<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE</h2>
<p class="p2">In the land of the Persians there lived in
ancient times a King who had three daughters
and an only son of such beauty that they drew the
eyes of all beholders like moonrise in a clear
heaven. Now it was the custom in that country
for a great festival to be held at the new year,
during which people of all grades, from the
highest to the lowest, presented themselves before
the King with offerings and salutations. So it
happened that on one of these days there came to
the King as he sat in state three sages, masters
of their craft, bringing gifts for approval.
The first had with him a peacock of gold which
was so constructed that at the passing of each
hour it beat its wings and uttered a cry. And the
King, having proved it, found the gift acceptable
and caused the inventor thereof to be suitably
rewarded. The second had made a trumpet so that
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</SPAN></span>if placed over the gates of a city it blew a blast
against any that sought to enter; and thus was the
city held safe from surprise by an enemy. And
when the King had found that it possessed that
property, he accepted it, bestowing on its maker
a rich reward.</p>
<p>But the gift of the third sage, who was an
Indian, appeared more prodigious than all, for
he had brought with him a horse of ivory and
ebony, for which he claimed that, at the will of
its owner, or of any one instructed in the secret,
it would rise above the earth and fly, arriving at
distant places in a marvellously short space of
time. The King, full of wonder at such a statement,
and eager to test it, was in some doubt as
to how he might do so, for the Indian was unwilling
to part with the secret until secure of the
reward which in his own mind he had fixed on.
Now it happened that at a distance of some three
leagues from the city there stood a mountain the
top of which was clearly discernible to all eyes;
so, in order that the Indian's word might be
proved, the King, pointing to it, said, "Go
yonder, and bring back to me while I wait the
branch of a palm-tree which grows at the foot
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</SPAN></span>of that mountain; then I shall know that what
you tell me is true."</p>
<p>Instantly the Indian set foot in the stirrup
and vaulted upon his charger, and scarcely had
he turned a small peg which was set in the
pommel of the saddle, when the horse rose lightly
into the air and bore him away at wondrous
speed amid the shouts of the beholders; and
while all were still gazing, amazed at so sudden
a vanishing, he reappeared high overhead, bearing
the palm branch, and descending into their
midst alighted upon the very spot from which
he had started, where, prostrating himself, he laid
the branch at the King's feet.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl26"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl26.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl26.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">At so arrogant a claim all the courtiers
burst into loud laughter.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>The King was so delighted when the wonderful
properties of the horse had been thus revealed
to him, that, eager to possess it, he bade the
Indian name his own reward, declaring that no
price could be too great. Then said the sage,
"Since your Majesty so truly appreciates the value
of my invention, I do not fear that the reward
I ask for will seem too high. Give me in
marriage the hand of the fairest of your three
daughters, and the horse shall be yours."</p>
<p>At so arrogant a claim all the courtiers burst
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</SPAN></span>into loud laughter; the King alone, consumed
with the desire of possessing the wonderful
treasure, hesitated as to what answer he should
give. Then the King's son, Prince Firouz
Schah, seeing his father lend ear to so shameful
a proposal, became moved with indignation.
Determined to defend his sister's honour and
his own, he addressed the King. "Pardon me,
Sire," said he, "if I take the liberty of speaking.
