the armies separated each making for his own place; and the Moslems returned to the cavern where gain and loss were manifest to them: few remained of them; and there was no dependence for them but on Allah and the scymitar. Now there had been slain of them that day five and thirty men of the chiefest Emirs, and they had killed thousands of the Infidels, footmen and fighters on horse. When Sharrkan saw this, the case was grievous to him and he asked his comrades "What shall we do?"; whereto all answered, "That which Almighty Allah willeth shall befal us." On the morning of the second day, Sharrkan said to the remnant of his troop, "If ye go forth to fight, not one of you will remain alive and we have but little left of food and water; so I deem ye would do better to bare your brands and go forth and stand at the mouth of this cavern, to hinder any from entering. Haply the holy man may have reached the Moslem host, and may return with ten thousand horses to succour us in fight with the Infidels, for belike the Unfaithful may have failed to see him and those with him." They said, This were the better course to take, and of its expediency no doubt we make." So the troop went out and held the cavern mouth standing by its walls; and every one of the Infidels who sought to enter in, they slew. Thus did they fend off the foe from the gape of the cave and they patiently supported all such assaults, till day was done and night came on dusky and dun;—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the Ninety-ninth Night,