Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/209

187 When the youngest princess saw him thus distracted for passion and love-longing and the fever of desire, she went in to her sisters, tearful-eyed and mournful-hearted, and throwing herself upon them, kissed their feet, weeping, and besought them to devise some means of bringing Hassan to the Wac Islands and effecting his reunion with his wife and children. She ceased not to conjure them to further her brother in the accomplishment of his desire and to weep before them, till she made them weep and they said to her, ‘Be of good cheer: we will do our endeavour to bring about his reunion with his family, if it be the will of God the Most High.’ And he abode with them a whole year, during which his eyes ceased never from tears.

Now the princesses had an uncle, their father’s brother-german, whose name was Abdulcuddous, and he loved the eldest with an exceeding love and was wont to visit her once a year and do her desires. They had told him of Hassan’s adventure with the Magian and how he had availed to slay him; whereat he rejoiced and gave the eldest princess perfumes, saying, ‘O daughter of my brother, if thou be in concern for aught or stand in any need or if aught irk thee, cast of these perfumes upon fire, naming me, and I will be with thee presently and will do thy desire.’ This was said on the first day of the year that was now at an end; and the eldest princess said to her youngest sister, ‘Lo, the year is wholly past and my uncle is not come. Rise, bring me somewhat of fire and the box of perfumes.’ So the damsel arose, rejoicing, and fetching what she sought, laid it before her sister, who opened the box and taking thence a little of the perfume, cast it into the fire, naming her uncle; nor was it burnt out ere a cloud of dust appeared at the farther end of the valley and presently lifting, discovered an old man riding on an elephant, which trumpeted as it came.