And they passed through Balkh, the Mother of Cities. And they
passed through Tailian, where the great salt mountains are. And
they passed through Badashan, where the mountains of the rubies are.
And they passed through Kashmir, whose women are very beautiful, and
whose magicians weave the strongest spells in the world. . .
And moons were born and died. . .
And they came to Alamoot, the fortess of Senex de Monte, the Old Man
of the Mountain, the King of the Assassins, the greatest wizard of
all time. . .
Now this is the tale of the Old Man the Mountain.
Whenever within his dominions there was a fine young horseman, the
Old Man would put a spell on him and draw him to the Castle of Alamoot,
and outside of the castle sleep would come on him. And when he woke
up, he would be inside the castle, in the wonderful gardens. And
they'd tell him he was dead and in paradise. And paradise it would
be for him what with the lovely women and the great playing on the
flutes, the birds singing, and the sun shining, the crystal rivers
and the flowers of the world. And after a while the Old Man of the
Mountain would call for him, and tell him he was sending him back
on earth again on a mission to punish Such-and-Such.
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