But how shall it be possible for one of the
greatest and most powerful monarchs to ally
himself to a mere nobody? I entreat you to
consider what is due not to yourself alone but
to the high blood of your ancestors and of your
children."</p>
<p>"My son," replied the King of Persia, "what
you say is very true, so far as it goes; but
you do not sufficiently consider the value of
so incomparable a marvel as this horse has
proved itself to be, or how great would be my
chagrin if any other monarch came to possess
it. And though I have not yet agreed to the
Indian's proposal, I cannot incontinently reject
it. But first I must be satisfied that the horse
will obey other hands besides those of its inventor,
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</SPAN></span>else, though I become its possessor, I
may find it useless."</p>
<p>The Indian, who had stood aside during this discussion,
was now full of hope, for he perceived that
the King had not altogether rejected his terms,
and nothing seemed likelier than that the more
he became familiar with the properties of the
magic horse the more would he wish to possess
it. When, therefore, the King proposed that
the horse should be put to a more independent
trial under another rider, the Indian readily
agreed; the more so when the prince himself,
relinquishing his apparent opposition, came forward
and volunteered for the essay.</p>
<p>The King having consented, the prince
mounted, and eager in his design to give his
father opportunity for cooler reflection, he did not
wait to hear all the Indian's instructions, but
turning the peg, as he had seen the other do when
first mounting, caused the horse to rise suddenly
in the air, and was carried away out of sight
in an easterly direction more swiftly than an
arrow shot from a bow.</p>
<p>No sooner had the horse and its rider disappeared
than the King became greatly concerned for
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</SPAN></span>his son's safety; and though the sage could justly
excuse himself on the ground that the young
prince's impatience had caused him to cut short
the instructions which would have insured his safe
return, the King choose to vent upon the Indian
the full weight of his displeasure; and cursing
the day wherein he had first set eyes on the
magic horse, he caused its maker to be thrown
into prison, declaring that if the prince did not
return within a stated time the life of the other
should be forfeit.</p>
<p>The Indian had now good cause to repent of
the ambition which had brought him to this
extremity, for the prince, of whose opposition to
his project he had been thoroughly informed, had
only to prolong his absence to involve him in
irretrievable ruin. But on the failure of arrogant
pretensions the sympathy of the judicious is
wasted; let us return therefore to Prince Firouz
Schah, whom we left flying through the air with
incredible swiftness on the back of the magic
steed.</p>
<p>For a time, confident of his skill as a
rider and undismayed either by the speed or
altitude of his flight, the prince had no wish to
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</SPAN></span>return to the palace; but presently the thought of
his father's anxiety occurred to him, and being of a
tender and considerate disposition he immediately
endeavoured to divert his steed from its forward
course. This he sought to do by turning in the
contrary direction the peg which he had handled
when mounting, but to his astonishment the
horse responded by rising still higher in the air
and flying forward with redoubled swiftness.
Had courage then deserted him, his situation
might have become perilous; but preserving his
accustomed coolness he began carefully to search
for the means by which the speed of the machine
might be abated, and before long he perceived
under the horse's mane a smaller peg, which he
had no sooner touched than he felt himself descending
rapidly toward the earth, with a speed
that lessened the nearer he came to ground.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl27"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl27.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl27.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">As he descended, the daylight in which
hitherto he had been travelling faded from view.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>As he descended, the daylight in which
hitherto he had been travelling faded from view,
and he passed within a few minutes from sunset
into an obscurity so dense that he could no
longer distinguish the nature of his environment,
till, as the horse alighted, he perceived beneath
him a smooth expanse ending abruptly on all
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</SPAN></span>sides at an apparent elevation among the objects
surrounding it.</p>
<p>Dismounting he found himself on the roof of
a large palace, with marble balustrades dividing
it in terraces, and at one side a staircase which
led down to the interior. With a spirit ever
ready for adventure Prince Firouz Schah immediately
descended, groping his way through the
darkness till he came to a landing on the further
side of which an open door led into a room where
a dim light was burning.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl28"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl28.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl28.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">He saw black eunuchs lying asleep.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>The prince paused at the doorway to listen,
but all he could hear was the sound of men
breathing heavily in their sleep. He pushed the
door and entered; and there across an inner
threshold he saw black eunuchs lying asleep, each
with a drawn sword in his hand. Immediately
he guessed that something far more fair must
lie beyond; so, undeterred by the danger, he
advanced, and stepping lightly across their
swords passed through silken hangings into the
inner chamber. Here he perceived, amid surroundings
of regal magnificence, a number of
couches, one of which stood higher than the rest.
