to me.” So he opened to me and I went out and had gone but a little way from the door when I met a woman, who said to me, “A long life was fore-ordained to thee; else hadst thou never come forth of yonder house.” I asked, “How so?” and she answered, “Enquire of thy friend Such-an-one,” (naming thee), “and he will acquaint thee with strange things. So, Allah upon thee, O my friend, tell me what befel thee of wondrous and marvellous, for I have told thee what befel me.” “O my brother, I am bound by a solemn oath.” “O my friend, false thine oath and tell me.”[85] “Indeed, I dread the issue of this.” But he urged me till I told him all, whereat he marvelled. Then I went away from him and abode a long while, without further news. One day, I met another of my friends who said to me, “A neighbour of mine hath invited me to hear singers” but I said:—“I will not foregather with any one.” However, he prevailed upon me; so we repaired to the place and found there a person, who came to meet us and said, “Bismillah!”[86] Then he pulled out a key and opened the door, whereupon we entered and he locked the door after us. Quoth I, “We are the first of the folk; but where be the singers’ voices?” He replied, “They’re within 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!”[87] Then we sat down on the edge of the daïs 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 sword-pommel, 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;[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