Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 1.djvu/107

87 of this [youth] will not escape us.’ Therewith he bade imprison him, whilst he himself returned [to the city] and despatching his occasions, went forth to the chase.

Then he returned to the city and forgot the youth; so the servants went in to him and said to him, ‘O king, if thou keep silence concerning yonder youth, who would have slain thee, all thy servants will presume upon thee, and indeed the folk talk of this matter.’ With this the king waxed wroth and saying, ‘Fetch him hither,’ commanded the headsman to strike off his head. So they [brought the youth and] bound his eyes; and the headsman stood at his head and said to the king, ‘By thy leave, O my lord, I will strike off his head.’ But the king said, ‘Stay, till I look into his affair. Needs must I put him to death and the slaying of him will not escape [me].’ So he restored him to the prison and there he abode till it should be the king’s will to put him to death.

Presently, his father and his mother heard of the matter; whereupon the former arose and going up to the place, wrote a letter and [presented it to the king, who] read it, and behold, therein was written, saying, ‘Have pity on me, so may God have pity on thee, and hasten not in the slaughter [of my son]; for indeed I acted hastily in a certain affair and drowned his brother in the sea, and to this day I drink the cup of his anguish. If thou must needs kill him, kill me in his stead.’ Therewith the old merchant prostrated himself before the king and wept; and the latter said to him, ‘Tell me thy story.’ ‘O my