Upon each of these a fair damsel lay asleep;
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</SPAN></span>but upon that which was raised above its fellows
lay a form of such perfect and enchanting beauty
that the prince had no will or power to turn
away after once beholding it. Approaching the
sleeper softly, he kneeled down and plucked her
gently by the sleeve; and immediately the
princess—for such if rank and beauty accorded
she needs must be—opened to him the depths
of her lustrous eyes and gazed in quiet amazement
at the princely youth whose handsome
looks and reverent demeanour banished at once
all thought of alarm.</p>
<p>Now it so happened that a son of the King of
India was at that time seeking the hand of the
princess in marriage; but her father, the King
of Bengal, had rejected him owing to his
ferocious and disagreeable aspect. When therefore
the princess saw one of royal appearance
kneeling before her she supposed he could be
no other than the suitor whom she knew only
by report, and shedding upon him the light of
her regard, "By Allah," she said, smiling, "my
father lied in saying that good looks were lacking
to thee!"</p>
<p>Prince Firouz Schah, perceiving from these
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</SPAN></span>words and the glance which accompanied them,
that her disposition towards him was favourable,
no longer feared to acquaint her with the plight
in which he found himself; while the princess,
for her part, listened to the story of his adventures
with lively interest, and learned, not
without secret satisfaction, that her visitor possessed
a rank and dignity equal to her own.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl29"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl29.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl29.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">She gave orders for a rich banquet to be
prepared.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>Meanwhile the maidens who were in attendance
on the princess had awakened in dismay to the
unaccountable apparition of a fair youth kneeling
at the feet of their mistress, and, dreading
discovery by the attendants, were all at a loss
what to do. The princess however, seeing that
they were awake, called them to her with perfect
composure and bade them go instantly and
prepare an inner chamber where the prince
might sleep and recover from the fatigues of his
journey; at the same time she gave orders for
a rich banquet to be prepared against the time
when he should be ready to partake of it. Then
when her visitor had retired, she arose and
began to adorn herself in jewels and rich robes
and to anoint her body with fragrance, giving
her women no rest till the tale of her mirror
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</SPAN></span>contented her; and when all had been done
many times over, and the last touch of art added
to her loveliness, she sent to inquire whether the
prince had yet awaked and were ready to receive
her.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl30"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl30.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl30.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">Till the tale of her mirror contented her.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>Upon the receipt of that message the prince
rose eagerly, and dressing in haste, although it
was scarcely yet day, heard everywhere within
the palace sounds of preparation for the feast
that was being got ready in his honour.</p>
<p>Before long the princess herself entered to
inquire how he had slept, and being fully assured
on that score, she gave orders for the banquet
to be served. Everything was done in the
greatest magnificence, but the princess was full
of apologies, declaring the entertainment unworthy
of so distinguished a guest. "You
must pardon me, prince," she said, "for receiving
you with so little state, and after so hasty a
preparation; but the chief of the eunuchs does
not enter here without my express permission,
and I feared that elsewhere our conversation
might be interrupted."</p>
<p>Prince Firouz Schah was now convinced that
the inclinations of the princess corresponded
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</SPAN></span>with his own; but though her every word and
movement increased the tenderness of his
passion, he did not forget the respect due to her
rank and virtue. One of her women attendants
however, seeing clearly in what direction matters
were tending, and fearing for herself the results
of a sudden discovery, withdrew secretly, saying
nothing to the rest, and running quickly to the
chief of the eunuchs she cried, "O miserable
man, what sorry watch is this that thou hast
kept, guarding the King's honour; and who is
this man or genie that thou hast admitted to the
presence of our mistress? Nay, if the matter be
not already past remedy the fault is not thine!"
At these words the eunuch leapt up in alarm,
and going secretly he lifted the curtain of the
inner chamber, and there beheld at the princess's
side a youth of such fair and majestical appearance
that he durst not intrude unbidden. He
ran shrieking to the King, and as he went he
rent his garments and threw dust upon his head.
"O sire and master," he cried, "come quickly
and save thy daughter, for there is with her a
genie in mortal form and like a king's son to
look upon, and if he have not already carried
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</SPAN></span>her away, make haste and give orders that he
be seized, lest thou become childless."</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl31"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl31.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl31.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">She cried: "O miserable man what sorry
watch is this that thou hast kept".</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>The King at once arose and went in great
haste and fear to his daughters palace. There
he was met by certain of her women, who, seeing
his alarm, said, "O sire, have no fear for the
safety of thy daughter; for this young man is
as handsome of heart as of person, and as his
conduct is chaste, so also are his intentions
honourable."</p>
<p>Then the King's wrath was cooled somewhat;
but since much remained which demanded
explanation he drew his sword and advanced
with a threatening aspect into the room where
his daughter and the prince still sat conversing.
Prince Firouz Schah observing the new-comer
advance upon him in a warlike attitude, drew
his own sword and stood ready for defence;
whereupon the King, seeing that the other was
the stronger, sheathed his weapon, and with a
gesture of salutation addressed him courteously.
