the house: this is but a private door; so be not amazed at the
absence of the folk." My friend said to me, "Behold, we are two,
and what can they dare to do with us?" Then he brought us into
the house, and when we entered the saloon, we found it desolate
exceedingly and dreadful of aspect. Quoth my friend, "We are
fallen into a trap; but there is no Majesty and there is no Might
save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" And quoth I, "May God
never requite thee for me with good!"[FN#87] Then we sat down on
the edge of the dais and suddenly I espied a closet beside me; so
I peered into it and my friend asked me, "What seest thou?" I
answered, "I see there wealth in store and corpses of murdered
men galore. Look." So he looked and cried, "By Allah, we are down
among the dead!" and we fell a-weeping, I and he. As we were
thus, behold, four men came in upon us, by the door at which we
had entered, and they were naked, wearing only leather belts
about their waists, and made for my friend. He ran at them and
dealing one of them a blow with his swordpommel, knocked him
down, whereupon the other three rushed upon him. I seized the
opportunity to escape while they were occupied with him, and
espying a door by my side, slipped into it and found myself in an
underground room, without issue, even a window. So I made sure of
death, and said, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save
in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" Then I looked at the top of
the vault and saw in it a range of glazed and coloured
lunettes;[FN#88] so I clambered up for dear life, till I reached
the lunettes, and I out of my wits for fear. I made shift to
remove the glass and scrambling out through the setting, found
behind them a wall which I bestrode. Thence I saw folk walking in
the street; so I cast myself down on the ground and Allah
Almighty preserved me, and when I reached the face of earth,