and recounting to him that which had betided them with El Abbas.
Quoth the king, "Where is he?" And they answered, "He is with the
Amir Saad." [So, when the latter entered], the king [looked, but]
found none with him; and Saad, seeing that he hankered after the
youth, cried out to him, saying, "God prolong the king's days!
Indeed, he refuseth to present himself before thee, without leave
or commandment." "O Saad," asked the king, "whence cometh this
man?" And the Amir answered, "O my lord, I know not; but he is a
youth fair of favour, lovesome of aspect, accomplished in
discourse, goodly of repartee, and valour shineth from between
his eyes."

Quoth the king, "O Saad, fetch him to me, for indeed thou
describest to me a masterful man."[FN#76] And he answered,
saying, "By Allah, O my lord, hadst thou but seen our case with
Hudheifeh, what while he challenged me to the field of war and
the stead of thrusting and smiting and I held back from doing
battle with him! Then, whenas I thought to go forth to him,
behold, a cavalier gave loose to his bridle-rein and called out
to me, saying, 'O Saad, wilt thou suffer me to fill thy room in
waging war with him and I will ransom thee with myself?' And I
said, 'By Allah, O youth, whence cometh thou?' Quoth he, 'This is
no time for thy questions.'" Then he recounted to the king all
that had passed between himself and El Abbas from first to last;
whereupon quoth Ins ben Cais, "Bring him to me in haste, so we
may learn his tidings and question him of his case." "It is
well," answered Saad, and going forth of the king's presence,
repaired to his own house, where he put off his harness of war
and took rest for himself.