Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/148

126 the air with its radiance, and wondered what this could be. So he descended the mountain and made towards the light.

Now this light came from the Castle of Jewels, which was distant two months’ journey from Mount Kermous, and its walls were fashioned of red rubies and the buildings within them of yellow gold. Moreover, it had a thousand turrets builded of precious stones and metals, brought from the Sea of Darknesses, and on this account it was named the Castle of Jewels. It was a vast great castle and the name of its king was King Shehlan, the father of Shemseh and her sisters. Now, when the princess Shemseh left Janshah, she returned to the Castle of Jewels and told her father and mother all that had passed between the prince and herself. Quoth they, ‘Thou hast not dealt righteously with him:’ and she, ‘Be sure that he will follow me hither, for he loves me passionately.’ So King Shehlan repeated the story to his guards and officers of the Marids of the Jinn and bade them bring him every mortal they should see.

Now, as chance would have it, Shemseh had that very day despatched a Marid on an occasion in the direction of Mount Kermous, and on his way thither he caught sight of Janshah; so he hastened up to him and saluted him. The prince was terrified at his sight, but returned his greeting, and the Marid said to him, ‘What is thy name?’ ‘My name is Janshah,’ answered he, and bursting into tears, related to the genie his adventures and how he was come thither in quest of the princess Shemseh and the Castle of Jewels. The Marid was moved to pity by his story and said to him, ‘Weep not, for thou art come to thy desire. Know that [yonder stands the Castle of Jewels, where dwells she whom thou seekest]. She loves thee dear and has told her parents of thy love for her, and all in the castle love thee for her sake; so