"Tell me, fair youth," he said, "whether you are
man or devil, for though in appearance you are
human, how else than by devilry have you come
here?"</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</SPAN></span>"Sire," replied the youth, "but for the respect
that is owing to the father of so fair a daughter,
I, whom am a son of kings, might resent such
an imputation. Be assured, however, that by
whatever means I have chosen to arrive, my
intentions now are altogether human and
honourable; for I have no other or dearer
wish than to become your son-in-law through
my marriage with this princess in whose eyes it
is my happiness to have found favour."</p>
<p>"What you tell me," answered the King,
"may be all very true; but it is not the custom
for the sons of kings to enter into palaces without
the permission of their owners, coming, moreover,
unannounced and with no retinue or mark of
royalty about them. How, then, shall I convince
my people that you are a fit suitor for the hand
of my daughter?"</p>
<p>"The proof of honour and kingship," answered
the other, "does not rest in splendour and retinue
alone, though these also would be at my call had
I the patience to await their arrival from that
too distant country where my father is king.
Let it suffice if I shall be able to prove my
worth alone and unaided, in such a manner as to
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</SPAN></span>satisfy all." "Alone and unaided?" said the
King; "how may that be?" "I will prove it
thus," answered the prince. "Call out your
troops and let them surround this palace;
tell them that you have here a stranger, of
whom nothing is known, who declares that
if you will not yield him the hand of your
daughter in marriage he will carry her away
from you by force. Bid them use all means
to capture and slay me, and if I survive so
unequal a contest, judge then whether or no I
am fit to become your son-in-law."</p>
<p>The King immediately accepted the proposal,
agreeing to abide by the result; yet was he
grieved that a youth of such fair looks and
promise should throw away his life in so foolhardy
an adventure. As soon as day dawned
he sent for his Vizier and bade him cause all the
chiefs of his army to assemble with their troops
and companies, till presently there were gathered
about the palace forty thousand horsemen and
the same number of foot; and the King gave
them instructions, saying, "When the young
man of whom I have warned you comes forth
and challenges you to battle, then fall upon and
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</SPAN></span>slay him, for in no wise must he escape." He
then led the prince to an open space whence he
could see the whole army drawn up in array
against him. "Yonder," said the King, pointing,
"are those with whom you have to contend; go
forth and deal with them as seems best to you."</p>
<p>"Nay," answered the prince, "these are not
fair conditions, for yonder I see horsemen as
well as foot; how shall I contend against these
unless I be mounted?" The King at once offered
him the best horse in his stables, but the prince
would not hear of it. "Is it fair," he said, "that
I should trust my life under such conditions to
a horse that I have never ridden? I will ride
no horse but that upon which I came hither."
"Where is that?" inquired the King. "If
it be where I left it," answered the prince, "it is
upon the roof of the palace."</p>
<p>All who heard this answer were filled with
laughter and astonishment, for it seemed impossible
that a horse could have climbed to so high
a roof. Nevertheless the King commanded that
search should be made, and there, sure enough,
those that were sent found the horse of ebony
and ivory standing stiff and motionless. So
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</SPAN></span>though it still seemed to them but a thing for
jest and mockery, obeying the King's orders they
raised it upon their shoulders, and bearing it to
earth carried it forth into the open space before
the palace where the King's troops were
assembled.</p>
<p>Then Prince Firouz Schah advanced, and
leaping upon the horse he cried defiance to the
eighty thousand men that stood in battle array
against him. And they, on their part, seeing
the youth so hardily set on his own destruction,
drew sword and couched spear, and came all
together to the charge. The prince waited till
they were almost upon him, then turning the peg
which stood in the pommel of his saddle he
caused the horse to rise suddenly in the air, and
all the foremost ranks of the enemy came clashing
together beneath him. At that sight the
King and all his court drew a breath of astonishment,
and the army staggered and swung about
this way and that, striking vainly up at the
hoofs of the magic horse as it flew over them.
Then the King, full of dread lest this should
indeed be some evil genie that sought to carry
his daughter away from him, called to his
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</SPAN></span>archers to shoot, but before they could make
ready their bows Prince Firouz Schah had given
another turn to the peg, and immediately the
horse sprang upward and rose higher than the
roof of the palace, so that all the arrows fell
short and rained destruction on those that were
below.</p>
<p>Then the prince called to the King, "O King
of Bengal, have I not now proved myself worthy
to be thy son-in-law, and wilt thou not give me
the hand of thy daughter in marriage?" But
the King's wrath was very great, for he had been
made foolish in the eyes of his people, and panic
had broken the ranks of his army and many of
them were slain; and by no means would he
have for his son-in-law one that possessed such
power to throw down the order and establishment
of his kingdom. So he cried back to the
prince, saying, "O vile enchanter, get hence as
thou valuest thy life, for if ever thou darest to
return and set foot within my dominions thy
death and not my daughter shall be thy reward!"
