course at Cufa, where Ni'amah was restored to his father and
mother, and they abode in all the joys and jollities of life,
till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the
Sunderer of societies. Now when Amjad and As'ad heard from Bahram
this story, they marvelled with extreme marvel and said, "By
Allah, this is indeed a rare tale!"--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Amjad
and As'ad heard this story from Bahram the Magian who had become
a Moslem, they marvelled with extreme marvel and thus passed that
night; and when the next morning dawned, they mounted and riding
to the palace, sought an audience of the King who granted it and
received them with high honour. Now as they were sitting together
talking, of a sudden they heard the towns folk crying aloud and
shouting to one another and calling for help; and the Chamberlain
came in to the King and said to him, "Some King hath encamped
before the city, he and his host, with arms and weapons
displayed, and we know not their object and aim." The King took
counsel with his Wazir Amjad and his brother As'ad; and Amjad
said, "I will go out to him and learn the cause of his coming."
So he took horse and, riding forth from the city, repaired to the
stranger's camp, where he found the King and with him a mighty
many and mounted Mamelukes. When the guards saw him, they knew
him for an envoy from the King of the city; so they took him and
brought him before their Sultan. Then Amjad kissed the ground
before him; but lo! the King was a Queen, who was veiled with a
mouth-veil, and she said to Amjad, "Know that I have no design on