W. S. B. Mathews - "A Popular History of the Art of Music"

Dan Smoot - "The Invisible Government"

John F. Davis - "California Romantic and Resourceful"

Thomas Henry Huxley - "This is Essay #4 from Science and Hebrew Tradition"

Editorial
This paper argues that discourses of love in Ghanaian market literature for youth offer a view into complex negotiations of agency and empowerment. Drawing on Deborah Durham's notion of youth as "social `shifters'" and Francis Nyamnjoh's conception of the "interconnectedness" of agency, I take Ghanaian market literature as one specific case of how African literature for youth foregrounds questions of continuity and change as African societies enter into increasingly complex global relations. In this literature for youth, received notions of love, often constructed out of impressions from American pop and hip hop music, carry new notions of agency that compete with existing "domesticated" forms. Authors like Ike Tandoh and Evelyn Tay employ discourses of love to offer youth alternative avenues for empowerment in a context of socio-economic disenfranchizement. In a creative process of "straddling", this writing both reveals and reproduces the contradictions that obtain in youth configurations of agency.

The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 6

R >> Richard F. Burton >> The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 6




"I am he who is known on the day of fight, * And the Jinn of
earth at my shade take fright:
And a sword have I when my right hand wields, * Death hastens
from left on mankind to alight;
I have eke a lance and who look thereon * See a crescent head of
the liveliest light.[FN#323]
And Gharib I'm highs of my tribe the brave * And if few my men I
feel naught affright."

Hardly had Gharib made an end of these verses when up came Mardas
who, seeing the slain and the vultures, was sore troubled and
with fluttering heart asked the cause. The youth, after due
greetings, related all that had befallen the tribe in his step-
sire's absence. So Mardas thanked him and said, "Thou hast well
requited our fosterage-pains in rearing thee, O Gharib!"; then he
alighted and entered his pavilion, and the men stood about him,
all the tribe praising Gharib and saying, "O our Emir, but for
Gharib, not one of the tribe had been saved!" And Mardas again
thanked him.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say,

