Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 2.djvu/343

306 who were present laughed, till they fell backward, and the Vizier beat him. So he turned to the Vizier and said to him, “What art thou that thou shouldst beat me? It is no fault of mine: didst thou not bid me ask some considerable thing? Let me go to my own country.” With this, the Sultan knew that he was jesting and took patience with him awhile; then turned to him and said, “O my brother, ask of me some considerable thing, befitting our dignity.” So the stoker said, “O King of the age, I ask first of God and then of thee, that thou make me Viceroy of Damascus in the room of thy brother.” “God granteth thee this,” answered the King. So the stoker kissed the ground before him, and he bade set him a chair in his rank and put on him a viceroy’s habit. Then he wrote him a patent of investiture and sealing it with his own seal, said to the Vizier, “None shall go with him but thou; and when thou returnest, do thou bring with thee my brother’s daughter, Kuzia Fekan.” “I hear and obey,” answered the Vizier and taking the stoker, went down with him and made ready for the journey. Then the King appointed the stoker servants and officers and gave him a new litter and princely equipage and said to the amirs, “Whoso loves me, let him honour this man and give him a handsome present.” So they brought him every one his gift, according to his competence; and the King named him Ziblcan, and conferred on him the surname of honour of El Mujahid. As soon as the new Viceroy’s gear was ready, he went up with the Vizier to the King, to take leave of him and ask his permission to depart. The King rose to him and embracing him, exhorted him to do justice among his subjects and deal fairly with them and bade him make ready for war against the infidels after two years. Then they took leave of each other and King Ziblcan,