Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 1.djvu/177

155 Khatoun’s heart still clave to her son and she could say nought. As for Suleiman Shah’s rebellious son, Belehwan, when he saw that Shah Khatoun had married the king of the Greeks, this was grievous to him and he despaired of her. Meanwhile, his father Suleiman Shah kept strait watch over the child and cherished him and named him Melik Shah, after the name of his father. When he reached the age of ten, he made the folk swear fealty to him and appointed him his heir apparent, and after some days, [the hour of] the old king’s admission [to the mercy of God] drew near and he died.

Now a party of the troops had banded themselves together for Belehwan; so they sent to him and bringing him privily, went in to the little Melik Shah and seized him and seated his uncle Belehwan on the throne of the kingship. Then they proclaimed him king and did homage to him all, saying, ‘Verily, we desire thee and deliver to thee the throne of the kingship; but we wish of thee that thou slay not thy brother’s son, for that on our consciences are the oaths we swore to his father and grandfather and the covenants we made with them.’ So Belehwan granted them this and imprisoned the boy in an underground dungeon and straitened him. Presently, the heavy news reached his mother and this was grievous to her; but she could not speak and committed her affair to God the Most High, daring not name this to King Cæsar her husband, lest she should make her uncle King Suleiman Shah a liar.

So Belehwan the froward abode king in his father’s room and his affairs prospered, what while the young