his food was dressed, the Arab's wife brought it to the guest,
and he looked at the mistress of the tent and saw a favour than
which no goodlier might be. Indeed, her beauty and grace and
symmetry amazed him and he abode confounded, looking now at her
and now at her husband. When his looking grew long, the man said
to him, 'Harkye, O son of the worthy! Occupy thyself with thine
own concerns, for by me and this woman hangeth a rare story, that
is yet goodlier than that which thou seest of her beauty; and
when we have made an end of our food, I will tell it thee.'

So, when they had made an end of eating and drinking, the young
man asked his host for the story, and he said, 'Know that in my
youth I was even as thou seest me in the matter of loathliness
and foul favour; and I had brethren of the comeliest of the folk;
wherefore my father preferred them over me and used to show them
kindness, to my exclusion, and employ me, in their room [in
menial service], like as one employeth slaves. One day, a
she-camel of his went astray and he said to me, "Go thou forth in
quest of her and return not but with her." Quoth I, "Send other
than I of thy sons." But he would not consent to this and reviled
me and insisted upon me, till the matter came to such a pass with
him that he took a whip and fell to beating me. So I arose and
taking a riding-camel, mounted her and sallied forth at a
venture, purposing to go out into the deserts and return to him
no more. I fared on all my night [and the next day] and coming at
eventide to [the encampment of] this my wife's people, alighted
down with her father, who was a very old man, and became his
guest.

When the night was half spent, I arose [and went forth the tent]