Thus he spoke in his anger, forgetting altogether
the promise he had made.</p>
<p>Now it should be known that all this time the
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</SPAN></span>princess had been watching the combat from the
roof of the palace; and as her fear and anxiety for
the prince had in the first instance been great, so
now was she overjoyed when she saw him rise
superior to the dangers which had threatened
him. But as soon as she heard her father's
words she became filled with fresh fear lest she
and her lover were now to be parted; so as the
prince came speeding by upon the magic horse
she stretched up her arms to him, crying, "O
master of the flying bird, leave me not desolate,
for if thou goest from me now I shall die."</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl32"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl32.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl32.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">All this time the Princess had been
watching the combat from the roof of the palace.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>No sooner did Prince Firouz Schah hear those
words than he checked his steed in its flight,
and swooping low he bore down over the palace
roof, and catching the princess up in his arms
placed her upon the saddle before him; and
straightway at the pressure of its rider the horse
rose under them and carried them away high in
air, so that they disappeared forthwith from the
eyes of the King and his people.</p>
<p>But as they travelled the day grew hot and the
sun burned fiercely upon them; and the prince
looking down beheld a green meadow by the side
of a lake; so he said, "O desire of my heart, let
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</SPAN></span>us go down into yonder meadow and seek rest
and refreshment, and there let us wait till it is
evening, so that we may come unperceived to my
fathers palace; and when I have brought thee
thither safely and secretly, then will I make
preparation so that thou mayest appear at my
fathers court in such a manner as befits thy
rank."</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl33"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl33.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl33.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">In the garden of the summer palace all
was silence and solitude.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>So the princess consenting, they went down
and sat by the lake and solaced themselves
sweetly with love till it was evening. Then
they rose up and mounted once more upon the
magic horse and came by night to the outskirts
of the city where dwelt the King of Persia. Now
in the garden of the summer palace which stood
without the walls all was silence and solitude,
and coming thither unperceived the King's son
led the princess to a pavilion, the door of which
lay open, and placing before it the magic horse
he bade her stay within and keep watch till his
messenger should come to take her to the palace
which he would cause to be prepared for her.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl34"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl34.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl34.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">Sat by the lake and solaced themselves
sweetly with love.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>Leaving her thus safely sheltered, the prince
went in to the city to present himself before the
King his father; and there he found him in deep
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</SPAN></span>mourning and affliction because of his son's
absence; and his father seeing him, rose up and
embraced him tenderly, rejoicing because of his
safe return, and eager to know in what way he had
fared. And the prince said, "O my father, if it
be thy good will and pleasure, I have come
back to thee far richer than I went. For I have
brought with me the fairest princess that the
eyes of love have ever looked upon, and she is the
daughter of the King of Bengal; and because of
my love for her and the great service which
she rendered me when I was a stranger in the
midst of enemies, therefore have I no heart or
mind or will but to win your consent that I may
marry her." And when the King heard that, and
of all that the princess had done, and of how
they had escaped together, he gave his consent
willingly, and ordered that a palace should be
immediately got ready for her reception that she
might on the next day appear before the people
in a manner befitting her rank.</p>
<p>Then while preparation was going forward,
the prince sought news concerning the sage, for
he feared that the King might have slain him.