When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Mardas,
hearing the tribesmen's praises of Gharib, again thanked him for
his derring-do. But the youth, when he had delivered Mahdiyah
from Al-Hamal whom he slew, was smitten by the shaft of her
glances and fell into the nets of her allurements, wherefore his
heart could not forget her and he became drowned in love and
longing and the sweets of sleep forsook him and he had no joy of
drink or meat. He would spur his horse up to the mountain tops,
where he would spend the day in composing verses and return at
nightfall; and indeed manifest upon him were the signs of
affection and distraction. He discovered his secret to one of his
companions and it became noised abroad in the camp, till it
reached the ears of Mardas, who thundered and lightened and rose
up and sat down and sparked and snorted and reviled the sun and
the moon, saying, "This is the reward of him who reareth the sons
of adultery! But except I kill Gharib, I shall be put to
shame.''[FN#324] Then he consulted one of the wise men of his
tribe and after telling his secret took counsel with him of
killing the youth. Quoth the elder, "O Emir, 'twas but yesterday
that he freed thy daughter from captivity. If there be no help
for it but thou must slay him, let it be by the hand of another
than thyself, so none of the folk may misdoubt of thee." Quoth
Mardas, "Advise me how I may do him die, for I look to none but
to thee for his death." "O Emir," answered the other, "wait till
he go forth to hunt and chase, when do thou take an hundred horse
and lie in wait for him in some cave till he pass; then fall upon
him unawares and cut him in pieces, so shalt thou be quit of his
reproach." Said Mardas, "This should serve me well;" and chose
out an hundred and fifty of his furious knights and
Amalekites[FN#325] whom he lessoned to his will. Then he watched
Gharib till one day, he went forth to hunt and rode far away
amongst the dells and hills; whereupon Mardas followed him with
his men, ill-omened wights, and lay in wait for him by the way
against he should return from the chase that they might sally
forth and slay him. But as they lay in ambush among the trees
behold, there fell upon them five hundred true Amalekites, who
slew sixty of them and made fourscore and ten prisoners and
trussed up Mardas with his arms behind his back. Now the reason
of this was that when Gharib put Al-Hamal and his men to the
sword, the rest fled and ceased not flying till they reached
their lord's brother and told him what had happened, whereat his
Doom-day rose and he gathered together his Amalekites and
choosing out five hundred cavaliers, each fifty ells
high,[FN#326] set out with them in quest of blood-revengement for
his brother. By the way he fell in with Mardas and his companions
and there happened between them what happened; after which he
bade his men alight and rest, saying, "O folk, the idols have
given us an easy brood-wreak; so guard ye Mardas and his
tribesmen, till I carry them away and do them die with the
foulest of deaths." When Mardas saw himself a prisoner, he
repented of what he had done and said, "This is the reward of
rebelling against the Lord!" Then the enemy passed the night
rejoicing in their victory, whilst Mardas and his men despaired
of life and made sure of doom. So far concerning them; but as
regards Sahim al-Layl, who had been wounded in the fight with Al-
Hamal, he went in to his sister Mahdiyah, and she rose to him and
kissed his hands, saying, "May thy two hands ne'er wither nor
shine enemies have occasion to be blither! But for thee and
Gharib, we had not escaped captivity among our foes. Know,
however, O my brother, that thy father hath ridden forth with an
hundred and fifty horse, purposing to slaughter Gharib; and thou
wottest it would be sore loss and foul wrong to slay him, for
that it was he who saved your shame and rescued your good." When
Sahim heard this, the light in his sight became Night, he donned
his battle-harness; and, mounting steed, rode for the place where
Gharib was a-hunting. He presently came up with him and found
that he had taken great plenty of game; so he accosted him and
saluted him and said, "O my brother, why didst thou go forth
without telling me?" Replied Gharib, "By Allah, naught hindered
me but that I saw thee wounded and thought to give thee rest."
Then said Sahim, "O my brother, beware of my sire!" and told him
how Mardas was abroad with an hundred and fifty men, seeking to
slay him. Quoth Gharib, "Allah shall cause his treason to cut his
own throat." Then the brothers set out campwards, but night
overtook them by the way and they rode on in the darkness, till
they drew near the Wady wherein the enemy lay and heard the
neighing of steeds in the gloom; whereupon said Sahim, "O my
brother, my father and his men are ambushed in yonder valley; let
us flee from it." But Gharib dismounted and throwing his bridle
to his brother, said to him, "Stay in this stead till I come back
to thee." Then he went on till he drew in sight of the folk, when
he saw that they were not of his tribe and heard them naming
Mardas and saying, "We will not slay him, save in his own land."
Wherefore he knew that nuncle Mardas was their prisoner, and
said, "By the life of Mahdiyah, I will not depart hence till I
have delivered her father, that she may not be troubled!" Then he
sought and ceased not seeking till he hit upon Mardas and found
him bound with cords; so he sat down by his side and said to him,
"Heaven deliver thee, O uncle, from these bonds and this shame!"
When Mardas saw Gharib his reason fled, and he said to him, "O my
son, I am under thy protection: so deliver me in right of my
fosterage of thee!" Quoth Gharib, "If I deliver thee, wilt thou
give me Mahdiyah?" Quoth the Emir, "O my son, by whatso I hold
sacred, she is thine to all time!" So he loosed him, saying,
"Make for the horses, for thy son Sahim is there:" and Mardas
crept along like a snake till he came to his son, who rejoiced in
him and congratulated him on his escape. Meanwhile, Gharib
unbound one after another of the prisoners, till he had freed the
whole ninety and they were all far from the foe. Then he sent
them their weapons and war horses, saying to them, "Mount ye and
scatter yourselves round about the enemy and cry out, Ho, sons of
Kahtan! And when they awake, do ye remove from them and encircle
them in a thin ring.''[FN#327] So he waited till the last and
third watch of the Night, when he cried out, "Ho, sons of
Kahtan!" and his men answered in like guise, crying, "Ho, sons of
Kahtan," as with one voice; and the mountains echoed their
slogan, so that it seemed to the raiders as though the whole
tribe of Banu Kahtan were assailing them; wherefore they all
snatched up their arms and fell upon one another,--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say,

