The third saâlouk climbs the Mountain of Magnet, has a dream, destroys the copper horseman, goes to another island, after ten days in a small boat and one night swimming, and, while being hidden, sees a bunch of people bring a young bow and a lot of supplies and leave him there underground.
***Sheherazade said:
The third saâlouk, addressing the young mistress of the house while the other companions were seated with their arms crossed, watched by the seven negroes who held naked swords in their hands, continued:
So I invoked the name of Allah, and I implored him and I went into the ecstasy of prayer; then I clung, as I could, to the rocks and the excavations, and I succeeded, the wind having finally calmed down by the order of Allah, to make the ascent of this mountain; and I rejoice greatly in my salvation bordering on joy! And it only remained for me to reach the dome; I finally reached it and was able to enter it. So I got down on my knees, and I made my prayer, and I thanked Allah for my deliverance.
At this moment, fatigue was so breaking me that I threw myself on the ground and fell asleep. And while I slept, I heard a voice saying to me: “O son of Kassib! when you wake up from your sleep, dig under your feet, and you will find a copper bow and three lead arrows with talismans engraved on them. You will take this bow and you will strike the rider who is on the dome, and you will thus restore tranquility to humans by ridding them of this terrible scourge! When you have struck the knight, this knight will fall into the sea, and the bow will fall from your hands on the ground: then you will take the bow and bury it underground at the very place where it fell! However, the sea will begin to bubble, then overflow until it reaches this peak where you are. And, then, you will see on the sea a boat and, in the boat, a person. But it is another person than the rider thrown into the sea. This person will come to you holding an oar in his hand. And you, without fear, get into the boat with them! But beware of naming the holy name of Allah, beware! You shall not and at no cost! Once in the boat, this person will lead you and sail you for ten days until they bring you to the Sea of Salvation. When you come to this sea, you will find someone there who will send you to your country. But, do not forget, that all this will only be done on the condition, for you, of never naming the name of Allah!"
At this moment, O my mistress, I awoke from my sleep, and, full of courage, I at once began to carry out the command of the voice. With the bow and arrows found, I struck the rider and knocked him down. He fell into the sea. And the bow fell from my hand; so, in the very place, I buried him: and immediately the sea stirred, and bubbled, and overflowed, reaching the top of the mountain where I was. And, after a few moments, I saw a boat appear in the middle of the sea, heading towards me. So I thanked Allah Most High. And when the boat came close, I found a copper man in it who had a lead plate on his chest, on which were engraved names and talismans. So I got into the boat, but without saying a single word. And the copper man began to lead me for one day, for two days, for three days, and so on until the end of the tenth day. And then I saw islands appear in the distance: it was salvation! So I rejoiced to the height of joy and, because of the fullness of my emotion and my gratitude to the Most High, I named the name of Allah and glorified him and said: “Allahu akbar! Allahu Akbar!"
But no sooner had I uttered these sacred words than the copper man seized me and threw me from the boat into the sea, then he sank far away and disappeared.
As I knew how to swim, I swam all day long until nightfall, so that my arms were exhausted, my shoulders tired, and I was devastated! So, seeing death approaching, I took my leap of faith and prepared to die. But, at that very moment, a wave, more enormous than all the waves of the sea, came running from afar like a gigantic citadel and picked me up and threw me so hard and so far that I suddenly found myself on the shore of one of the islands I had seen. So Allah had willed it.
So I went up to the shore and began to express the water of my clothes. I spread my clothes on the ground to dry them, and I fell asleep for the whole night. When I woke up, I dressed in my dry clothes and got up to see where to go. And I found before me a little fertile valley; I entered it and I traversed it in all directions, then I made the whole turn of the place where I was, and I saw that I was on a small island, surrounded as it was by the sea. I said to myself: “What a calamity! each time I am delivered from a misfortune, I fall back into another worse!" While I was thus sunk in sad thoughts, which made me desire death fervently, I saw on the sea a boat approaching with several people. So, lest some unfortunate accident happens to me, I got up and climbed a tree and waited and watched. I saw the boat land and pull out ten slaves, each holding a shovel; they walked until they were in the middle of the islet, and there they began to dig the earth, and ended by uncovering a lid which they removed, and opened a door which was below. This done, they returned to the boat, and took out a large number of objects which they loaded on their shoulders: bread, flour, honey, butter, sheep, sacks full, and many other things, and all the things that the inhabitant of a house could wish for; and the slaves continued to come and go from the door of the cellar to the boat and from the boat to the lid until they had completely emptied the boat of the large objects; then they took from it sumptuous clothes and magnificent robes which they put on their arms; and then I saw coming out of the boat, amid the slaves, a venerable old man, very old, worn down by the years and emaciated by the vicissitudes of time, and so much so that he had become only the appearance of a man. This old man held by the hand a young boy of maddening beauty, molded in truth in the mold of perfection, as delicate as a tender and bendable branch, as adorable as pure beauty, worthy to serve as the model and example of a perfect body, finally with such a bewitching charm that it bewitched my heart and made all the pulp of my flesh quiver! They walked until they came to the door, and descended, and disappeared from my sight; but, after a few moments, all came up again, except the young boy; They returned to the boat, got out, and sailed out to sea.
At this point in her narration, Sheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.
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