A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder James De Mille
A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder James De Mille
A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder James De Mille
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
157<br />
"Oh yes."<br />
"How many?"<br />
"Four."<br />
"Are they all as tame as this?"<br />
"Oh yes, all quite as tame; there is no difference whatever."<br />
Upon this I left the back of the athaleb, and Layelah also descended,<br />
after which she proceeded to show me the other monsters. At length she<br />
unharnessed the athaleb and we left the cavern.<br />
CHAPTER XXII<br />
ESCAPE<br />
On the follow<strong>in</strong>g jom I told everyth<strong>in</strong>g to Almah. I told her that<br />
Layelah was urg<strong>in</strong>g me to fly with her, and that I had found out all<br />
about her plans. I described the athalebs, <strong>in</strong>formed her about the<br />
direction which we were to take, the island of fire, and the country<br />
of the Or<strong>in</strong>. At this <strong>in</strong>telligence Almah was filled with delight, and<br />
for the first time s<strong>in</strong>ce we had come to the amir there were smiles<br />
of joy upon her face. She needed no persuasion. She was ready to set<br />
forth whenever it was fitt<strong>in</strong>g, and to risk everyth<strong>in</strong>g upon this<br />
enterprise. She felt as I did, and thought that the wildest attempt<br />
was better than this dull <strong>in</strong>action.<br />
<strong>De</strong>ath was before us here, and every jom as it passed only brought it<br />
nearer. True, we were treated with the utmost k<strong>in</strong>dness, we lived <strong>in</strong><br />
royal splendor, we had enormous ret<strong>in</strong>ues; but all this was a miserable<br />
mockery, s<strong>in</strong>ce it all served as the prelude to our <strong>in</strong>evitable doom.<br />
For that doom it was hard <strong>in</strong>deed to wait. Anyth<strong>in</strong>g was better. Far<br />
better would it be to risk all the dangers of this unusual and amaz<strong>in</strong>g<br />
flight, to brave the terrors of that drear isle of fire, Magones;<br />
better to perish there of starvation, or to be killed by the hands<br />
of hostile Goj<strong>in</strong>, than to wait here and be destroyed at last by<br />
the sacrificial knife of these smil<strong>in</strong>g, generous, k<strong>in</strong>d-hearted,