the flesh upon the embers and offered it to thy Harem and her
children saying to them, 'We give thee in charge to Him who never
disappointeth those committed to His care,' and we added, 'Your
truth shall save you.' Lastly we left them in the midmost of the
waste and we returned hither." When the Sultan heard these words
he turned to the Wazir and exclaimed, "Thou hast estranged from
me my wife and my children;" but the Minister uttered not a word
nor made any address and trembled in every limb like one
afflicted with an ague. And when the King saw the truth of the
Chamberlains and the treachery of the Minister he bade fuel be
collected and set on fire and they did his bidding. Then he
commanded them to truss up the Wazir, hand tied to foot, and bind
him perforce upon a catapult[FN#158] and cast him into the middle
of the fiery pyre which made his bones melt before his flesh.
Lastly he ordered his palace to be pillaged, his good to be
spoiled and the women of his Harem to be sold for slaves. After
this he said to the Chamberlains, "You must know the spot wherein
you left the Queen and Princesses;" and said they, "O King of the
Age, we know it well; but when we abandoned them and returned
home they were in the midst of the wolds and the wilds nor can we
say what befel them or whether they be now alive or dead." On
this wise fared it with them; but as regards us three maidens and
our mother, when we entered the city--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable?" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was