When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
raiders[FN#328] awoke from sleep and heard Gharib and his men
crying out, "Ho, sons of Kahtan!"; they imagined that the whole
tribe was assailing them; wherefore they snatched up their arms
and fell one upon other with mighty slaughter. Gharib and his men
held aloof, and they fought one another till daybreak, when
Gharib and Mardas and their ninety warriors came down upon them
and killed some of them and put the rest to flight. Then the Banu
Kahtan took the horses of the fugitives and the weapons of the
slain and returned to their tribal camp, whilst Mardas could
hardly credit his deliverance from the foe. When they reached the
encampment, the stay-at-home folk all came forth to meet them and
rejoiced in their safe return. Then they alighted and betook them
to their tents; and all the youths of the tribe flocked to
Gharib's stead and great and small saluted him and did him
honour. But when Mardas saw this and the youths encircling his
stepson he waxed more jealous of Gharib than before and said to
his kinsfolk, "Verily, hatred of Gharib groweth on my heart, and
what irketh me most is that I see these flocking about him! And
to-morrow he will demand Mahdiyah of me." Quoth his confidant, "O
Emir, ask of him somewhat he cannot avail to do." This pleased
Mardas who passed a pleasant night and on the morrow, as he sat
on his stuffed carpet, with the Arabs about him, Gharib entered,
followed by his men and surrounded by the youth of the tribe, and
kissed the ground before Mardas who, making a show of joy, rose
to do him honour and seated him beside himself. Then said Gharib,
"O uncle, thou madest me a promise; do thou fulfil it." Replied
the Emir, "O my son, she is shine to all time; but thou lackest
wealth." Quoth Gharib, "O uncle, ask of me what thou wilt, and I
will fall upon the Emirs of the Arabs in their houses and on the
Kings in their towns and bring thee fee[FN#329] enough to fence
the land from East to West." "O my son," quoth Mardas," I have
sworn by all the Idols that I would not give Mabdiyah save to him
who should take my blood-wite of mine enemy and do away my
reproach." "O uncle," said Gharib, "tell me with which of the
Kings thou hast a feud, that I may go to him and break his throne
upon his pate." "O my son," replied Mardas, "I once had a son, a
champion of champions, and he went forth one day to chase and
hunt with an hundred horse. They fared on from valley to valley,
till they had wandered far away amongst the mountains and came to
the Wady of Blossoms and the Castle of Ham bin Shays bin Shaddad
bin Khalad. Now in this place, O my son, dwelleth a black giant,
seventy cubits high, who fights with trees from their roots
uptorn; and when my son reached his Wady, the tyrant sallied out
upon him and his men and slew them all, save three braves, who
escaped and brought me the news. So I assembled my champions and
fared forth to fight the giant, but could not prevail against
him; wherefore I was baulked of my revenge and swore that I would
not give my daughter in marriage save to him who should avenge me
of my son." Said Gharib, "O uncle, I will go to this Amalekite
and take the wreak of thy son on him with the help of Almighty
Allah." And Mardas answered, saying, "O Gharib, if thou get the
victory over him, thou wilt gain of him such booty of wealth and
treasures as fires may not devour." Cried Gharib, "Swear to me
before witnesses thou wilt give me her to wife, so that with
heart at ease I may go forth to find my fortune." Accordingly,
Mardas swore this to him and took the elders of the tribe to
witness; whereupon Gharib fared forth, rejoicing in the
