' The
King understood the parable and rejoined, saying, 'O fellow,
the lion trampled not thy land, and it is good for tillage; so
do thou till it and God prosper thee in it, for the lion hath
done it no hurt.' Then he bade give the man and his wife a
handsome present and sent them away.
ABDURREHMAN THE MOOR'S STORY OF THE ROC.
There was once a man of the people of Morocco, called
Abdurrehman the Moor, and he was known, to boot, as the
Chinaman, for his long sojourn in Cathay. He had journeyed far
and wide and traversed many seas and deserts and was wont to
relate wondrous tales of his travels. He was once cast upon an
island, where he abode a long while and returning thence to his
native country, brought with him the quill of the wing-feather
of a young roe, whilst yet unhatched and in the egg; and this
quill was big enough to hold a skinful of water, for it is said
that the length of the young roe's wing, when it comes forth of
the egg, is a thousand fathoms. The folk marvelled at this
quill, when they saw it, and Abdurrehman related to them the
following adventure.
He was on a voyage in the China seas, with a company of
merchants, when they sighted a great island so they steered
for it and casting anchor before it, saw that it was large and
spacious.
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