Page:Peterson magazine 1849.pdf/94

 Vol. XV. THE CALIPH’S DAUGHTER.

BY JAMES H. DANA.

“Who has not heard of the Vale of Cashmere, With its roses the brightest that eat 4 fountain that hang

Tr was the afternoon of a sultry day, females, both lovely, were : i ‘bath, in the gardens of a delicious paviljoit, amgng, the hills of Persia. The sculpture adorning’the hath,. and the roses that grew around, not less than the auire of the females, bespoke luxury and rank. The youngest and {oveliest of the two bad just emngged ‘from the water, and with a loose robs thr: eapid her, and one foot stil! dangling in the cool liquid, sit" ina pensive attitude, while her companion, who was jently of lower rank, was endeavoring to console her.

“Nay! do not despair,” said the latter. “Your father may relent. Surely if you throw yourself at his feet, and tell bim that you love another, he twill not force you to marcy this strange prince,”

Alas! you little know the Caliph,” replied bis daughter. “When once he has resotved on a course of condact, he is inexorable, It seems I was pro- mised to this prince in infancy. ‘There is no hupe.”” And she burst into tears,

‘The Princess Amra, ores the poets of Iapahan called her, ‘Gre sed Berk,” the rose of a inndred leaves, had lived to the age of suventeen without loving. Her life had been spent wholly at the favorite country palace, of rather hunting-seat of the Caliph, a day’s journey from the capitat: her only employment being to walk with ber female slaves, to play on the Jute, and ocea- sionally to go hawking, a sport still followed in the East.

‘One day, bowever, while flying her falcon, Amra became separated, for a few moments, from al! her attendants except her favorite female companion. Just at this crisis, a leopard, pursued by some hun- ters, and mad with rage from the loss of her cube, broke from a neighboring thicket, and beholding the young princess, with a fierce growl sprang upon her. "The beast alighted on the baunches of the palfrey which Amra rode, and the next instant the fangs of the wild animal would have been fastened in the Princess, ad not a lance, hurled with unerring aim, whizzed by aod transfixed the savage assailant, Amra

ver gave, lear their wave?”—Larza Rooxs.

‘and the leopard fell to the ground together, the first in a swoon, the last stone-dead,

tésotie, wes u remarkably handsome youth, some four or fivé years older than the princess, but evidently of infértor rank. His attire indeed was that of a oative of the hills,'though worn with more taste than usual. le lifted Amra from the ground, carried her to a spring hard by, and sprinkled her face with water, while her attendant stood motionless, as yet bewil- dered with fright. Soon the young princess opened her eyes, and finding those of her preserver fixed ardently upon her, blushed deeply. In a few minutes ber train came running up, when the hunter resigned his lovely burden, and withdrew to pick up his tance. ‘When the tumult of Anora’s attendants had subsided, and they came to look for the youth, they found he had disappeared.
 * ‘The hunter who had thus opportunely come to the

For many weeks the young princess caused in- quiries to be made after the bunter, but in vain: no one could remember to have seen him, either before or since that day. Meantime Amra thought of bim by day, and dreamed of him by night. Educated as she had boon, the romance of the resoue was irresis- tible to ber heart. One day, when again hawking, and when again separated from her train, the hunter suddenly appeared before her. ‘The stranger implored silence, saying, in tones that Amra thought inexpres- sibly musical—

“For many weeks, I have followed you unseen, whenever you have gone abroad; but dared not make myself visible on account of your attendants, The distance between the daughter of a Caliph and a poor soldier is immeasurable; yet, neverthelesa, 28 our forefathers could worship the san unchecked, so let me, at the same distance, worship you. I have loved you from the moment I saw you shrinking in terror from that savage wild beast)”

As the hunter spoke, he stood respectfully, with his bead slightly bent, before Amra, so that she thought she had never seen any one half as handsome. She ‘was silent, for she knew not what to reply. He-

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