attainment of his hopes, and went in to his mother, to whom he
related what had passed. "O my son," said she, "know that Mardas
hateth thee and doth but send thee to this mountain, to bereave
me of thee; then take me with thee and let us depart the tents of
this tyrant." But he answered, "O my mother, I will not depart
hence till I win my wish and foil my foe." Thereupon he slept
till morning arose with its sheen and shone, and hardly had he
mounted his charger when his friends, the young men, came up to
him; two hundred stalwart knights armed cap-a-pie and cried out
to him, saying, "Take us with thee; we will help thee and company
thee by the way." And he rejoiced in them and cried, "Allah
requite you for us with good!" adding, "Come, my friends, let us
go." So they set out and fared on the first day and the second
day till evening, when they halted at the foot of a towering
mount and baited their horses. As for Gharib, he left the rest
and walked on into that mountain, till he came to a cave whence
issued a light. He entered and found, at the higher facing end of
the cave a Shaykh, three hundred and forty years old, whose
eyebrows overhung his eyes and whose moustachios hid his mouth.
Gharib at this sight was filled with awe and veneration, and the
hermit said to him, "Methinks thou art of the idolaters, O my
son, stone-worshipping[FN#330] in the stead of the All-powerful
King, the Creator of Night and Day and of the sphere rolling on
her way." When Gharib heard his words, his side muscles quivered
and he said, "O Shaykh, where is this Lord of whom thou speakest,
that I may worship him and take my fill of his sight?" Replied
the Shaykh, "O my son, this is the Supreme Lord, upon whom none
may look in this world. He seeth and is not seen. He is the Most
High of aspect and is present everywhere in His works. He it is
who maketh all the made and ordereth time to vade and fade; He is
the Creator of men and Jinn and sendeth the Prophets to guide His
creatures into the way of right. Whoso obeyeth Him, He bringeth
into Heaven, and whoso gainsayeth Him, He casteth into Hell."
Asked Gharib, "And how, O uncle, saith whoso worshippeth this
puissant Lord who over all hath power?" "O my son," answered the
Shaykh, "I am of the tribe of Ad, which were transgressors in the
land and believed not in Allah. So He sent unto them a Prophet
named Hud, but they called him liar and he destroyed them by
means of a deadly wind; but I believed together with some of my
tribe, and we were saved from destruction.[FN#331] Moreover, I
was present with the tribe of Thamud and saw what befel them with
their Prophet Salih. After Salih, the Al-mighty sent a prophet,
called Abraham the Friend,[FN#332] to Nimrod son of Canaan, and
there befel what befel between them. Then my companions died in
the Saving Faith and I continued in this cave to serve Allah the
Most High, who provideth my daily bread without my taking
thought." Quoth Gharib, "O uncle, what shall I say, that I may
become of the troop of this mighty Lord?" "Say," replied the old
man, 'There is no god but the God and Abraham is the Friend of
God.' " So Gharib embraced the Faith of Submission[FN#333] with
heart and tongue and the Shaykh said to him, "May the sweetness
of belief and devotion be stablished in thy heart!" Then he
taught him somewhat of the biblical ordinances and scriptures of
Al-Islam and said to him, "What is thy name?"; and he replied,
"My name is Gharib." Asked the old man, "Whither art thou bound,
O Gharib?" So he told him all his history, till he came to the
mention of the Ghul of the Mountain whom he sought,--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say,

