The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
Now Jamrkan had fared on with his tribesmen ten days’ journey from Cufa
city and called a halt on the eleventh day till midnight, when he
ordered a march and rode on devancing them till he descended into the
valley aforesaid and heard Jawamard reciting his verses. So he drave at
him as the driving of a ravening lion, and smiting him with his sword,
clove him in twain and waited till his captains came up, when he told
them what had passed and said to them, “Take each of you five thousand
men and disperse round about the Wady, whilst I and the Banu Amir fall
upon the enemy’s van, shouting, Allaho Akbar God is Most Great! When ye
hear my slogan, do ye charge them, crying like me upon the Lord, and
smite them with the sword.” “We hear and we obey,” answered they and
turning back to their braves did his bidding and spread themselves
about the sides of the valley in the twilight forerunning the dawn.
Presently, lo and behold! up came the army of Al-Yaman, like a flock of
sheep, filling plain and steep, and Jamrkan and the Banu Amir fell upon
them, shouting, “Allaho Akbar!” till all heard it, Moslems and
Miscreants. Whereupon the True Believers ambushed in the valley
answered from every side and the hills and mountains responsive cried
and all things replied, green and dried, saying, “God is Most Great!
Aidance and Victory to us from on High! Shame to the Miscreants who His
name deny!” And the Kafirs were confounded and smote one another with
sabres keen whilst the True Believers and pious fell upon them like
flames of fiery sheen and naught was seen but heads flying and blood
jetting and faint-hearts hieing. By the time they could see one
another’s faces, two-thirds of the Infidels had perished and Allah
hastened their souls to the fire and abiding-place dire. The rest fled
and to the deserts sped whilst the Moslems pursued them to slay and
take captives till middle-day, when they returned in triumph with seven
thousand prisoners; and but six and twenty thousand of the Infidels
escaped and the most of them wounded. Then the Moslems collected the
horses and arms, the loads and tents of the enemy and despatched them
to Cufa with an escort of a thousand horse;——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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