AL-MALIK AL-ZAHIR RUKN AL-DIN BIBARS AL-
BUNDUKDARI AND THE SIXTEEN CAPTAINS OF
POLICE.[FN#1]




There was once in the climes[FN#2] of Egypt and the city of
Cairo, under the Turks, a king of the valiant kings and the
exceeding mighty Soldans, hight Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din
Bibars al-Bundukdari,[FN#3] who was used to storm the Islamite
sconces and the strongholds of "The Shore"[FN#4] and the Nazarene
citadels. His Chief of Police in the capital of his kingdom, was
just to the folk, all of them; and Al-Malik al-Zahir delighted in
stories of the common sort and of that which men purposed in
thought; and he loved to see this with his own eyes and to hear
their sayings with his own ears. Now it fortuned that he heard
one night from a certain of his nocturnal reciters[FN#5] that
among women are those who are doughtier than the doughtiest men
and prower of prowess, and that among them are some who will
engage in fight singular with the sword and others who beguile
the quickest-witted of Walis and baffle them and bring down on
them all manner of miseries; wherefore said the Soldan, "I would
lief hear this of their legerdemain from one of those who have
had to do with it, so I may hearken unto him and cause him
discourse." And one of the story-tellers said, "O king, send for