When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib
became a Moslem and told the Shaykh his past, from first to last,
till he came to the mention of the Mountain-Ghul whom he sought,
the old man asked him, "O Gharib, art thou mad that thou goest
forth against the Ghul of the Mountain single handed?"; and he
answered, "O my lord, I have with me two hundred horse." "O
Gharib," rejoined the hermit, "hadst thou ten thousand riders yet
shouldest thou not prevail against him, for his name is The-Ghul-
who-eateth-men-we-pray-Allah-for-safety, and he is of the
children of Ham. His father's name was Hindi who peopled Hind and
named it, and he left this son after him, whom he called Sa'adan
the Ghul. Now the same was, O my son, even in his sire's
lifetime, a cruel tyrant and a rebellious devil and had no other
food than flesh of the sons of Adam. His father when about to die
forbade him from this, but he would not be forbidden and he
redoubled in his forwardness, till Hindi banished him and drove
him forth the Land of Hind, after battles and sore travail. Then
he came to this country and fortifying himself herein,
established his home in this place, whence he is wont to sally
forth and cut the road of all that come and go, presently
returning to the valley he haunteth. Moreover, he hath begotten
five sons, warlike warlocks, each one of whom will do battle with
a thousand braves, and he hath flocked the valley with his booty
of treasure and goods besides horses and camels and cattle and
sheep. Wherefore I fear for thee from him; so do thou implore
Almighty Allah to further thee against him by the Tahlil, the
formula of Unity, and when thou drivest at the Infidels, cry,
'God is most Great!' for, saying, 'There is no god but the God'
confoundeth those who misbelieve." Then the Shaykh gave him a
steel mace, an hundred pounds in weight, with ten rings which
clashed like thunder whenas the wielder brandished it, and a
sword forged of a thunderbolt,[FN#334] three ells long and three
spans broad, wherewith if one smote a rock, the stroke would
cleave it in sunder. Moreover he gave him a hauberk and target
and a book and said to him, "Return to thy tribe and expound unto
them Al-Islam." So Gharib left him, rejoicing in his new Faith,
and fared till he found his companions, who met him with salams,
saying, "What made thee tarry thus?" Whereupon he related to them
that which had befallen him and expounded to them Al-Islam, and
they all islamised. Early next morning, Gharib mounted and rode
to the hermit to farewell him, after which he set out to return
to his camp when behold, on his way, there met him a horseman
cap-a-pie armed so that only his eyes appeared, who made at him,
saying, "Doff what is on thee, O scum[FN#335] of the Arabs; or I
will do thee die!" Therewith Gharib crave at him and there befel
between them a battle such as would make a new-born child turn
grey and melt the flinty rock with its sore affray; but presently
the Badawi did off his face-veil, and lo! it was Gharib's half-
brother Sahim al-Layl. Now the cause of his coming thither was
that when Gharib set out in quest of the Mountain-Ghul, Sahim was
absent and on his return, not seeing his brother, he went in to
his mother, whom he found weeping. He asked the reason of her
tears and she told him what had happened of his brother's
journey, whereupon, without allowing himself aught of rest, he
donned his war-gear and mounting rode after Gharib, till he
overtook him and there befel between them what befel. When,
therefore. Sahim discovered his face, Gharib knew him and saluted
him, saying, "What moved thee to do this?" Quoth Sahim, "I had a
mind to measure myself with thee in the field and make trial of
my lustihood in cut and thrust." Then they rode together and on
the way Gharib expounded Al-Islam to Sahim, who embraced the
Faith; nor did they cease riding till they were hard upon the
valley. Meanwhile, the Mountain-Ghul espied the dust of their
horses' feet and said to his sons, "O my sons, mount and fetch me
yonder loot." So the five took horse and made for the party. When
Gharib saw the five Amalekites approaching, he plied shovel-iron
upon his steed's flank and cried out, saying, "Who are ye, and
what is your race and what do ye require?" Whereupon Falhun bin
Sa'adan, the eldest of the five, came out and said, "Dismount ye
and bind one another[FN#336] and we will drive you to our father,
that he may roast various of you and boil various, for it is long
since he has tasted the flesh of Adam-son." When Gharib heard
these words he drove at Falhun, shaking his mace, so that the
rings rang like the roaring thunder and the giant was confounded.
Then he smote him a light blow with the mace between the
shoulders, and he fell to the ground like a tall-trunked palm-
tree; whereupon Sahim and some of his men fell upon him and
pinioned him; then, putting a rope about his neck, they haled him
along like a cow. Now when his brothers saw him a prisoner they
charged home upon Gharib, who took three[FN#337] of them captive
and the fifth fled back to his sire, who said to him, "What is
behind thee and where are the brothers of thee?" Quoth he
"Verily, a beardless youth, forty cubits high, hath taken them
prisoner." Quoth Sa'adan, "May the sun pour no blessing on you!"
and, going down from his hold, tore up a huge tree, with which he
went in quest of Gharib and his folk; and he was on foot, for
that no horse might carry him, because of the bigness of his
body. His son followed him and the twain went on till they came
up with Gharib and his company, when the Ghul fell upon them,
without word said, and slew five men with his club. Then he made
at Sahim and struck at him with his tree, but Sahim avoided the
blow and it fell harmless; whereat Sa'adan was wroth and throwing
down the weapon, sprang upon Sahim and caught him in his pounces
as the sparrow hawk catcheth up the sparrow. Now when Gharib saw
his brother in the Ghul's clutches, he cried out, saying, "Allaho
Akbar God is most Great! Oh the favour of Abraham the Friend, the
Muhammad,[FN#338] the Blessed One (whom Allah keep and assain!)"-
-And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say,

