Mohammed, Son of the Sultan,[FN#356] he scattered full half his
treasury amongst the lieges. Then he bade bring for the babe
wet-nurses who suckled him until milktime ended, when they weaned
him, after which he grew every day in strength and stature till
his age reached his sixth year. Hereupon his father appointed for
him a Divine to teach him reading and writing and the Koran and
all the sciences, which he mastered when his years numbered
twelve. And after this he took to mounting horses and learning to
shoot with shafts and to hit the mark, up to the time when he
became a knight who surpassed all other knights. Now one day of
the days Prince Mohammed rode off a-hunting, as was his wont,
when lo and behold! he beheld a fowl with green plumage wheeling
around him in circles and rocketing in the air and seeing this he
was desirous to bring it down with an arrow. But he found this
impossible so he ceased not following the quarry with intent to
catch it but again he failed and it flew away from his ken;
whereat he was sore vexed and he said to himself, "Needs must I
seize this bird," and he kept swerving to the right and the left
in order to catch sight of it but he saw it not. This endured
until the end of day when he returned to the city and sought his
father and his mother, and when they looked upon him they found
his case changed and they asked him concerning his condition, so
he related to them all about the bird and they said to him, "O
our son, O Mohammed, verily the creations of Allah be curious and
how many fowls are like unto this, nay even more wondrous." Cried
he, "Unless I catch her[FN#357] I will wholly give up eating."
Now when morning dawned he mounted according to his custom and
again went forth to the chase; and presently he pushed into the
middle of the desert when suddenly he saw the bird flying in air
and he pushed his horse to speed beneath her and shot at her a