bidding him take the youth and robe him in a black habit
bepatched with flamecolour;[FN#121] then, to set him upon a camel
and, after parading him through Cairo city and all the streets,
to put him to death. Accordingly the executioner took the
Youth.--And Shahrazad perceived 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
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-ninth 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
Linkman took the youth and fared forth with him from the palace:
then he looked at him and found him fair of form and favour, a
sans peer in loveliness, and he observed that he showed no fear
nor shrinking from death. So he had pity upon him and his heart
yearned to him and he said in his mind, "By Allah, attached to
this young man is a rare history." Then he brought a leathern
gown which he put upon him, and the flamey black habit which he
passed over his arms: and setting him upon a camel as the Sultan
had commanded, at last carried him in procession crying out the
while, "This is the award and the least award of him who