because their number was complete, and no addition could be made to it.  I told them, that it would be a great satisfaction to me never to part from such honest gentlemen, but, if there was necessity for it, I was ready to submit; and, let it cost what it would, I begged them to grant my request.

The ten gentlemen, perceiving that I was positive in my resolution, took a sheep and killed it, and, after they had taken off the skin, presented me with the knife, telling me it would be useful to me on a certain occasion, which they should tell me of presently.  We must sew you into this skin, said they, and then leave you; upon which a fowl of monstrous size, called a roc, will appear in the air, and, taking you to be a sheep, will come down upon you, and carry you up to the very sky; but let not that frighten you, he will come down again with you, and lay you upon the top of a mountain.  When you find yourself upon the ground, cut the skin with the knife, and throw it off.  As soon as the roc sees you, he will fly away for fear, and leave you at liberty.  Do not stay, but walk on till you come to a prodigious castle, all covered with plates of gold, large emeralds, and other precious stones:  Go up to the gate, which always stands open, and walk in:  We have been in the castle as long as we have been here:  We will tell you nothing of what we saw, or what befel us there, because you will learn it yourself; all that we can inform you is, that it has cost each of us our right eye, and the penance which you have been witness to is what we are obliged to do, because we have been there.  The history of each of us in particular is so full of extraordinary adventures, that a large volume would not contain them; but we must explain ourselves no further.

When the gentleman had ended this discourse, I wrapt myself in the sheep’s skin, held fast the knife which was given me; and after those young gentlemen had been at the trouble to sew the skin about me, they retired into the hall, and left me on the place.  The roc they had spoken of was not long a-coming; he fell down upon me, took me up between his talons like a sheep, and carried me to the top of the mountain.