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and if I perish, I shall be at rest from this loathed life.’ ‘O my son,’ rejoined the Vizier, ‘dost thou think to do this thing and live? How shall we make our escape, seeing that our country is far distant, and how wilt thou deal thus with a king of the kings of the time, who has under his hand a hundred thousand horse, nor can we be sure but that he will despatch some of his troops to waylay us? Verily, there is no good in this project and no man of sense would attempt it.’ ‘And how then shall we do, O Vizier of good counsel?’ asked Ardeshir. ‘For, [except I get her,] I am a dead man without recourse.’ ‘Wait till to-morrow,’ answered the Vizier, ‘till we behold this garden and note its ordinance and see what betides us with the keeper.’
So, on the morrow, they took a thousand dinars and repairing to the garden, found it compassed about with high and strong walls, abounding in trees and streams and well furnished with goodly fruits. And indeed its flowers breathed perfume and its birds warbled, as it were a garden of the gardens of Paradise. Within the door sat an old man on a bench of stone, and they saluted him. When he saw them and noted the goodliness of their favour, he rose to his feet and returned their salute, saying, ‘O my lords, peradventure you have a wish, which we may have the honour of satisfying?’ ‘Know, O elder,’ replied the Vizier, ‘that we are strangers and the heat hath overcome us. Now our lodging is afar off at the other end of the town; wherefore we desire of thy courtesy that thou take these two dinars and buy us somewhat of victual and open us meanwhile the door of this garden and seat us in some shaded place, where there is cold water, that we may cool ourselves there, against thou return with the victual, when we will eat, and thou with us, and go our ways, rested and refreshed.’ So saying, he pulled out a couple of dinars and put them into the keeper’s hand.
