Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/103

83 and honour. Quoth Gherib, ‘What is thine errand?’ and Sebulkifar answered, saying, ‘I am an envoy from the lord of the city of Jezireh, Damigh, brother of King Kundemir, lord of the city of Cufa and the land of Irak.’ When Gherib heard his father’s name, the tears ran from his eyes and he looked at the messenger and said, ‘What is thy name?’ ‘My name is Sebulkifar,’ answered he. ‘O Sebulkifar,’ said Gherib, ‘return to thy master and tell him that the commander of this host is called Gherib, son of Kundemir, King of Cufa, whom his son Agib slew, and he is come to avenge his father on the perfidious dog Agib.’

So Sebulkifar returned to the city, rejoicing, and told Damigh all he had heard. The latter thought himself in a dream and said to the messenger, ‘O Sebulkifar, is this thou tellest me true?’ ‘As thy head liveth,’ replied Sebulkifar, ‘it is true.’ Then Damigh took horse forthright with his chief officers and rode out to the camp, where Gherib met him and they embraced and saluted one another; after which Gherib carried him to his pavilion and they sat down on beds of estate. And Damigh rejoiced in Gherib, his brother’s son, and turning to him, said, ‘I also have yearned to avenge thy father, but could not avail against the dog thy brother; for that his troops are many and mine few.’ ‘O uncle,’ replied Gherib, ‘I am come to avenge my father and blot out our reproach and rid the realm of Agib.’ Quoth Damigh, ‘O son of my brother, thou hast two wreaks to take, that of thy father and that of thy mother.’ ‘And what ails my mother?’ asked Gherib. ‘Thy brother Agib hath slain her,’ replied Damigh and told him what had befallen, whereupon Gherib’s reason fled and he swooned away and came nigh upon death. No sooner did he come to himself than he cried out to the troops, saying, ‘To horse!’ But Damigh said to him, ‘O son of my brother, wait till I make ready mine estate and mount with my men and