nchanted on
account of a crime somewhere upon the sea: he thought the spell would
be dissolved by bringing them to land, but this could be done only by
taking up the planks on which they lay. In the sight of God and
justice, he said that the ship, together with all the goods, belonged
to me, since I had, as it were, found it; and, if I would keep it very
secret, and make him a small present out of my abundance, he would
assist me with his slaves to remove the bodies. I promised to reward
him richly, and we set out on our expedition with five slaves, who
were supplied with saws and hatchets. On the way, the magician Muley
could not sufficiently praise our happy expedient of binding the
sails around with the sentences from the Koran. He said this was the
only means, by which we could have saved ourselves.

It was still pretty early in the day when we reached the ship. We
immediately set to work, and in an hour placed four in the boat. Some
of the slaves were then obliged to row to land to bury them there.
They told us, when they returned, that the bodies had spared them the
trouble of burying, since, the moment they laid them on the earth,
they had fallen to dust. We diligently set to work to saw off the
bodies, and before evening all were brought to land. There were, at
last, no more on board than the one that was nailed to the mast.
Vainly sought we to draw the nail out of the wood, no strength was
able to start it even a hair's-breadth. I knew not what next to do,
for we could not hew down the mast in order to bring him to land; but
in this dilemma Muley came to my assistance. He quickly ordered a
slave to row to land and bring a pot of earth. When he had arrived
with it, the magician pronounced over it some mysterious words, and
cast it on the dead man's head. Immediately the latter opened his
eyes, drew a deep breath, and the wound of the nail in his forehead
began to bleed. We now drew it lightly forth, and the wounded man fell
into the arms of one of the slaves.

"Who bore me hither?" he exclaimed, after he seemed to have recovered
himself a little. Muley made signs to me, and I stepped up to him.

"Thank thee, unknown stranger; thou hast freed me from long torment.
For fifty years has my body been sailing through these waves, and my
spirit was condemned to return to it every night. But now my head has
come in contact with the earth, and, my crime expiated, I can go to my
fathers!"

I entreated him, thereupon,