the eyes and cried, "O my lord, may thy hands never palsied grow
nor exult over thee any foe!" Said he to her, "Return to thy
people!" and said she, "There is no help but that I and thou fare
together." But he replied, "This matter is not the right rede,"
and he went from her at a double quick pace, saying, "O Allah,
may none see me!" until he entered the city and presently seating
him beside a tailor's shop fell to conversing with its owner.
Presently the man said, "There is no Majesty and there is no
Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great: by this time the
daughter of the King will have been seized by the Elephant and
torn to pieces and devoured, and she the mainstay of her mother
and her father." And behold loud lullilooing[FN#315] flew about
the city and one began exclaiming, "Verily the Elephant which is
wont to come hither year by year hath been slaughtered by a man
quite young in years, and the Sultan hath sent a Crier to cry
amongst the crowds, 'Let the slayer of the beast come into the
presence and crave a boon and marry the maiden.'" So quoth the
Youth to the tailor, "What is to do?" and the other informed him
of the truth of the report, whereupon he asked, "If I go to the
King will he give her to me?" Answered the tailor, "Who art thou
that thou shouldest intermarry with the daughter of the King?"
and the Prince rejoined, "We will go and bespeak him and lie to
him saying, I am he who slew the monster." But the other
retorted, "O Youth, thou art willingly and wilfully going to thy
death, for an thou lie to him he will assuredly cut off thy
head." Presently the Prince, who was listening to the Crier, said
to his companion, "Up with thee and come with us that thou mayest
look upon my execution;" and cried the other, "Why so, O thou
true-born son?"[FN#316] whereto the Youth replied, "Needs must I
do this!" Hereupon he and the man arose and went till they came