Allah. And when the two sat down the Sultan's son went in to them
and fell to gazing upon them and solacing himself with the sight,
when the elder Darwaysh clasped him to his bosom and fell to
kissing his cheeks, marvelling at his semblance and at his
beauty; and the boy in his turn forgot his father and his mother
and took to the old man. Now whenas night fell the Sultan retired
homewards fancying that his boy had foregone him to his mother
while the Sultanah fancied that her child was with his father,
and this endured till such time as the King had entered the
Harem. But only the elder child was found there so the Sultan
asked, "Where is the second boy?" and the Queen answered, "Day by
day thou takest them with thee to Tigris-bank and thou bringest
them back; but to-day only the elder hath returned." Thereupon
they sought him but found him not and the mother buffeted her
face in grief for her child and the father lost his right senses.
Then the high Officials fared forth to search for their King's
son and sought him from early night to the dawn of day, but not
finding him they deemed that he had been drowned in Tigris-water.
So they summoned all the fishermen and divers and caused them to
drag the river for a space of four days. All this time and the
boy abode with the Darwayshes, who kept saying to him, "Go to thy
father and thy mother;" but he would not obey them and he would
sit with the Fakirs upon whom all his thoughts were fixed while
theirs were fixed upon him. This lasted till the fifth day when
the door-keeper unsummoned entered the cell and found the
Sultan's son sitting with the old men; so he went out hurriedly
and repairing to the King cried, "O my Sovran, thy boy is with
those Darwayshes who were wont daily to visit thee." Now when the
Sultan heard the porter's words, he called aloud to his Eunuchs
and Chamberlains and gave them his orders; when they ran a race,