When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Gharib saw his brother in the clutches of the Ghul, he cried out,
saying "Oh the favour of Ibrahim, the Friend, the Blessed One
(whom Allah keep and assain!) "; and crave his charger at
Sa'adan, shaking his mace, till the rings loud rang. Then he
cried out again, "God is most Great!" and smote the Ghul on the
flat of the ribs with his mace, whereupon he fell to the ground,
insensible, and loosed his grip on Sahim; nor did he come to
himself ere he was pinioned and shackled. When his son saw this,
he turned and fled; but Gharib drove steed after him and smiting
him with his mace between the shoulders, threw him from his
horse. So they bound him with his father and brethren and
haltering them with ropes, haled them all six along like baggage-
camels, till they reached the Ghul's castle, which they found
full of goods and treasures and things of price; and there they
also came upon twelve hundred Ajamis, men of Persia, bound and
shackled. Gharib sat down on Sa'adan's chair, which had aforetime
belonged to Sasa[FN#339] bin Shays bin Shaddad bin Ad causing
Sahim to stand on his right and his companions on his either
hand, and sending for the Ghul of the Mountain, said to him, "How
findest thou thyself, O accursed?" Replied Sa'adan, "O my lord,
in the sorriest of plights for abasement and mortification; my
sons and I, we are bound with ropes like camels." Quoth Gharib,
"It is my will that you enter my faith, the faith Al-Islam highs,
and acknowledge the Unity of the All knowing King whose All-might
created Light and Night and every thing, there is no God 'but He,
the Requiting King! and confess the mission and prophethood of
Abraham the Friend (on whom be peace!)." So the Ghul and his sons
made the required profession after the goodliest fashion, and
Gharib bade loose their bonds; whereupon Sa'adan wept and would
have kissed his feet, he and his sons: but Gharib forbade them
and they stood with the rest who stood before him. Then said
Gharib, "Harkye, Sa'adan!"; and he replied, "At thy service, O my
lord!" Quoth Gharib, "What are these captives?" "O my lord,"
quoth the Ghul, "these are my game from the land of the Persians
and are not the only ones." Asked Gharib, "And who is with
them?"; and Sa'adan answered, "O my lord, there is with them the
Princess Fakhr Taj, daughter of King Sabur of Persia,[FN#340] and
an hundred damsels like moons." When Gharib heard this, he
marvelled and said, "O Emir, how came ye by these?" Replied
Sa'adan, "I went forth one night with my sons and five of my
slaves in quest of booty, but finding no spoil in our way, we
dispersed over wilds and words and fared on, hoping we might
happen on somewhat of prey and not return emptyhanded, till we
found ourselves in the land of the Persians. Presently, we espied
a dust cloud and sent on to reconnoitre one of our slaves, who
was absent a while and presently returned and said, 'O my lord,
this is the Princess Fakhr Taj, daughter of Sabur, King of the
Persians, Turcomans and Medes; and she is on a journey, attended
by two thousand horse.' Quoth I, 'Thou hast gladdened us with
good news! We could have no finer loot than this.' Then I and my
sons fell upon the Persians and slew of them three hundred men
and took the Princess and twelve hundred cavaliers prisoners,
together with all that was with her of treasure and riches and
brought them to this our castle." Quoth Gharib, "Hast thou
offered any violence to the Princess Fakhr Taj?" Quoth Sa'adan,
"Not I, as thy head liveth and by the virtue of the Faith I have
