to the flesh of the sheep. Then come huge vultures, so the story ran, and, taking the carcass of the sheep in their talons, bear it away to their nests on the mountain side. But then the merchants follow the vultures to their nests, 5 and, driving them away, secure the diamonds that have clung to the moist flesh.

When therefore I saw the carcass of the sheep and remembered the tale of the travelers, I selected a number of the diamonds and filled my pockets with them. Then 10 I bound myself with my turban to the sheep, laying myself upon my back and placing the sheep above me. I had not waited long before I heard the flapping of great wings, and beheld an enormous vulture descending upon us. Grasping the sheep in his talons, he soared and 15 circled upward until he reached his nest on the top of the cliffs, where he laid us down. So I hastily unbound myself, and escaped with my riches and joined a company of diamond merchants whom I soon found upon the mountain side, rejoicing that I had escaped with great wealth from so terrible an adventure.

-Adapted from the translation by E. W. LANE.

per plex'i ty, doubt, confusion of mind; ca lam'i ty, disaster; tal'ons, claws.

1. How large around was the dome-fifty paces? 2. Compare Sindbad's escape from the island with Ulysses' escape from the cave of the Cyclops. 3. Describe the method of obtaining the gems from the valley of diamonds. 4. Tell in your own words how Sindbad escaped from the valley. 5. Find out all you can about vultures.

Where are they found? How large are they? Would it be possible for them to carry as large a load as is represented in this story? Spelling. Permission, exclaimed, descended, difficult, occasion, impatience, rejoiced, answered, condensed, extraordinary, enormous, diamonds.

Sentence Study. 1. Sindbad was a sailor. 2. The bird alighted. 3. The huge creature flew through the air. 4. The floor was covered with diamonds.

About what is the first sentence talking? What does it tell you about him?

About what is the second sentence talking? What does it tell you about it?

About what is the third sentence talking? What does it tell you about it?

About what is the fourth sentence talking? What does it tell you about it?

Every sentence consists of two parts. One part names the object of which we are thinking or talking or writing. The other part tells something about the object named. Example: In the sentence, "Wisdom is better than rubies," wisdom is the thing spoken about; is better than rubies tells something about wisdom.

Definition.

The part of a sentence that names that about which something is stated is the subject.

Definition. The part of a sentence that tells what is stated about the person or thing named is the predicate.

Draw vertical lines separating the subject and predicate in the following sentences:

1. Time flies. 2. Many hands make light work. 3. Birds of a feather flock together. 4. A fair little girl sat under a tree. 5. A little leak will sink a great ship. 6. Three wise men of Gotham went to sea in a bowl. 7. Thou shalt love thy neighbor. 8. The night dew falls in silent showers.

Word Study: Prefixes. Substitute one word for the underlined groups in the sentences given below.

1. A sailor would rather be on the sea than on shore. 2. The ship struck a reef and is now on the ground. 3. Let us go on board. 4. The child spends much time in sleep. 5. I hear the wind howl when I am safe in bed.

In asleep and similar words, a means find any other words of this kind?

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on" or "in." Can you

THE VOYAGES OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR (Concluded)

[IT was on Sindbad's fifth voyage that he had his adventure with the Old Man of the Sea. The ship in which he sailed this time came to a large island, which seemed to have no inhabitants. The ship's company discovered on it, however, another of the huge roc's eggs which Sindbad had seen in his earlier voyage, and before he could warn them what it was, they had battered it with stones and broken the shell. They had barely time to reach their ship and embark again upon the sea when the bird came sailing back at nightfall to its egg, and, wild with fury at finding it destroyed, had swept off on its wide pinions to avenge the deed. It quickly overtook the ship, and dropped upon it from its claws a huge fragment of a cliff, which sunk the ship at once. Sindbad alone escaped, and found himself at last, after long battling with the waves, upon a wooded island.]

UNDER these trees I slept without interruption until the morning, and then arose and stood up, and walked among the trees; and I saw a streamlet, by which sat an old man, a comely person, who was clad from the waist down6 wards with a covering made of the leaves of trees. So I said within myself, "Perhaps this old man hath landed upon this island and is one of the crew of the wrecked vessel." I then approached him and saluted him, and he

returned the salutation by a sign, without speaking; and I said to him, "O chief, what is the reason of thy sitting in this place?" Thereupon he shook his head and sighed, and made a sign to me with his hand, as though he would say, "Carry me upon thy neck, and transport me from 5 this place to the other side of the streamlet." I therefore said within myself, "I will act kindly with this person, and transport him to this place to which he desires to go; perhaps I shall obtain for it a reward.”

He

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Accordingly I advanced to him, and took him upon my shoulders, and conveyed him to the place that he had indicated to me, when I said to him, "Descend at thine ease." But he descended not from my shoulders. had twisted his legs round my neck, and I looked at them, and I saw that they were like the hide of the buffalo in 15 blackness and roughness. So I was frightened at him, and desired to throw him down from my shoulders; but he pressed upon my neck with his feet, and squeezed my throat, so that the world became black before my face, and I fell upon the ground like one dead.

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He then raised his legs, and beat me upon my back and my shoulders; and I suffered violent pain; therefore I rose with him. He still kept his feet upon my shoulders, and I had become fatigued with bearing him; and he made a sign to me that I should go in among the 25 trees, to the best of the fruits. When I disobeyed him, he struck me, with his feet, blows more violent than those

of whips; and he ceased not to direct me with his hand to every place to which he desired to go, and to that place I went with him. If I went slowly, he beat me; and I was as a captive to him. We went into the midst of the 5 island, among the trees, and he descended not from my shoulders by night nor by day. When he desired to sleep, he would wind his legs round my neck, and sleep a little, and then he would awake and beat me, whereupon I would arise with him quickly, unable to disobey him, by reason 10 of the pain which I suffered from him. And I blamed myself for having had pity on him, and I begged of Allah that I might die, in consequence of the great fatigue and distress that I suffered.

Thus I remained for a length of time, until I carried 15 him one day to a place in the island where I found an abundance of gourds, many of which were dry. Upon this I took a large one that was dry, and, having opened its smaller end, and cleansed it, I went with it to a grapevine, and filled the opening with the juice of the grapes. 20 I then stopped up the hole, and put it in the sun, and left it for some days, until it had become pure wine; and every day I used to drink of it, to help myself to endure the fatigue that I underwent with that obstinate demon.

So, seeing me one day drinking, he made a sign to 25 me with his hand, as though he would say, "What is this?" And I answered him, "This is something agreeable, that makes glad the heart." Then I ran with him,