Then quoth the 'Aun to him, "Go forth to yonder garden and thence
bring thy need;" so he walked thither and, finding the gates wide
open, he passed in and fell to solacing himself with looking to
the right and the left. Presently he saw bird-cages suspended and
in them were fowls of every kind, to each two, so he walked up to
them and whenever he noted a bird that pleased him he took it and
caged it till he had there six fowls and of all sorts twain. Then
he designed to leave the garden when suddenly a keeper met him
face to face at the door crying aloud, "A thief! a thief!" Hereat
all the other gardeners rushed up and seized him, together with
the cage, and carried him before the King, the owner of that
garden and lord of that city. They set him in the presence
saying, "Verily we found this young man stealing a cage wherein
be fowls and in good sooth he must be a thief." Quoth the Sultan,
"Who misled thee, O Youth, to enter my grounds and trespass
thereon and take of my birds?" Whereto the Prince returned no
reply. So the Sultan resumed, "By Allah, thou hast wilfully
wasted thy life, but, O Youngster, an it be thy desire to take my
birds and carry them away, do thou go and bring me from the
capital of the Isles of the Sudan[FN#365] bunches of grapes which
are clusters of diamonds and emeralds, when I will give thee over
and above these six fowls six other beside." So the Prince left
him and going to the 'Aun informed him of what had befallen him,
and the other cried, "'Tis easy, O Mohammed;" and mounting him
upon his shoulders flew with him for the space of two hours and
presently alighted. The youth saw himself in the lands
surrounding the capital of the Sudan Islands which he found more
beautiful than the fair region he had left; and he designed
forthright to approach the garden containing great clusters of
diamonds and emeralds, when he was confronted by a Lion in the