but now embraced!" Gharib replied "It was well done of thee, O
Sa'adan, for her father is King of the world and doubtless he
will despatch troops in quest of her and lay waste the dwellings
of those who took her. And whoso looketh not to issue and end
hath not Fate to friend. But where is the damsel?" Said Sa'adan,
"I have set apart a pavilion for her and her damsels;" and said
Gharib, "Show me her lodging," whereto Sa'adan rejoined,
"Hearkening and obedience!" So he carried him to the pavilion,
and there he found the Princess mournful and cast down, weeping
for her former condition of dignity and delight. When Gharib saw
her, he thought the moon was near him and magnified Allah, the
All-hearing, the All-seeing. The Princess also looked at him and
saw him a princely cavalier, with velour shining from between his
eyes and testifying for him and not against him; so she rose and
kissed his hands, then fell at his feet, saying, "O hero of the
age, I am under thy protection; guard me from this Ghul, for I
fear lest he do away my maidenhead and after devour me. So take
me to serve shine handmaidens." Quoth Gharib, "Thou art safe and
thou shalt be restored to thy father and the seat of thy
worship." Whereupon she prayed that he might live long and have
advancement in rank and honour. Then he bade unbind the Persians
and, turning to the Princess, said to her, "What brought thee
forth of thy palace to the wilds and wastes, so that the highway-
robbers made prize of thee?" She replied, "O my lord, my father
and all the people of his realm, Turks and Daylamites, are
Magians, worshipping fire, and not the All-powerful King. Now in
our country is a monastery called the Monastery of the Fire,
whither every year the daughters of the Magians and worshippers
of the Fire resort at the time of their festival and abide there
a month, after which they return to their houses. So I and my
damsels set out, as of wont, attended by two thousand horse, whom
my father sent with me to guard me; but by the way this Ghul came
out against us and slew some of us and, taking the rest captive,
imprisoned us in this hold. This, then, is what befel me, O
valiant champion, whom Allah guard against the shifts of Time!"
And Gharib said, "Fear not; for I will bring thee to thy palace
and the seat of thy honours." Wherefore she blessed him and
kissed his hands and feet. Then he went out from her, after
having commanded to treat her with respect, and slept till
morning, when he made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed a two-bow
prayer, after the rite of our father Abraham the Friend (on whom
be peace!), whilst the Ghul and his sons and Gharib's company all
did the like after him. Then he turned to the Ghul and said to
him, "O Sa'adan, wilt thou not show me the Wady of
Blossoms?''[FN#341] "I will, O my lord," answered he. So Gharib
and his company and Princess Fakhr Taj and her maidens all rose
and went forth, whilst Sa'adan commanded his slaves and slave-
girls to slaughter and cook and make ready the morning-meal and
bring it to them among the trees. For the Giant had an hundred
and fifty handmaids and a thousand chattels to pasture his camels
and oxen and sheep. When they came to the valley, they found it
beautiful exceedingly and passing all degree; and birds on tree
sang joyously and the mocking-nightingale trilled out her melody,
and the cushat filled with her moan the mansions made by the
Deity,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say,

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