middle way. Now it was the wont of this beast yearly to visit
that city and to pounce upon everything he met of women as well
as of men; so seeing the Prince he charged down upon him,
designing to rend him limb from limb--And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, 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 Fifty-fifth 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 Lion
charged down upon Mohammed, Son of the Sultan, designing to rend
him in pieces, but he confronted him and unsheathing his scymitar
made it glitter in the sunshine[FN#366] and pressed him close and
bashed him with brand between his eyes so that the blade came
forth gleaming from between his thighs. Now by doom of Destiny
the daughter of the Sultan was sitting at the latticed window of
her belvedere and was looking at her glass and solacing herself,
when her glance fell upon the King's son as he was smiting the
Lion. So she said to herself, "May thy hand never palsied grow
nor exult over thee any foe!" But the Prince after slaying the
Lion left the body and walked into the garden whose door had been