Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/253

221 will discover to us his secrets, for wine is a traitor and gifted of God is he who saith:

When he hath told us the truth, we shall know his case and may do with him as we will; for I fear for thee the issues of this his now fashion, for it may be he will covet the kingship and win over the troops by generosity and the lavishment of money and so depose thee and take the kingdom from thee.’ ‘True,’ answered the king, and they passed the night on this agreement.

On the morrow the king went forth and sat in the guest-chamber, when behold the grooms and serving-men came in to him in dismay. Quoth he, ‘What hath befallen you?’ And they answered, ‘O king of the age, the grooms curried the horses and foddered them and the mules that brought the baggage; but, when we arose in the morning, we found that [thy son-in-law’s] servants had stolen the horses and mules [and made off with them]. We searched the stables, but found neither horse nor mule; so we entered the servants’ lodging and saw none therein, nor know we how they fled.’ The king marvelled at this, knowing not that the mules and horses and servants were all Afrits, the subjects of the servant of the spell, and said to the grooms, ‘O accursed ones, how could a thousand beasts and five hundred slaves and servants, to boot, flee, without your knowledge?’ ‘We know not how it happened,’ answered they; and he said, ‘Go, and when your lord comes forth of the harem, tell him the case.’

So they went out from before the king and abode bewildered, till Marouf came out and seeing them troubled,