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They knew him and wondered and opened the basket, in which they
found the slain woman. So they seized him and laid him in irons
till the morning, when they carried him and the basket to the
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King and acquainted the latter with the case. The King was sore
enraged and said to Behadir, Out on thee! This is not the first
time thou hast slain folk and cast them into the sea and taken
their goods. How many murders hast thou done ere this? Behadir
hung his head, and the King cried out at him, saying, Woe to
thee! Who killed this young lady? O my lord, answered
Behadir, I killed her, and there is no power and no virtue but
in God the Most High, the Supreme! At this the King s anger
redoubled and he commanded to hang him. So the hangman and
the chief of the police went down with him, by the King s
commandment, and paraded him through the streets and markets of
the town, whilst a crier forewent them, bidding all the folk to
the execution of Behadir, the King s Master of the Horse.
Meanwhile, Amjed awaited his host s return till the day broke and
the sun rose, and when he saw that he came not, he exclaimed,
There is no power and no virtue but in God the Most High, the
Supreme! I wonder what is come of him? As he sat musing, he
heard the crier proclaiming aloud Behadir s sentence and bidding
the people to his hanging at midday; whereat he wept and
exclaimed, Verily, we are God s and to Him we return! He means
to sacrifice himself unjustly for my sake, when it was I killed
her. By Allah, this shall never be! Then he went out and
shutting the door after him, hurried through the streets, till he
overtook Behadir, when he accosted the chief of the police and
said to him, O my lord, put not Behadir to death, for he is
innocent. By Allah, none killed her but I. When the Master of
the Police heard this, he took them both and carrying them before
the King, told him what Amjed had said; whereupon he looked at
the prince and said to him, Didst thou kill the young lady?
Yes, answered he, and the King said, Tell me why thou killedst
her, and speak the truth. O King, replied Amjed, indeed, it
is a rare event and a strange matter that hath befallen me: were
it graven with needles on the corners of the eye, it would serve
as a lesson to whoso can profit by admonition. Then he told him
his whole story and all that had befallen him and his brother,
first and last; whereat the King wondered greatly and said to
him, O youth, I know thee now to be excusable. Wilt thou be my
Vizier? I hear and obey, answered Amjed; whereupon the King
bestowed magnificent dresses of honour on him and Behadir and
gave him a handsome house, with servants and officers and all
things needful, appointing him stipends and allowances and
bidding him make search for his brother Asaad. So Amjed sat down
in the seat of office and governed and did justice and invested
and deposed and gave and took. Moreover, he sent out a crier to
cry his brother throughout the city, and he made proclamation in
the streets and markets many days, but heard no news of Asaad nor
happened on any trace of him.
Meanwhile, the Magians ceased not to torture Asaad, night and
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day, for a whole year s space, till the day of their festival
drew near, when the old man (whose name was Behram) made ready
for the voyage and fitted out a ship for himself. When all was
ready, he laid Asaad in a chest and locking it, transported it to
the ship. As fate would have it, Amjed was at that very time
standing looking upon the sea; and when he saw the men carrying
the chest and other gear on board the ship, his heart throbbed
and he called to his servants to bring him his horse. Then,
mounting with a company of his officers, he rode down to the port
and halted before the Magian s ship, which he commanded his men
to search. So they boarded the vessel and searched it in every
part, but found nothing and returned and told Amjed, who mounted
again and rode back to his palace, with a troubled mind. As he
entered, he cast his eyes on the wall and saw written thereon the
following verses, which when he read, he called to mind his
brother and wept:
Belovéd ones, for all you re absent from my sight, Yet in my
heart and thought you have your sojourn still.
You leave me here to pine and languish for desire; You rob mine
eyes of sleep and sleep yourselves your fill.
Meanwhile, Behram embarked and shouted to his crew to make sail
in all haste. So they loosed the sails and departing, fared on
without ceasing many days and nights; and every other day, Behram
took out Asaad and gave him a little bread and water, till they
drew near the Mountain of Fire, when there came out on them a
contrary wind and the sea rose against them, so that they were
driven out of their course into strange waters and came in sight
of a city builded upon the shore, with a citadel whose windows
overlooked the sea. Now the ruler of this city was a queen
called Merjaneh, and the captain said to Behram, O my lord, we
have strayed from our course and come to the island of Queen
Merjaneh, who is a devout Muslim; and if she know that we are
Magians, she will take our ship and slay us to the last man. Yet
needs must we put in here to rest [and refit]. Quoth Behram,
Let us clothe this Muslim we have with us in a slave s habit and
carry him ashore with us, so that, when the queen sees him, she
will think and say, This is a slave. As for me, I will tell
her that I am a dealer in white slaves and that I had with me
many, but have sold all but this one, whom I have retained to
keep my accounts, for he can read and write. And the captain
said, This device should serve well. Presently they reached
the city and slackening sail, cast anchor; when, behold, Queen
Merjaneh came down to them, attended by her guards, and halting
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