Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/171

147 rejoiced in their safety and the drums beat a point of war, whilst the two hosts drew out in battle array.

The first to open the chapter of war was Gherib, who drove his charger between the two ranks and drawing his sword El Mahic, cried out, saying, ‘Whoso knoweth me hath enough of my prowess and whoso knoweth me not, I will make myself known to him. I am Gherib, King of Irak and Yemen, brother of Agib.’ When Raadshah beard this, he cried out to his guards, saying, ‘Bring me Agib.’ So they brought him and Raadshah said to him, ‘Thou knowest that this quarrel is thy quarrel and thou art the cause of all this slaughter. Now yonder stands thy brother Gherib amiddleward the field; go thou out to him and bring him to me prisoner, that I may set him on a camel, face to tail, and make a show of him and carry him to the land of Hind.’ ‘O King,’ answered Agib, ‘send out to him other than I, for I am in ill case this morning.’ But Raadshah puffed and snorted and said, ‘By the virtue of the sparkling fire and the light and shade and heat, except thou go out to thy brother and bring him to me in haste, I will cut off thy head and make an end of thee.’ So Agib took courage and spurring his horse up to his brother in mid-field, said to him, ‘O dog of the Arabs and vilest of all who smite upon tent-pegs, wilt thou contend with kings? Take what cometh to thee and receive the tidings of thy death.’ When Gherib heard this, he said to him, ‘Who art thou among the kings?’ And Agib answered, saying, ‘I am thy brother, and to-day is the last of thy worldly days.’

When Gherib was assured that he was indeed his brother Agib, be cried out and said, ‘Ho, to avenge my father and mother!’ Then giving his sword to Kailjan, he drove at Agib and smote him with his mace a swashing blow, that all but beat in his ribs, and seizing him by the neck-rings, tore him from the saddle and cast him to the ground;