Yezzeez, as he had been directed, having committed his footsteps to the path of travel, exerted all his strength in advancing; and heedless of the dif­ficulties of precipices and declivities in his route, with cheerfulness submitted to the toil of walking, till that world-sur­rounding traveller the sun, having finished his daily course, halted in the west. He then stopped, and, as he had been desired, drew the sabre from the scabbard; when lo! a vast city appeared in the plain, of extent such as the messenger of fancy would be at a loss to describe. Having retired to a serai, he chose an apartment; and being refreshed with ample fare, reposed his head on the pillow of sleep.

At the season of the dog’s slumber and crowing of the cock, having girded on his sabre, he measured the wil­derness, as before. In short, having travelled several days and been supplied with resting places at night by the power of the sword, he one day arrived at the bank of a lake, and stopped to quench his thirst. Suddenly, as he was drinking, the belt of the sabre breaking in the middle, it fell into the water, sunk to the bottom, and was irrecoverably lost.

On this accident, despair overcame his mind, and he wandered in the deepest distress. At length he reached a planta­tion, where he beheld a husbandman sit­ting on the grass, who repeatedly lifted a cup to his lips, while his wife scattered seeds on the soil he had dug. An incli­nation to associate with the husbandman arose in the mind of Yezzeez, and advancing somewhat, he sat down at a little distance, wishful that he should speak first, and shew the customs of civility. The countryman and his wife, looking upon him with kindness, enquired his situation; upon which Yezzeez recounted his adventures, and signified the object of his heart.

The husbandman replied, “Ah! beautiful youth, what vain scheme and idle speculation is this? Wander not foolishly in the path of thy own destruction, but quit this dangerous expedition, for it is impossible it should succeed. If thy star befriends thee, place the foot of continuance awhile in the path of association with me, that thou mayest repose from the persecution of fortune.” Yezzeez accepted his offer; and, reclining under the shade of his bounty, rested from the fatigue of unavailing toil.

As it happened, in this plantation, just after the breathing of dawn and near the first appearance of the sun’s rays, every morning arose a misty vapour, which by degrees descending, wholly enveloped the branches and leaves of a particular tree. Gleams of light then shone through the mist like the branches of the bush of Toor,* and an hand like the Yed Bieza,* dazzling as the sun, was extended from it. The husbandman advancing near the tree, in the manner of ceremonious cup-bearers, placed a goblet of sparkling wine on the hand, which for an instant vanished, and re-appearing, gave back the goblet empty. This was repeated to the fortieth cup; after which the hand withdrawing, the vapour began to ascend, and quickly diffusing itself in the air, in less than an hour was wholly dispersed.

After some time, the husbandman having occasion to leave home for a few days, entrusted the care of his house to Yezzeez, giving him a particular charge to supply the hand regularly with wine. The imprudent youth, impelled by curi­osity to penetrate into the mystery, as he was one morning delivering the cup, rashly grasped the hand with all his force, when instantly a noise, more dreadful than the loudest thunder, shook the atmosphere, and a bird of monstrous size issu­ing from the mist, seized him in its talons like a sparrow, and mounted into the air above the highest clouds, then gradually descending, at length alighted on the pinnacle of a lofty dome, when loosing its hold, Yezzeez rolled over and over as a ball. He at length fell to the bottom of a pit so dark, that night from its blackness might have added to her gloom. Much as he tried to explore a passage, he found no inlet to the path of hope, so that preparing himself for death, he sat down expecting his fate.

In this state, he at length perceived a glimmering of light, and on examining the place whence it proceeded, saw a door which opened to his pressure into a narrow passage, through which having passed, he found himself in a court sur­rounded by a high wall. Having clomb to the top, he let himself down by his hands on the other side, and fell into a net placed below. A man rushing upon him, flung a rope round his neck, and dragged him to the foot of a lofty build­ing, from a window of which a beautiful damsel looking out, said to his conductor, “To-day’s game is very thin, let him be released for some time till he shall be worthy our acceptance.” Upon this, the man set him at liberty; when Yezzeez, overcome by fear and fatigue, fell down senseless on the ground.

On his recovery, he found himself alone in the middle of a barren plain. Suddenly advanced towards him on horse­back an old man, who on coming up enquired the cause of his distressed situa­tion; and on being informed of his adventures, consoled his sorrows, and pre­sented him with refreshments, on tasting which his strength returned, and his spirits were revived. The old man then having directed him to follow a particu­lar path, took his leave, assuring him that he would soon arrive at the object of his hope.