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When the prince came before him, he sought of him his daughter in marriage, and the king said, ‘Indeed, thou art her equal, but none dare name a man to her, because of her aversion to men.’ So the prince pitched his tents under the windows of the princess’s palace, till one day he got hold of one of her favourite slave-girls and gave her wealth galore. Quoth she to him, ‘Hast thou a wish?’ ‘Yes,’ answered he and acquainted her with his case; and she said, ‘Indeed thou puttest thyself in peril.’ Then he abode, flattering himself with false hopes, till all that he had with him was gone and the servants fled from him; whereupon quoth he to one in whom he trusted, ‘I am minded to go to my country and fetch what may suffice me and return hither.’ And the other answered, ‘It is for thee to decide.’ So they set out to return, but the way was long to them and all that the prince had with him was spent and his company died and there abode but one with him, on whom he loaded what remained of the victual and they left the rest and fared on. Then there came out a lion and ate the servant, and the prince abode alone. He went on, till his beast stood still, whereupon he left her and fared on afoot till his feet swelled.

Presently he came to the land of the Turks,[228] and he naked and hungry and having with him nought but somewhat of jewels, bound about his fore-arm. So he went to the bazaar of the goldsmiths and calling one of the brokers, gave him the jewels. The broker looked and seeing two great rubies, said to him, ‘Follow me.’ So he followed him, till he brought him to a goldsmith, to whom he gave the jewels, saying, ‘Buy these.’ Quoth he, ‘Whence hadst thou these?’ And the broker replied, ‘This youth is the owner of them.’ Then said the goldsmith to the prince, ‘Whence hadst thou these rubies?’ And he told him all that had befallen him and that he was a king’s son. The goldsmith marvelled at his story and bought of him the rubies for a thousand dinars.

[Footnote 228] i.e. Turcomans; afterwards called Sejestan.

Then said the prince to him, ‘Make ready to go with me to my country.’ So he made ready and went with the prince till he drew near the frontiers of his father’s kingdom, where the people received him with the utmost honour and sent to acquaint his father with his son’s coming. The king came out to meet him and they entreated the goldsmith with honour. The prince abode awhile with his father, then set out, [he and the goldsmith] to return to the country of the fair one, the daughter of the King of Hind; but there met him robbers by the way and he fought the sorest of battles and was slain. The goldsmith buried him and marked his grave[229] and returned, sorrowing and distraught to his own country, without telling any of the prince’s death.

[Footnote 229] With a pile of stones or some such landmark.

To return to the king’s daughter of whom the prince went in quest and on whose account he was slain. She had been used to look out from the top of her palace and gaze on the youth and on his beauty and grace; so she said to her slave-girl one day, ‘Harkye! What is come of the troops that were encamped beside my palace?’ Quoth the maid, ‘They were the troops of the youth, the king’s son of the Persians, who came to demand thee in marriage, and wearied himself on thine account, but thou hadst no compassion on him.’ ‘Out on thee!’ cried the princess. ‘Why didst thou not tell me?’ And the damsel answered, ‘I feared thy wrath.’ Then she sought an audience of the king her father and said to him, ‘By Allah, I will go in quest of him, even as he came in quest of me; else should I not do him justice.’