Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/256

224 by that of the enemy, and peradventure the Nazarenes may come out upon us in thine absence; wherefore it behoves thee to leave one to rule thy government in thy stead.’ ‘It is well,’ answered the Amir and appointed his son Haroun governor during his absence, requiring the troops to take the oath of fealty to him and bidding them obey him in all he should command, which they promised to do.

Now this Haroun was a man of great prowess and a renowned warrior, and the Sheikh Abdussemed feigned to him that the place they sought was distant [but] four months’ journey along the shore of the sea, with camping-places all the way, adjoining one another, and grass and springs, adding, ‘God will assuredly make the matter easy to us for thy sake, O lieutenant of the Commander of the Faithful.’ Quoth the Amir Mousa, ‘Knowest thou if any of the kings have trodden this land before us?’ ‘Yes,’ answered the Sheikh; ‘it belonged aforetime to Darius the Greek, King of Alexandria.’ But he said to Mousa [privily], ‘O Amir, take with thee a thousand camels laden with victual and store of gugglets.’ ‘And what shall we do with these [latter]?’ asked the Amir. Quoth the Sheikh, ‘In our way is the desert of Cyrene, the which is a vast desert, four days’ journey long, and lacketh water, nor therein is voice to be heard or soul to be seen. Moreover there bloweth the Simoum and [other hot] winds called El Jewajib, that dry up the waterskins; but, if the water be in gugglets, no harm can come to it.’ ‘True,’ answered Mousa and sending to Alexandria, let bring thence great plenty of gugglets. Then he took with him his Vizier and two thousand horse, clad in complete steel, and set out, whilst Abdussemed forewent them, riding on his hackney, to guide them.