Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/299

271 which he went forth alone and standing in the road before the lion, cried out at him. The lion ran at him, but Ali smote him between the eyes with his cutlass and cut him in sunder, whilst the caravan-leader and the merchants looked on. Then said he to the leader, ‘Have no fear, O my uncle!’ and the Syrian answered, saying, ‘O my son, I am thy servant for all time.’ Then the Provost embraced him and kissed him between the eyes and gave him the thousand dinars, and each of the other merchants gave him twenty dinars.

He deposited all the money with the Provost and they slept that night till the morning, when they set out again, intending for Baghdad, and fared on till they came to the Lion’s Wood and the Valley of Dogs, where lay a Bedouin brigand and his tribe, who sallied forth on them. The folk fled from the highwaymen and the Provost said, ‘My goods are lost!’ When, behold, up came Ali in a coat of leather, full of bells, and bringing out his long lance, fitted it together. Then he seized one of the Arab’s horses and mounting it, shook his bells and cried out to the Bedouin chief; saying, ‘Come out to me with spears!’ The Bedouin’s mare took fright at the noise of the bells and Ali struck the chief’s spear and broke it. Then he smote him on the neck and cut off his head. When the Bedouins saw their chief fall, they all ran at Ali, but he cried out, saying, ‘God is Most Great!’ and falling on them, put them to flight. Then he raised the chiefs head on the point of his spear and returned to the merchants, who rewarded him liberally and continued heir journey.

When they reached Baghdad, Ali took his money from the Provost and committed it to the Syrian, saying, ‘When thou returnest to Cairo, enquire for my lodging and give the money to my deputy.’ Then he slept that night and on the morrow he entered the city and enquired for Ahmed