their Kings, and her father had dominion over men and Jinn and
wizards and Cohens and tribal chiefs and guards and countries and
cities and islands galore and hath immense wealth in store. Our
father is a Viceroy and one of his vassals and none can avail
against him, for the multitude of his many and the extent of his
empire and the muchness of his monies. He hath assigned to his
offspring, the daughters thou sawest, a tract of country, a whole
year's journey in length and breadth, a region girt about with a
great river and a deep; and thereto none may attain, nor man nor
Jann. He hath an army of women, smiters with swords and lungers
with lances, five-and-twenty thousand in number, each of whom,
whenas she mounteth steed and donneth battle-gear, eveneth a
thousand knights of the bravest. Moreover, he hath seven
daughters, who in valour and prowess equal and even excel their
sisters,[FN#66] and he hath made the eldest of them, the damsel
whom thou sawest,[FN#67] queen over the country aforesaid and who
is the wisest of her sisters and in valour and horsemanship and
craft and skill and magic excels all the folk of her dominions.
The girls who companied with her are the ladies of her court and
guards and grandees of her empire, and the plumed skins wherewith
they fly are the handiwork of enchanters of the Jann. Now an
thou wouldst get possession of this queen and wed this jewel
seld-seen and enjoy her beauty and loveliness and grace, do thou
pay heed to my words and keep them in thy memory. They resort to
this place on the first day of every month; and thou must take
seat here and watch for them; and when thou seest them coming
hide thee near the pavilion sitting where thou mayst see them,
without being seen of them, and beware, again beware lest thou
show thyself, or we shall all lose our lives. When they doff
their dress note which is the feather-suit of her whom thou