Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/313

279 swooned away, and the vizier came up to him and said, “What ails thee?” So he told him what had happened, and the vizier feigned to condole with him and weep for his affliction, saying, “God the Most High succour thee in thine affliction! How came this grievous calamity upon thee, and we carrying thee, rejoicing, that thou mightest go in to the king’s daughter? Verily, now I know not whether we shall go to her or not; but it is thine to decide. What dost thou bid me do?” Quoth the prince, “Go back to my father and tell him what hath befallen me, for I will not stir hence till this affliction be removed from me or I die in my grief.” So he wrote a letter to his father, telling him what had happened, and the vizier took it and set out to return, leaving the troops with the prince and glad at heart for the success of his plot. As soon as he reached the king’s capital, he went in to him and telling him what had passed, delivered to him the prince’s letter. The king mourned sore for his son and sent for the wise men and masters of hidden arts, that they might discover to him this thing that had happened to the prince, but none could give him an answer. As for the vizier, he sent to the lady’s cousin, giving him the glad news of the prince’s misfortune, which when he heard, he rejoiced greatly and thought to marry the princess and wrote to the vizier, thanking him exceedingly and sending him rich presents and great store of treasure.

Meanwhile, the prince abode by the stream three days and nights, eating not nor drinking and committing himself, in his strait, unto God (blessed and exalted be He!) who disappointeth not whoso putteth his trust in Him. On the fourth night, there came to him a cavalier with a crown on his head, as he were of the Sons of the kings, and said to him, “O youth, who brought thee hither?” The prince told him his story, in a voice broken with tears, and the horseman pitied his case and said to him,