Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/283

271 he, ‘To-day I am no king, but slave to the king.’ And he opened the letter and read it to her, whereupon she fell to weeping and lamenting and tearing her clothes. Then said he to her, ‘Hast thou aught of counsel or resource in this grievous state?’ But she answered, ‘Women have no resource in time of war, nor have they strength or judgment. It is men alone who have strength and judgment and resource in the like of this affair.’

When the king heard this, there befell him the utmost grief and repentance and remorse for that wherein he had transgressed against his viziers and officers and the nobles of his people and the chiefs of his state, and he would that he had died ere there came to him the like of this shameful news. Then he said to his women, ‘Verily, there hath betided me from you that which befell the heathcock with the tortoises.’ ‘What was that?’ asked they, and he answered, ‘It is said that THE HEATHCOCK AND THE TORTOISES.

A number of tortoises dwelt once in a certain island, abounding in trees and fruits and streams, and it chanced, one day, that a heathcock, passing over the island, was overcome with heat and weariness and stayed his flight there. Presently, looking about for a cool place, he espied the resort of the tortoises and lighted down therein. Now they were then abroad in quest of food, and when they returned from their feeding-places to their dwelling, they found the heathcock there. His beauty pleased them and God made him fair in their eyes, so that they extolled their Creator and loved the heathcock with an exceeding love and rejoiced in him, saying one to another, “Assuredly this is of the goodliest of the birds.” And they began to caress him and entreat him with kindness. When he saw