10 15 head was in the clouds, while his feet rested upon the ground. His head was like a dome; his legs, like masts; his mouth resembled a cavern; his teeth were like stones; his nostrils, like trumpets; his eyes, like lamps; and he had disheveled and dust-colored hair. "When the fish erman beheld this Afreet, he was over come with fear. The Afreet, as soon as he perceived him, exclaimed,-" And here Shahrazad saw that the dawn was breaking and she was silent; and her sister said to her, "What a charming and delightful story!" "This is nothing," replied Shahrazad, "to what I will tell thee to-morrow night, if the king let me live.” And the king said to himself, "By Allah, I will not kill her until I hear the rest of the story." And when the second night came, the younger sister 5 said unto Shahrazad, "O my sister, finish thy story of the fisherman and the Afreet.". "With all my heart,' answered she, "if the king gives his permission." "Say on," commanded the king. And Shahrazad said: "O great king and wise ruler, 10 when the Afreet perceived the fisherman, he exclaimed, 'There is no god but Allah and Solomon is his prophet.' 'O Afreet,' said the fisherman, 'dost thou say Solomon is the prophet of Allah? Solomon hath been dead a thousand and eight hundred years; and we are now in 15 the end of time. What is thy history, and what is thy tale, and what was the cause of thy cause of thy entering this bottle?' "When the Afreet heard the words of the fisherman, he said, 'Thou shalt instantly be put to a most cruel 20 death.' 'Wherefore wouldst thou kill me,' exclaimed the fisherman, when I have liberated thee from the bottle, and rescued thee from the bottom of the sea, and brought thee up upon the dry land?' The Afreet answered, 'Choose what kind of death thou wilt die, 25 and in what manner thou shalt be killed.' 'What is my offense,' said the fisherman, 'that this should be my reward from thee?' The Afreet replied, 'Hear my story, O fisherman.' 'Tell it, then,' said the fisherman, and be short in thy words.' ·Adapted from the translation by E. W. LANE. Al'lah, the Mohammedan name for God; Af'reet, evil spirit; di shev'eled, disarranged; lib'e ra ted, freed; of fense', fault. 1. From what country do these tales come? Where is this country? 2. Why are they called The Thousand and One Nights? How did Shahrazad outwit her husband? 3. Who was Solomon ? When did he live? 4. Describe the Afreet. Sentence Study. Select from The Story of the Fisherman five declarative sentences; five imperative sentences; three exclamatory sentences; three interrogative sentences. Word Study: Words of Opposite Meaning. I. Select from the second and third columns words nearly opposite in meaning to those printed in the first. Arrange in pairs. II. 1. Write words that mean the opposite of the following: 1. brave. 2. true. 3. quickly. 4. great. 5. beautiful. 6. smooth. 7. careful. 8. honest. 2. Write sentences, using in each one of the words given in the list. Write the same sentences over, substituting for the printed word your word of opposite meaning with not. Example: He was brave. He was not cowardly. 48 THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN (Concluded) "KNOW then,' said the Afreet, that I rebelled against Solomon, the son of David, and he sent to me his officer, who came upon me forcibly and took me to him in bonds, and placed me before him. And when Solomon saw me, he exhorted me to embrace the faith, and to sub- 5 mit to his authority; but I refused. Upon this he called for this bottle and confined me in it, and closed it upon me with the leaden stopper, which he stamped with the name of Allah: he then gave orders to have me carried away and thrown into the midst of the sea. 10 10 "There I remained a hundred years; and I said in my heart, "Whosoever shall liberate me, I will enrich him forever." But the hundred years passed over me, and no one liberated me. And I entered upon another hundred years; and I said, "Whosoever shall liberate me, I will 15 open to him the treasures of the earth," but no one did so. And four hundred years passed over me; and I said, "Whosoever shall liberate me, I will perform for him three wishes," but still no one liberated me. I then fell into a violent rage, and said within myself, "Who-20 soever shall liberate me now, I will kill him; and only suffer him to choose in what manner he will die." And, lo! now thou hast liberated me, and I have given thee thy choice of the manner in which thou wilt die.' "When the fisherman had heard the story of the Afreet, he said to the Afreet: 'Pardon me, and kill me not, and 5 so may Allah pardon thee. Destroy me not, lest Allah give power over thee to one who will destroy thee.' The Afreet answered, 'I must positively kill thee; therefore choose by what manner of death thou wilt die.' The fisherman then felt assured of his death; but he again 10 implored the Afreet, saying, 'Pardon me by way of gratitude for my liberating thee.' 'Why,' answered the Afreet, 'I am to kill thee for that very reason, because thou hast liberated me.' 6 "Then said the fisherman within himself: This is 15 an Afreet, and I am a man; and Allah hath given me sound reason. Therefore, I will now plot his destruction." So he said to the Afreet, Hast thou determined to kill me?' He answered, 'Yes.' Then said he, 'By the Most Great Name, engraved upon the seal of Solomon, I will 20 ask thee one question; and wilt thou answer it to me truly?' On hearing the mention of the Most Great Name, the Afreet trembled, and replied, 'Yes; ask, and be brief.' The fisherman then said: 'How wast thou in this bottle? It will not contain thy hand or thy foot; 25 how then can it contain thy whole body?' 'Dost thou not believe that I was in it?' said the Afreet. The fisherman answered, 'I will never believe thee until I |