beast. So she buffeted her face and regretted the loss of her
bangle and following me she came up and said to me, "O my lord, I
have found the one-eyed dog, so do thou return with me and take
him; "whereat I had pity upon the woman and restored to her the
ornament. However, when this had befallen me, fear possessed my
heart lest she denounce me, and I went away from my village and
came to this place where the three of us forgathered and have
lived ever since. When the King had given ear to this story he
was cheered and said, "By Allah, verily the adventures of you
three are wondrous, but my desire of you is to know if any of you
have heard aught of the histories of bygone Sultans; and, if so,
let him relate them to me. First, however, I must take you into
the city that you may enjoy your rest." "O my lord," quoth they,
"who art thou of the citizens?" and quoth he, "I am the King of
this country, and the cause of my coming hither was my design to
hunt and chase and the finding you here hath diverted me
therefrom." But when they heard his words, they forthwith rose to
their feet and did him obeisance saying, "Hearing and obeying,"
after which the three repaired with him to the city. Here the
King commanded that they set apart for them an apartment and
appointed to them rations of meat and drink and invested them
with robes of honour; and they remained in company one with other
till a certain night of the nights when the Sultan summoned them
and they made act of presence between his hands and the season
was after the King had prayed the Isha[FN#352] prayers. So he
said to them, "I require that each and every of you who knoweth
an history of the Kings of yore shall relate it to me," whereat
said one of the four, "I have by me such a tale." Quoth the King,
"Then tell it to us;" when the first Larrikin began to relate the