Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/185

173 battle of Hittin and other encounters and God gave him the victory over them, so that he took all their kings prisoners and opened the cities of the coast by His leave.

One day, after this, there came a man to me and sought of me a slave-girl for El Melik en Nasir. Now I had a handsome girl; so I showed her to him and he bought her of me for a hundred dinars and gave me ninety thereof, leaving ten still due to me, for that there was no more found with the king that day, because he had expended all his treasures in waging war against the Franks. So they took counsel with him and he said, “Carry him to the tent where are the captives and give him his choice among the damsels of the Franks, so he may take one of them for the ten dinars that are due to him.” So they brought me to the prisoners’ lodging and showed me all who were therein, and I saw amongst them the Frank damsel with whom I had fallen in love at Acre and knew her right well.

Now she was the wife of one of the cavaliers of the Franks. So I said, “Give me this one,” and carrying her to my tent, said to her, “Dost thou know me?” She answered “No;” and I said, “I am the flax-merchant with whom thou hadst to do at Acre. Thou tookst money of me and saidst, ‘Thou shalt never again see me but for five hundred dinars.’ And now thou art become my property for ten dinars.” Quoth she, “This is a mystery. Thy faith is the true one, and I testify that there is no god but God and that Mohammed is the