The Stolen Woman

It is related that a man of the Onlad Draabad married his cousin, whom he
loved greatly. He possessed a single slave and some camels. Fearing lest
someone should carry off his wife on account of her beauty, he resolved to
take her to a place where no one should see her. He started, therefore,
with his slave, his camels, and his wife, and proceeded night and day until
he arrived at the shore of the great salt sea, knowing that nobody would
come there.

One day when he had gone out to see his camels and his slave, leaving his
wife alone in the tent, she saw a ship that had just then arrived. It had
been sent by a sultan of a far country, to seek in the islands of the salt
sea a more beautiful wife for him than the women of his land. The woman in
the tent, seeing that the ship would not come first to her, went out first
in front. The people said to her, "Come on board in order to see the whole
ship." She went aboard. Finding her to be just the one for whom they were
seeking, they seized her and took her to their Sultan. On his return, the
husband, not finding his wife, realized that she had been stolen. He
started to find the son of Keij, the Christian. Between them there existed
a friendship. The son of Keij said to him: "Bring a ship and seven men,
whose guide I will be on the sea. They need not go astray nor be
frightened. The city is three or four months' journey from here." They set
sail in a ship to find the city, and were on the way the time that he had
said.

Arriving they cast their anchor near the city, which was at the top of a
high mountain. Their chief went ashore and saw a fire lighted by someone.
He went in that direction. It was an old woman, to whom he told his story.
She gave him news of his wife. They agreed to keep silence between
themselves. Then the old woman added: "In this place there are two birds
that devour people. At their side are two lions like to them, and two men.
All of these keep guard over your wife."

He bought a sheep, which he killed; then he went to the two birds and threw
them a part of it. While they were quarrelling over it he passed by them
and came near to the two lions, to which he did the same. Approaching the
two men, he found them asleep. He went as far as the place where his wife
was in prison, and attracted her attention by scratching her foot. He was
disguised and said to her, "I have sought you to tell you something." He
took her by the hand. They both went out, and he swore that if she made the
slightest noise he would kill her. He also asked her which was the swiftest
boat for the journey. She pointed out the best boat there, and they
embarked in it. There were some stones on board, and when he threw one at a
ship it was crushed from stem to stern, and all on board perished.

He started to find the son of Keij. While they were at sea a marine monster
swallowed them and the ship on which they were sailing. The chief took some
pitch and had it boiled in a kettle. The monster cast up the ship on the
shore of the sea. They continued their journey, proceeding by the seaside.

Behold one day they came to a deserted city. They desired to take what it
contained of riches, silver, and gold. All of a sudden the image of an
armed man appeared to them. They could not resist or kill him at first, but
finally they destroyed him and took all the riches of the houses. When they
arrived near the son of Keij he said to them: "I want only the ship." So
the other man took the treasures and returned home with his wife.