Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/166

154 kings of the Franks bribed him with wealth galore to steal one of the chargers and promised him, if he could avail to steal the two, that they would give him a whole island and invest him with a splendid dress of honour. He had long gone about the city of France in disguise, but availed not to take the horses, whilst they were with the king; but, when he gave them to the vizier and the latter carried them to his own stable, the thief rejoiced with an exceeding joy and made sure of success, saying in himself, ‘By the virtue of the Messiah and the True Faith, I will certainly steal them!’

Now he had gone out that very night, intending for the stable, to steal them, but, as he went along, he came upon Noureddin lying asleep, with the halters in his hands. So he went up to the horses and loosing the halters from their heads, was about to mount one of them and drive the other before him, when up came the Princess Meryem, carrying the two pairs of saddle-bags. She took the black for Noureddin and handed him one pair of bags, which he laid on one of the horses: after which she gave him the other pair and he laid it on the other horse, without word said. Then they mounted and rode out of the gate in silence. ‘O my lord Noureddin,’ quoth she, ‘what aileth thee to be silent?’ Whereupon the black turned to her and said angrily, ‘What sayst thou, O damsel?’ When she heard his outlandish speech, she knew that he was not Noureddin: so she looked at him and saw that he was a black slave, snub-nosed and wide-mouthed, with nostrils like ewers; whereupon the light in her eyes became darkness and she said to him, ‘Who art thou, O sheikh of the sons of Ham and what is thy name among men?’ ‘O daughter of the base,’ replied