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10 drew near the city of Cufa. The Viceroy of the capital came out to meet and salute the King, whom he found weak with the beating his brother had inflicted upon him; and Ajib entered the city and called his physicians. When they answered his summons, he bade them heal him in less than ten days' time: they said, "We hear and we obey," and they tended him till he became whole of the sickness that was upon him and of the punishment. Then he commanded his Wazirs to write letters to all his Nabobs and vassals, and he indited one-and-twenty writs and despatched them to the governors, who assembled their troops and set out for Cufa by forced marches.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-First Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ajib sent orders to assemble the troops, who marched forthright to Cufa. Meanwhile, Gharib, being troubled for Ajib's escape, despatched in quest of him a thousand braves, who dispersed on all sides and sought him a day and a night, but found no trace of him; so they returned and told Gharib, who called for his brother Sahim, but found him not; whereat he was sore concerned, fearing for him from the shifts of Fortune, And lo ! Sahim entered and kissed ground before Gharib, who rose, when he saw him, and asked, "Where hast thou been, O Sahim?" He answered, "O King, I have been to Cufa and there I find that the dog Ajib hath made his way to his capital and is healed of his hurts: eke, he hath written letters to his vassals and sent them to his Nabobs who have brought him troops." When Gharib heard this, he gave the command to march; so they struck tents and fared for Cufa. When they came in sight of the city, they found it compassed about with a host like the surging main, having neither beginning nor end. So Gharib with his troops encamped in face of the Kafirs and set up his standards, and darkness fell down upon the two hosts, whereupon they lighted camp-fires and kept watch till daybreak. Then King Gharib rose and making the Wuzu-ablution, prayed a two-bow prayer according to the rite of our father Abraham the Friend (on whom be the Peace!); after which he commanded the battle-drums to sound the point of war. Accordingly, the kettle-drums beat to combat and the standards fluttered