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numbers to the king, seeking our death, and request-

ing that our goods should be taken from us. At

first he hesitated, but at length gave them permission:

but, after we had left his house, we understood

what they had in mind, and slept with someone to

keep watch throughout the night. My lot fell to

be on guard during the first watch of the night,

and in it I saw a lion approaching from some distance

off ; with my rifle I knocked him over upon the

ground, where he lay writhing in a pool of blood. The King Kureim was startled from his sleep by

the sound of the gunshot, thinking that his men

had attacked us : many too of the inhabitants

were awakened, but when they saw the lion slain

they rejoiced with an exceeding great joy, inasmuch

as the lion had been as a second king over them,

devouring whomsoever he chanced to meet, until

none would dare to leave his house by night* As for the King Kureim his joy was so great at the

slaying of the lion that he betrothed one of his

daughters to me, and urged me to remain upon the

island. So I stopped there for a space of thirty

days and thirty nights, until I had bought all that I needed in the way of food. Then we departed by

stealth, leaving the island in the two boats. But

verily we had not gone but a little distance from the

island when we once more lost our way in that lake:

nor did we cease to wander astray, until our stores had become exhausted, and there had died all who