Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 1.djvu/152

132 king and he leaneth back, as he were asleep, one of you say to his fellow, “Verily, the king hath taken Abou Temam into his especial favour and hath advanced him to high rank with him, yet is he a transgressor against the king’s honour and an accursed one.” Then let the other of you ask, “And what is his transgression?” And the first make answer, “He outrageth the king’s honour and saith, ‘The King of Turkestan was used, whenas one went to him to seek his daughter in marriage, to slay him; but me he spared, for that she took a liking to me, and by reason of this he sent her hither, because she loved me.’” Then let his fellow say, “Knowest thou this for truth?” And the other reply, “By Allah, this is well known unto all the folk, but, of their fear of the king, they dare not bespeak him thereof; and as often as the king is absent a-hunting or on a journey, Abou Temam comes to her and is private with her.”’ And the boys answered, ‘We will say this.’

Accordingly, one night, when they were alone with the king and he leant back, as he were asleep, they said these words and the king heard it all and was like to die of rage and said in himself, ‘These are young boys, not come to years of discretion, and have no intrigue with any; and except they had heard these words from some one, they had not spoken with each other thereof.’ When it was morning, wrath overmastered him, so that he stayed not neither deliberated, but summoned Abou Temam and taking him apart, said to him, ‘Whoso guardeth not his lord’s honour, what behoveth unto him?’ Quoth Abou