Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/298

270 in Ali and loved him and made much of him and they fared on till nightfall, when they halted and ate and drank. Then came the time of sleep and Ali lay down and made as if he slept; whereupon the Syrian laid himself near him and Ali rose and sat down at the door of the merchant’s pavilion. Presently, the Syrian turned over and would have taken Ali in his arms, but found him not and said in himself, ‘It would seem as though he had promised another and he hath taken him; but I have the first right and another night I will keep him.’

Ali sat at the door of the tent till nigh upon daybreak, when he returned and lay down near the Syrian, who found him by his side, when he awoke, and said in himself, ‘If I ask him where he has been, he will leave me and go away.’ So he dissembled with him and they went on till they came to a forest, in which was a cave, where dwelt a ferocious lion. Now, whenever a caravan passed, they would draw lots among themselves and throw him on whom the lot fell to the lion. So they drew lots and the lot fell upon the Provost of the Merchants. Now the lion stopped the way, awaiting his prey, wherefore the Provost was sore distressed and said to the leader, ‘God disappoint thy enterprise and bring thy journey to nought! I charge thee, after my death, give my loads to my children.’ Quoth Ali, ‘What meaneth all this?’ So they told him the case and he said, ‘Why do ye run from the cat of the desert? I warrant you I will kill him.’

So the Syrian went to the Provost and told him of this and he said, ‘If he kill him, I will give him a thousand dinars.’ ‘And we,’ said the other merchants, ‘will reward him likewise.’ With this Ali put off his mantle and there appeared upon him armour of steel; then he took a whinyard of steel and [opening it] turned the ring; after