Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/210

184 and returned thanks to God the most High for all His mercies. Then I left the King and walked about the city, which I found rich and populous, abounding in markets well stocked with food and merchandise and full of buyers and sellers. So I gave myself joy of having reached so pleasant a place and took my ease there after my fatigues; and I made friends with the townsfolk, nor was it long before I became better considered and more in favour with them and their King than any of the chief men of the realm.

Now I saw that all the people, great and small, rode handsome thorough-bred horses barebacked and without saddles, at which I wondered and said to the King, “O my lord, why dost thou not ride with a saddle? Therein is ease for the rider and increase of power.” “What manner of thing is a saddle?” asked he. “I never saw nor used one in all my life.” “With thy permission,” rejoined I, “I will make thee a saddle, that thou mayst ride on it and see the comfort thereof.” And he said, “Do so.” So I asked him for wood, which being brought me, I sought out a skilful carpenter and showed him how to make the saddle-tree, portraying him the fashion thereof in ink on the wood. Then I took wool and carded it and made felt of it and covering the saddle-tree with leather, stuffed it and burnished it and bound on the girth and stirrup-leathers; after which I fetched a blacksmith and described to him the fashion of the stirrups and bridle-bit. So he forged a fine pair of stirrups and a bit, and I filed them smooth and tinned them. Moreover, I made fast to them fringes of silk and fitted bridle-leathers to the bit. Then I fetched one of the best of the royal horses and saddling and bridling him, hung the stirrups to the saddle and led him to the King. The thing took his fancy and he thanked me; then he mounted and rejoiced greatly in the saddle and rewarded me handsomely. When the King’s Vizier