Page:Fairy tales from the Arabian nights.djvu/302

 feet. The nails of his hands and feet were extremely long; a flat broad hat, like an umbrella, covered his head. He had no clothes, but only a mat thrown round his body.

This old man was a dervish, who had for many years retired from the world, and had neglected himself entirely, so that at last he had become what we have described.

Prince Bahman, who had been all that morning very anxious to see if he could meet with anybody that could tell of the place he was going to, stopped when he came near the dervish, as the first person he had met, and alighted from off his horse, according to the directions the religious woman had given to the Princess Parizade; and leading his horse by the bridle, advanced towards him, and saluting him, said: 'God prolong your days, good father, and grant you the fulfilment of your desires.'

The dervish returned the prince's salutation, but so unintelligibly that he could not understand one word he said. Prince Bahman perceived that this proceeded from the dervish's whiskers hanging over his mouth, and unwilling to go any further without the instruction he wanted, he pulled out a pair of scissors, and having tied his horse to a branch of the tree, said to the dervish: 'Good dervish, I want to have a talk with you; but your whiskers prevent my understanding what you say; if you consent, I will cut off part of them and of your eyebrows, for they disfigure you so much that you look more like a bear than a man.'

The dervish did not oppose the prince, but let him do it; and when the prince had cut off as much hair as he thought fit, he perceived that the dervish had a good complexion, and that he did not seem so old as he really was. 'Good dervish,' said he, 'if I had a glass, I would show you how young you look: you are now a man, but before, nobody could tell what you were.'

The kind behaviour of Prince Bahman made the dervish smile. 'Sir,' said he, 'whoever you are, I am infinitely obliged to you for the good office you have done me, and am ready to show my gratitude by doing anything in my power for you. You must have alighted here for some reason or other. Tell me what it is, and I will endeavour to serve you if I can.'

'Good dervish,' replied Prince Bahman, 'I have come a long