Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/49

31 never saw I its like in make or beauty.’ So he cast his net over Bedr and taking him, carried him to the town, to sell him. On his way, one of the townsfolk accosted him and asked the price of the bird. Quoth the fowler, ‘What wilt thou do with him?’ ‘I will kill him and eat him,’ answered the other; whereupon said the fowler, ‘Who could have the heart to kill this bird and eat him? I mean to present him to the king, who will give me more than thou and will not kill him, but will divert himself by gazing on his beauty and grace, for in all my life, since I have been a fowler, I never saw his like among land or water fowl. The utmost thou wouldst give me for him would be a dirhem, and by the Great God, I will not sell him!’

Then he carried the bird up to the king’s palace, and when the latter saw it, its beauty pleased him and the red colour of its feet and beak. So he sent an eunuch to buy it, who accosted the fowler and said to him, ‘Wilt thou sell this bird?’ ‘No,’ answered he; ‘it is a gift from me to the king.’ So the eunuch carried the bird to the king and told him what the man had said; and he took it and gave the fowler ten dinars, whereupon he kissed the earth and went away. Then the eunuch carried the bird to the king’s palace and placing him in a handsome cage, set meat and drink by him and hung him up.

When the king came down [from the throne], he said to the eunuch, ‘Where is the bird? Bring it to me, that I may look upon it, for, by Allah, it is handsome!’ So the eunuch brought the cage and set it before the king, who looked and seeing the food untouched, said, ‘By Allah, I know not what it will eat, that I may feed it!’ Then he called for food and they laid the tables and the king ate. When the bird saw the meat and fruits and sweetmeats and what not, he ate of all that was before