faith, and become, like me, a worshipper of the sacred fire, in which case thou shalt be my son, and I will teach thee the art of making gold.”  “Cursed be thou, thy religion, and thy art,” exclaimed the enraged Mazin:  “God forbid that for the pleasures of this world I should apostatize from our holy prophet, and give up the glorious rewards reserved in certain store for his faithful disciples.  Thou mayest indeed destroy my body, but my soul despises thy torments” “Vile dog!” roared out the now furious sorcerer,” I will try thy constancy.”  He then called in his slaves, who held Mazin on the floor of the cabin while their abominable master beat him with a knotted whip till he was covered with a gore of blood, but the resolute youth, instead of complaining, uttered only prayers to Heaven for divine support under his pangs, and strength of fortitude to acquire the glory of martyrdom.  At length the magician, exhausted by his cruel exercise, desisted, and making his slaves load his unfortunate victim with heavy fetters, chained him down with only a coarse mat to lie upon in a dark closet, in which was placed some stinking water and coarse bread, just sufficient to keep up his miserable existence.  Mazm’s courage was not to be overcome He washed his wounds, and comforted himself with the hope that if he died he should enjoy the blisses of Paradise, or if Providence had decreed his continuance in life, that the same Providence would present a mode of relief from his present and future afflictions.  In this assurance he took a little of his wretched fare, and in spite of the agony of his wounds fell asleep, but only to awake to fresh misery In the morning he was again persecuted by his cruel tormentor, who for three months daily harassed him with blows, with rcvilings, and every sort of insult that malice could invent or cruelty devise.

Hitherto the wind had been fair, and the vessel had nearly reached the desired haven, when suddenly it changed, and a most tremendous storm arose The waves threatened to swallow up or dash the vessel in pieces, so that all gave themselves over for lost.  At this crisis the sailors, who believed that the tempest was sent by Heaven as a judgment for their suffering the unfortunate Mazin to be so cruelly tormented, went in a body to the accursed Bharam, and accused him of having brought down the wrath of God upon the crew by his persecution of the young Mussulmaun; at the same time threatening to cast him overboard if he did not instantly release the youth from his confinement.  To show the seriousness of their resolves, the sailors seized the slaves who had been the instruments of the magician’s cruelty, and threw them into the sea, which so alarmed the treacherous Bharam that he immediately released Mazin from his chains, fell at his feet, begging pardon for his hard usage, and promising if they escaped the storm to conduct him safely to his own country, and fulfil his promise of instruct ing him in the secret of making gold.  Wonderful to relate!  But no sooner was Mazin freed from his fetters than the violence of the tempest lessened, by degrees the winds subsided, the waves abated their swell, and the sea no longer threatened to overwhelm them:  in a few hours all was calm and security, and a prosperous gale enabled the shattered vessel to resume her course.