"Do not speak of him," cried the King. "Would
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</SPAN></span>to Heaven that I had never set eyes on him or his
invention, for out of this has arisen all my
grief and lamentation. Therefore he now lies in
prison awaiting death."</p>
<p>"Nay," said the prince "now surely should he
be released and suitably rewarded, seeing that
unwittingly he hath been the cause of my
fortune; but do not give him my sister in
marriage."</p>
<p>So the King sent and caused the Indian to be
brought before him clad in a robe of rank. And
the King said to him, "Because my son, whom
thy vile invention carried away from me, hath
returned safe and sound, therefore will I spare
thy life. And for the reward of thine ingenuity I
give thee this robe of honour; but now take thy
horse, wherever it may be, and go, nor ever appear
in my sight again. And if thou wilt marry, seek
one of thine own rank, but do not aspire to the
daughters of kings."</p>
<p>When the Indian heard that, he dissembled his
rage, and bowing himself to the earth departed
from the King's presence. And, as he went,
everywhere in the palace ran the tale how the
King's son had returned upon the magic horse,
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</SPAN></span>bringing with him a princess of most marvellous
beauty, and how they had alighted in the gardens
of the summer palace that lay outside the walls.</p>
<p>Now when this was told him the Indian at
once saw his opportunity, and going forth from
the city in haste he arrived at the summer palace
before the messenger with the appointed retinue
which the prince and the King were sending. So
coming to the pavilion in the garden he found
the princess waiting within, and before the door
the horse of ivory and ebony. Then was his heart
uplifted for joy, the more so when he perceived how
far the damsel exceeded in loveliness all that had
been told of her. Entering the chamber where
she sat he kissed the ground at her feet; and she,
seeing one that wore a robe of office making
obeisance before her, speak to him without fear,
saying, "Who art thou?"</p>
<p>The sage answered, "O moon of beauty, I am
but the dust which lies upon the road by which
thou art to travel. Yet I come as a messenger
from the King's son who hath sent me to bring
thee with all speed to a chamber in the royal
palace where he now awaits thee."</p>
<p>Now the Indian was of a form altogether
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</SPAN></span>hideous and abominable. The princess looked
at him, therefore, in surprise, saying, "Could not
the King's son find any one to send to me but
thee?" The sage laughed, for he read the
meaning of her words. "O searcher of hearts,"
he said, "do not wonder that the prince hath
sent to thee a man whose looks are unattractive,
for because of his love toward thee
he is grown exceeding jealous. Were it otherwise,
I doubt not that he would have chosen
the highest and most honourable in the land;
but, being what I am, he has preferred to
make me his messenger."</p>
<p>When the princess heard that, she believed
him, and because her impatience to be with her
lover was great, she yielded herself willingly into
his hands. Then the sage mounted upon the
horse and took up the damsel behind him; and
having bound her to his girdle for safety, he
turned the pin so swiftly that immediately they
rose up into the air far above the roof of the
palace and in full view of the royal retinue which
was even then approaching.</p>
<p>Now because his desire to be with his beloved
was so strong, the prince himself had come forth
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</SPAN></span>before all others to meet her; and when he saw
her thus carried away captive, he uttered a loud
cry of lamentation, and stretched out his hands
toward her. The cry of her lover reached the
ears of the princess, and looking down she saw
with wonder his gestures of grief and despair.
So she said to the Indian, "O slave, why art
thou bearing me away from thy lord, disobeying
his command?" The sage answered, "He is
not my lord, nor do I owe him any duty or
obedience. May Heaven repay on him all the
grief he has brought on me, for I was the maker
of this horse on which he won thee, and because
he stole it from me I was cast into prison. But
now for all my wrongs I will take full payment,
and will torture his heart as he hath tortured
mine. Be of good cheer, therefore, for doubt not
that presently I shall seem a more desirable
lover in thine eyes than ever he was."</p>
<p>On hearing these words the princess was so
filled with terror and loathing that she endeavoured
to cast herself from the saddle; but the
Indian having bound her to his girdle, no present
escape from him was possible.</p>
<p>The horse had meanwhile carried them far
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</SPAN></span>from the city of the King of Persia, and it was
yet an early hour after dawn when they arrived
over the land of Cashmire. Assured that he was
now safe from pursuit, and perceiving an uninhabited
country below him, the Indian caused
the horse to descend on the edge of a wood
bordered by a stream. Here he made the princess
dismount, and was proceeding to force upon
her his base and familiar attentions, when the
cries raised by the princess drew to that spot
a party of horsemen who had been hunting in
the neighbourhood. The leader of the party,
who chanced to be no other than the Sultan of
that country, seeing a fair damsel undergoing
ill-treatment from one of brutish and malevolent
aspect, rode forward and demanded of the Indian
by what right he so used her. The sage boldly
declared that she was his wife and that how he used
her was no man's business but his own. The
damsel, however, contradicted his assertion with
indignation and scorn, and so great were her
beauty and the dignity of her bearing that her
statement of the case had only to be heard to
be believed. The Sultan therefore ordered the
Indian to be bound and beaten, and afterwards
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</SPAN></span>to be led away to the adjacent city and there
cast into the deepest dungeon. As for the
princess and magic horse, he caused them to
be brought to the palace; and there for the
damsel he provided a magnificent apartment
with slaves and attendants such as befitted
her rank; but the horse, whose properties
remained secret, since no other use for it could
be discovered, was placed in the royal treasury.</p>
