Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/143

121 Gherib entered the palace of the King and sitting down on the throne of his kingship, with his lords and officers on his either hand, sent for Julned. They brought him in haste and Gherib expounded to him Islam; but he refused to embrace the faith; wherefore Gherib let crucify him on the gate of the city, and they shot at him with arrows, till he was like unto a hedgehog. Then Gherib bestowed a dress of honour upon Jemrcan and said to him, ‘Thou shalt be lord and ruler over this city, and thine be it to loose and to bind therein, for it was thou didst conquer it with thy sword and thy men.’ And Jernrcan kissed the King’s feet and wished him abiding victory and glory and fair fortune. Moreover, Gherib opened Julned’s treasuries and saw what was therein and gave largesse to his captains and standard-bearers and fighting-men, yea, even to the women and children; and thus did he ten days long.

After this, one night he dreamt an ill dream and awoke, troubled and affrighted. So he aroused his brother Sehim and said to him, ‘I dreamt that we were in a wide valley, when there swooped down on us two birds of prey, with legs like lances, never in my life saw I greater than they, and we were in fear of them.’ ‘O King,’ answered Sehim, ‘this portends some great enemy; be on thy guard, therefore, against him.’ Gherib slept not the rest of the night and when the day broke, he called for his courser and mounted. Quoth Sehim, ‘Whither goest thou, my brother?’ and Gherib answered, saying, ‘I am heavy at heart this morning; so I mean to ride abroad ten days and lighten my breast.’ Said Sehim, ‘Take with thee a thousand men;’ but Gherib replied, ‘I will not go forth but with thee alone.’ So the two brothers mounted and seeking the open country, fared on from valley to valley and from meadow to meadow, till they came to a valley abounding in sweet-smelling flowers and streams and trees laden with