“Good,” said Mustapha, who interpreted.
“By the beard of the Prophet, wonderful!” exclaimed the pacha.
Well, the gale lasted for a week; and at last one night, when I was at the helm, we dashed on the rocks of a desolate island. I was pitched right over the mountains, and fell into the sea on the other side of the island. I swam on shore, and got into a cave, where I fell fast asleep. The next morning I found that there was nothing to eat except rats, and they were plentiful; but they were so quick, that I could not catch them. I walked about, and at last discovered a great many rats together; they were at a spring of water; the only one, as I afterwards found, on the island. Rats can’t do without water; and I thought I should have them there. I filled up the spring, all but a hole which I sat on the top of. When the rats came again, I filled my mouth with water, and held it wide open; they ran up to drink, and I caught their heads in my teeth, and thus I took as many as I wished.
“Aferin, excellent!” cried the pacha, as soon as this was explained.
Well, at last a vessel took me off, and I wasn’t sorry for it, for raw rats are not very good eating. I went home again, and I hadn’t been on shore more than two hours, when who should I see but my first wife, Bet, with a robin-redbreast in tow. “That’s he!” says she. I gave fight, but was nabbed and put into limbo, to be tried for what they call biggery, or having a wife too much.
“How does he mean? desire him to explain,” said the pacha, after Mustapha had conveyed the intelligence. Mustapha obeyed.