The Four Hundred and Fifty-second 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 Mohammed the Son of the Sultan cried, "Needs must I travel, otherwise I will slay myself." "There is no Majesty and there is no Might," quoth the father, "save in Allah the Glorious, the Great; and saith the old saw, 'The chick is unsatisfied till the crow see it and carry it off.'"[360] Thereupon the King gave orders to get ready provisions and other matters required for the Prince's wayfare, and he sent with him an escort of friends and servants, after which the youth took leave of his father and mother and he with his many set forth seeking the Capital of the Camphor Islands. He ceased not travelling for the space of an entire month till he arrived at a place wherein three highways forked, and he saw at the junction a huge rock whereon were written three lines. Now the first read, "This is the road of safe chance," and the second, "This is the way of repentance;" and the third, "This is the path whereon whoso paceth shall return nevermore." When the Prince perused these inscriptions he said to himself, "I will tread the path whereon whoso paceth shall nevermore return." Then he put his trust in Allah, and he travelled over that way for a space of days a score, when suddenly he came upon a city deserted and desolate, nor was there a single created thing therein and it was utterly in ruins. So he alighted beside it and, as a flock of sheep accompanied his suite, he bade slaughter five lambs and commanded the cooks to prepare of them delicate dishes and to roast one of them whole and entire. They did his bidding, and when the meats were cooked he ordered the trays be spread in that site and, as soon as all was done to his satisfaction, he purposed sitting down to food, he and his host, when suddenly an 'Aun[361] appeared coming from the ruined city. But when Prince Mohammed beheld him he rose to him in honour saying, "Welcome and fair welcome to him who of 'Auns is the head, and to the brethren friend true-bred,[362] and the Haunter of this stead;" and he satisfied him with the eloquence of his tongue and the elegance of his speech. Now this 'Aun had hair that overhung either eye and fell upon his shoulders, so the Prince brought out his scissors[363] and trimmed his locks clearing them away from his face, and he pared his nails which were like talons, and finally let bathe his body with warm water. Then he served up to him the barbecue of lamb which he caused to be roasted whole for the use of the Jinni and bade place it upon the tray, so the Haunter ate with the travellers and was cheered by the Prince's kindness and said to him, "By Allah, O my lord Mohammed, O thou Son of the Sultan, I was predestined to meet thee in this place but now let me know what may be thy need." Accordingly the youth informed him of the city of the Camphor Islands and of the garden containing the fowls which he fared to seek, and of his design in wayfaring thither to bring some of them away with him. But when the 'Aun heard from him these words, he said to him, "O thou Son of the Sultan, that site is a far cry for thee, nor canst thou ever arrive thereat unless assisted, seeing that its distance from this place be a march of two hundred years for a diligent traveller. How then canst thou reach it and return from it? However, the old saw saith, O my son, 'Good for good and the beginner is worthier, and ill for ill and the beginner is unworthier.'[364] Now thou hast done to me a kindly deed and I (Inshallah!) will requite thee with its match and will reward thee with its mate; but let whatso is with thee of companions and slaves and beasts and provisions abide in this site and we will go together, I and thou, and I will win for thee thy wish even as thou hast wrought by me a kindly work." Hereupon the Prince left all that was with him in that place and the 'Aun said to him, "O son of the Sultan, come mount upon my shoulders." The youth did accordingly, after he had filled his ears with cotton, and the 'Aun rose from earth and towered in air and after the space of an hour he descended again and the rider found himself in the grounds about the capital of the Camphor Islands. So he dismounted from the Jinni's shoulders and looked about that wady where he espied pleasant spots and he descried trees and blooms and rills and birds that trilled and shrilled with various notes. Then quoth the 'Aun to him, "Go forth to yonder garden and thence bring thy need;" so he walked thither and, finding the gates wide open, he passed in and fell to solacing himself with looking to the right and the left. Presently he saw bird-cages suspended and in them were fowls of every kind, to each two, so he walked up to them and whenever he noted a bird that pleased him he took it and caged it till he had there six fowls and of all sorts twain. Then he designed to leave the garden when suddenly a keeper met him face to face at the door crying aloud, "A thief! a thief!" Hereat all the other gardeners rushed up and seized him, together with the cage, and carried him before the King, the owner of that garden and lord of that city. They set him in the presence saying, "Verily we found this young man stealing a cage wherein be fowls and in good sooth he must be a thief." Quoth the Sultan, "Who misled thee, O Youth, to enter my grounds and trespass thereon and take of my birds?" Whereto the Prince returned no reply. So the Sultan resumed, "By Allah, thou hast wilfully wasted thy life, but, O Youngster, an it be thy desire to take my birds and carry them away, do thou go and bring me from the capital of the Isles of the Súdán[365] bunches of grapes which are clusters of diamonds and emeralds, when I will give thee over and above these six fowls six other beside." So the Prince left him and going to the 'Aun informed him of what had befallen him, and the other cried, "'Tis easy, O Mohammed;" and mounting him upon his shoulders flew with him for the space of two hours and presently alighted. The youth saw himself in the lands surrounding the capital of the Sudan Islands which he found more beautiful than the fair region he had left; and he designed forthright to approach the garden containing great clusters of diamonds and emeralds, when he was confronted by a Lion in the middle way. Now it was the wont of this beast yearly to visit that city and to pounce upon everything he met of women as well as of men; so seeing the Prince he charged down upon him, designing to rend him limb from limb?And Shahrazad was surprised by 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 how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night, and that was