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the two Marids to reconnoitre, and they went forth and snatching up a horseman of the advancing army, returned and set him down before Gherib, saying, ‘Ask this fellow, for he is of the army.’ Quoth Gherib, ‘Whose army is this?’ And the man answered, ‘O King, it is the army of Khired Shah, King of Shiraz, who is come to do battle with thee.’ Now the manner of Khired Shah’s coming was on this wise. When Gherib defeated Sabour’s army, as hath been related, and took the King himself, the latter’s son fled, with a handful of his father’s men, to Shiraz, where he went in to King Khired Shah and kissed the earth before him, whilst the tears ran down his cheeks. When the King saw him in this case, he said to him, ‘Lift thy head, O youth, and tell me what makes thee weep.’ ‘O King,’ answered the prince, ‘a King of the Arabs, by name Gherib, hath fallen on us and taken the King my father prisoner and slain the Persians and made them drink the cup of death.’ And he told him all that had befallen. Quoth Khired Shah, ‘Is my wife[1] well?’ And the prince answered, saying, ‘Gherib hath taken her.’ ‘As my head liveth,’ cried the King, ‘I will not leave a Bedouin or a Muslim on the face of the earth!’ So he wrote letters to his governors, who levied their troops and joined him with an army of fourscore and five thousand men. Then he opened his armouries and distributed arms and armour to the troops, after which he set out with them and journeyed till he came to Isbanir and encamped before the city-gate.
With this Kailjan and Courjan came in to Gherib and kissing his knee, said to him, ‘O King, heal our hearts and give us this army to our share!’ And he said, ‘Up and at them!’ So they flew up into the air and lighting down in the pavilion of the King of Shiraz, found him seated on his chair of estate, with the Prince of Persia sitting on his
- ↑ i.e. Fekhr Taj, who had been promised him in marriage. See suprà, p. 76.