<p>Now though the princess was full of joy
over her escape from the Indian, and of gratitude
to her deliverer, she could not fail to read in the
Sultan's manner towards her the spell cast by
her beauty. And, in fact, no later than the
next day, awakened by sounds throughout the
whole city of tumult and rejoicing, and inquiring
as to the reason, she was informed that these
festivities were the prelude to her own nuptials
with the Sultan which were to be celebrated that
very day before sundown.</p>
<p>At this news her consternation was so great
that she immediately swooned away, and remained
for a long while speechless. But no
sooner had she recovered possession of her
faculties than her resolution was formed, and
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</SPAN></span>when the Sultan entered, as is customary on
such occasions, to present his compliments and
make inquiries as to her health, she fell into an
extravagance of attitude and speech, so artfully
contrived that all who beheld her became convinced
of her insanity. And the more surely
to effect her purpose, and at the same time to
relieve her feelings, she made a violent attack
upon the Sultan's person; nor did she desist until
she had brought him to recognize that all hopes
for the present consummation of the nuptials were
useless.</p>
<p>On the following day also, and upon every succeeding
one, the princess showed the same violent
symptoms whenever the Sultan approached her.
It was in vain that all the wisest physicians in
the country were summoned into consultation.
While some declared that her malady was
curable, others, to whose word the princess by
her actions lent every possible weight, declared
that it was incurable; and in no case was any
remedy applied that did not seem immediately
to aggravate the disorder.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterl">
<SPAN name="pl35"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl35.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl35.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">It was in vain that all the wisest physicians
in the country were summoned into consultation.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>And here for a while we must leave the princess
and return to Prince Firouz Schah, whose
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</SPAN></span>affliction no words can describe. Unable to
endure the burden of his beloved one's absence
in the splendours of his father's palace, or to
leave her the victim of fate without an attempt
at rescue, he put on the disguise of a travelling
dervish, and departing secretly from the Persian
court set out into the world to seek for her.</p>
<p>For many months he travelled without clue
or tidings to guide him; but as Heaven ever
bestows favour on constancy in love, so it led
him at last to the land of Cashmire, and to the
city of its Sultan. Now as he drew near to it by
the main road, he fell into conversation with a
certain merchant, and inquired of him as to the
city and the life and conditions of its inhabitants.
And the merchant looked at him in surprise,
saying, "Surely you have come from a far
country not to have heard of the strange things
which have happened here, for everywhere in
these regions and among all the caravans goes the
story of the strange maiden, and the ebony horse,
and the waiting nuptials."</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl36"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl36.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl36.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">For many months he travelled without clue.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>Now when the prince heard that, he knew
that the end of his wanderings was in sight: so
looking upon the city with eyes of gladness,
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</SPAN></span>"Tell me," he said, "for I know none of these
things." So the merchant told him truly all
that has here been narrated; and having ended
he said, "O dervish, though you are young,
you have in your eyes the light of wisdom; and
if you have also in your hands the power of
healing, then I tell you that in this city fortune
awaits you, for the Sultan will give even the
half of his kingdom to any man that shall
restore health of mind to this damsel."</p>
<p>Then the King's son felt his heart uplifted
within him, howbeit he knew well that the
fortune he sought would not be of the Sultan's
choosing; so parting from the merchant, he
put on the robe of a physician, and went and
presented himself at the palace.</p>
<p>The Sultan was glad at his coming, for though
many physicians had promised healing and
had all failed, still each new arrival gave him
fresh hopes. Now as the sight of a physician
seemed ever greatly to increase the princess's
malady, the Sultan led him to a small closet
or balcony, that thence he might look upon her
unperceived. So Prince Firouz Schah, having
travelled so many miles in search of her, saw
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</SPAN></span>his beloved seated in deep despondency by the
side of a fountain; and ever with the tears
falling down from her eyes she sighed and
sang. Now when he heard her voice and the
words, and beheld the soft grief of her countenance,
then the prince knew that her disorder was
only feigned; and he went forth and said to
the Sultan, "This malady is curable; but for
the cure something is yet lacking. Let me go in
and speak with the damsel alone, and on my life
I promise that if all be done according to my
requirements, before this time to-morrow the cure
shall be accomplished."</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<div class="figcenterp">
<SPAN name="pl37"></SPAN><SPAN href="images/lg_pl37.jpg">
<ANTIMG src="images/pl37.jpg" alt="" /></SPAN></div>
<p class="caption">And ever with the tears falling down from
her eyes she sighed and sang.</p>
<hr class="r35" />
<p>At these words the Sultan rejoiced greatly,
and he ordered the doors of the princess's chamber
to be opened to the physician. So Firouz Schah
passed in, and he and his beloved were alone
together. Now because of his grief and wanderings
and the growth of his beard, the face of the
prince was so changed that the princess did not
know him; but seeing one before her in the dress
of a physician she rose up in pretended frenzy
and began to throw herself about with violence,
until from utter exhaustion she fell prostrate.
