Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/77

57 and horses, saying to them, ‘Scatter yourselves round about the enemy and cry out, “O sons of Kehtan!” And when they awake, do ye remove from them and encircle them.’ So he waited till the last watch of the night, when he cried out, ‘O sons of Kehtan!’ and his men answered, saying, ‘O sons of Kehtan!’ as with one voice; and the mountains echoed their crying, so that it seemed to the enemy as though the whole tribe [of the Benou Kehtan] were upon them; wherefore they all snatched up their arms and fell upon one another with slaughter. Gherib and his men held aloof, and they fought with one another till daybreak, when Merdas and Gherib and their ninety warriors fell in upon them and killed some of them and put the rest to flight. Then they took the arms and horses of the dead and the fugitives and returned to the camp, whilst Merdas could hardly credit his deliverance.

When they reached the encampment, the folk all came to meet them and rejoiced in their safe return. Then they alighted and betook them to their tents; and all the youths of the tribe flocked to Gherib’s tent and great and small saluted him and did him honour. When Merdas saw this, he was more jealous of Gherib than before and said to his kinsfolk, ‘Verily, hatred of Gherib grows on my heart, and why but because I see these flocking about him! And to-morrow he will demand Mehdiyeh of me.’ Quoth his confidant, ‘O Amir, ask of him somewhat he cannot avail unto.’ This pleased Merdas, and on the morrow, as he sat on his divan, with the Arabs about him, Gherib entered, followed by his men and surrounded by the youth of the tribe, and kissed the earth before Merdas, who rose to do him honour, making a show of joy in him and seating him beside himself.

Then said Gherib, ‘O uncle, thou madest me a promise; do thou fulfil it.’ ‘O my son,’ answered the Amir, ‘she is thine to all time; but thou lackest good.’ ‘O uncle,’ said