Page:Muhammad Diyab al-Itlidi - Historical Tales and Anecdotes of the Time of the Early Khalîfahs - Alice Frere - 1873.djvu/122

Rh was greater than she. Then the Hud-hud retired to a little distance, and Balkîs read the letter. After which she seated herself upon her throne, and assembled her councillors—a hundred thousand wazîrs. And when they were seated she said to them, "Verily a letter has come to me from King Solomon. In it he says—You must profess el-Islám. Now, therefore, what shall we do?" They replied, "We have wealth, and men, and great courage in war. If thou bid us fight, we will fight." But she informed them that it was of no avail to fight against King Solomon. "It is better," said she, "that we send him a present. If he accept it, he is but a king like myself, and then we will make war with him. But if he refuse it, he is a prophet, and will be content with nothing save our religion." So they prepared a gift—a hundred Mamlûk slaves and two hundred slave-girls, all clad alike; four bricks of pure gold, wrapt in silken hand-kerchiefs; a jewelled crown; musk and ambergris; and a casket of priceless jewels unpierced. There were also other precious stones which were pierced, but they were pierced crooked. Then she summoned the noblest of her subjects, whose name was Mundzîr, and placed wise men under his command. And she