XXVIII [THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER] 196
XXIX [THE LION, THE HYAENA AND THE HARE] 198
I
THE LION OF MANDA
ONCE upon a time there was a lion who lived on the island called Manda, which is opposite Shela town, and the people of Shela heard it roaring nightly. In Shela was a rich merchant, and one day he gave out in the bazaar: "I will pay one hundred dollars to whosoever will go and sleep alone one night on the opposite shore, in Manda island." But for fear of the lion no man would do this.
Now in that same town was a youth and his wife who were very poor, for they had nothing. When this youth heard the talk of the town, he came to his wife and said, "There is a man who will give a hundred dollars to any one who will sleep on the opposite side one night. I will go and sleep there."
His wife said to him, "Do not go, my husband, the lion will eat you."
He said, "Let me go, for if Allah loves me I will not die, and by this means we will get the wherewithal to buy some food."