and fair. Then she fired the cannon of safe arrival[FN#167] and
the Sultan sent forth to enquire concerning her,--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

The Three Hundred and Seventy-first Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
made enquiries concerning that ship, when behold! the
Rais[FN#168] came forth from her to the land and accosting the
King handed to him the letter and acquainted him with the arrival
of the gifts and presents. Whereupon he bade all on board her
come ashore and be received in the guest-house for a space of
three days until the traces of travel should disappear from them.
After that time the Sultan gat ready whatso became his high
degree of offerings evening those despatched to him by the father
of the damsels and stowed them in the vessel, where he also
embarked as much of victual and provaunt as might suffice for all
the voyagers. On the fourth day after sunset the damsels and
their mother were borne on board and likewise went the master
after they had taken leave of the King and had salam'd to him and