O my lord, I was once an owner of herds whereof naught remained
to me but a single bull well advanced in years and unhealthy of
flesh and of hide; and when I sought to sell him to the butchers
none was willing to buy him of me, nor even to accept him as a
gift. So I was disgusted with the beast and with the idea of
eating him; and, as he could not be used either to grind[FN#348]
or to plough, I led him into a great courtyard, where I
slaughtered him and stripped off his hide. Then I cut the flesh
into bittocks--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was

The Four Hundred and Forty-seveneth 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
whilome owner of the bull said to the King:--O my lord, I cut his
flesh into bittocks and went forth and cried a loud upon the dogs
of the quarter, when they all gathered together nor did one
remain behind. Then I caused them to enter the court and having