Thereupon the prince drew near, and called her
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</SPAN></span>gently by name; and immediately when she
heard his voice she knew him, and uttered a loud
cry. Then the king's son put his mouth to her
ear and said "O temptation of all hearts, now spare
my life and have patience, for surely I am come
to save thee; but if the Sultan learn who I am
we are dead, thou and I, because his jealousy
is great." So she replied, saying, "O thou that
bringest me life, tell me what I shall do?" The
prince said, "When I depart hence let it appear
that I have restored to thee the possession of thy
faculties; howbeit the full cure is to come after.
Therefore when the Sultan comes to thee, be
sad and meek and do not repulse him as thou
hast done aforetime. Yet have no fear but that I
will keep thee safe from him to the last." And
so saying he left the princess and returned to the
Sultan, and said to him, "Go in and see whether
the cure be not already at work; but approach
not near to her, for though the genie that possessed
her is bound he is not yet cast forth:
nevertheless to-morrow before noon the remedy
shall be complete."</p>
<p>So the Sultan went and found her even as he
had been told; and with joy and gratitude he
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</SPAN></span>returned to Firouz Schah, saying, "Truly thou
art a healer and the rest are but bunglers and
fools. Now, therefore, give orders and all shall
be done according to thy will. Doubt not that
thy reward shall be great."</p>
<p>Then the prince said, "Let the horse of ivory
and ebony which was with her at the first be
brought forth and set again in the place where
it was found, and let the damsel also be brought
and put into my hand; and it shall be that when
I have set her upon the horse, then the evil
genie that held her shall be suddenly loosed,
passing from her into that which was aforetime
his place of bondage. So shall the remedy be
complete, and the princess find joy in her lord
before the eyes of all."</p>
<p>Now when the Sultan heard that, the mystery
of the ebony horse seemed plain to him, and its
use manifest. Therefore he gave orders that
with all speed the thing should be done as the
physician of the princess required it.</p>
<p>So early on the morrow they brought the horse
from the royal treasury, and the princess from
her chamber, and carried them to the place where
they were first found; and all about, a great
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</SPAN></span>crowd of the populace was gathered to behold the
sight. Then Prince Firouz Schah took the
princess and set her upon the horse, and leaping
into the saddle before her he turned the pin of
ascent, and immediately the horse rose with a
great sound into the air, and hung above the heads
of the affrighted populace. And the King's son
leaned down from the saddle and cried in a loud
voice, "O Sultan of Cashmire, when you wish
to espouse princesses which seek your protection,
learn first to obtain their consent." And so
saying he put the horse to its topmost speed,
and like an arrow on the wind he and the
princess were borne away, and passed and
vanished, and were no more seen in that land.</p>
<p>But in the city of the King of Persia great joy
and welcome and thanksgiving awaited them; and
there without delay the nuptials were solemnized
and through all the country the people rejoiced
and feasted for a full month. But because of
the grief and affliction that it had caused him
the King broke the ebony horse and destroyed
its motions. As for the maker thereof, the
Sultan of Cashmire caused him to be put to a
cruel death: and thus is the story of the sage
and his invention brought to a full ending.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />